Albert Taylor 2010 - Passport in Time

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Albert Taylor Cabin Restoration Project

Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Idaho, 2010
By Richard Newton, District Ranger

ALBERT TAYLOR CABIN RESTORATION
Passport in Time Project After-Action Report
August 30th, 2010

The Dubois Ranger District/Caribou-Targhee N.F. recently completed a 10-day (August 16th to August 27th) Passport in Time (PIT) project at the historic Albert Taylor cabin. The PIT volunteers and staff were lodged at Steel Creek Campground, a short walk from the cabin. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were provided daily by Robin Robinette and Amber Christianson, and a shower station was offered each night. Overall the accommodations and meals were excellent, cultivating a high morale and level of productivity in the volunteers. Each day began at 7:30 a.m. with a morning meeting and safety briefing, and the work day ended at 5:00 p.m. Over the course of the project, our eight PIT folks peeled 17 logs, poured two cement footings, installed three sill logs, and replaced the front porch with accompanying log beam supports for the roof. Additionally, the volunteers removed all the old flooring and soil accumulation from underneath the cabin and installed new joists, a vapor barrier, and subflooring, and finished with plank and oak veneer plywood. We installed half-inch screen around the perimeter of the cabin for pest control, and placed native rock beneath the sill logs to conceal it.

Tailgate safety sessions were conducted periodically throughout each day, especially as new tasks were undertaken. All duties were conducted safely and the project concluded without any accidents or injuries.

The PIT volunteers traveled to the project from as far west as California, and as far east as Ohio. Each volunteer contributed 40 hours of service and, in total, project participants contributed 380 hours of work. At the latest volunteer rate, their efforts totaled over $7,900. During the project, Ali Abusaidi (Forest Archaeologist for the Caribou-Targhee National Forest) and Milo McLeod (retired Forest Archaeologist on the Lolo National Forest in Montana) paid us a visit, and the Dubois District Ranger, Richard Newton, and many district employees stopped by to lend a hand. Of special note, Ed Taylor (the son of the cabin's original builder, Albert Taylor) visited the project for two days. Ed was extremely pleased with the U.S. Forest Service and the PIT volunteers and our efforts to restore his former family cabin.

We were fortunate to have Channel 6 News from Idaho Falls visit the project and interview Patrick Raley (North Zone Archaeologist on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest) and Grant Gilbert (a veteran PIT volunteer from Ohio). The interview was, in turn, reported accurately and reflected well on the U.S. Forest Service and the Passport in Time program. This second Albert Taylor cabin Passport in Time project was extremely productive and successful, and the District hopes to undertake similar projects in the coming years.
 
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