Middle Ridge Cabin
A Long Sought Reality
After years of planning, and numerous funding submissions by the Wrangell Ranger District, the Middle Ridge Cabin on Wrangell Island has finally become a reality. After a slow start, the Middle Ridge Cabin construction was completed in fewer less than eight weeks. SAGA volunteers, Wrangell Ranger District employees, local residents, community support and log construction experts contributed to the effort.
It has been a long time coming since Keith Appleman and Dee Galla, both Wrangell Ranger District employees working in the recreation department, submitted the cabin as a CAP project in 2003. The project was accepted, but Forest Service funding was scarce at the time. The project was scheduled for CAP funding several years out. Between 2003 and 2008, the cabin project was submitted to a variety of other funding sources, but the proposal did not receive approval.
Meanwhile, the Sitka Ranger District entered in partnership with the University of Alaska to build a log cabin for their popular Starrigavan Recreation Complex using second growth logs rather than dimensional cut lumber to construct a public recreation cabin. The success of the Starrigavan Cabin project on the Sitka Ranger District in 2008 sparked the opportunity for Wrangell's Middle Ridge Cabin.
The Middle Ridge cabin foundation was laid in August 2009 by Southwest Contracting of Petersburg, Alaska. Construction of the cabin superstructure started in September 2009, which consisted of reassembling logs cut and fitted in a Sitka workshop under the supervision of Richard Musick of the University of Alaska.
Under Richard Musick’s tutelage, the cabin walls were assembled, window and door openings cut, and roof framing constructed in the space of one week. Musick left after log assembly was completed, leaving the balance of the work to be conducted under Pete Traxler of SAGA, directing SAGA volunteers and a maintenance crew form the Wrangell Ranger District under the direction of Steve Murphy.
Richard Musick, who spearheaded the log cabin workshop at the University of Alaska, and the success of the Starrigavan and Middle Ridge cabin projects, is encouraged to believe that that there will be future second-growth log cabin projects to enhance the Tongass recreation cabin program.
Considerable help was received from a variety of volunteers. With the cabin completed on October 22, the SAGA crew boarded ferries to head to Juneau and areas further north to complete their tour of work this season in Alaska.