Double D Ranch

Rehabilitation of the Double D Ranch

8/1 – 8/27/ 2011

Largely due to lack of maintenance, the site suffered significant deterioration. HistoriCorps rehabilitated cabin # 2 and the barn to serve as public rental facilities. The cabin has been converted as a bathhouse for the site.

Location: The Double D Ranch is located in the Shoshone National Forest in the Absaroka Mountains of Park County, Wyoming.

Lodging: Tent camping was available near the site. It did not include electrical hook-ups, and  tent and overnight camping supplies were the responsibility of the participants.

History: The Double D Ranch was established in 1931 by Carl Dunrud and operated as a dude ranch from 1931 to 1945. The ranch enjoyed moderate success as a remote escape, with activities for recreation and relaxation, and entertained many famous guests, including Amelia Earhart. Double Dee features several historic buildings: a barn, cabins, dugout, lodge, garage with stone walls, masonry swimming pool, and an outhouse, among others. Dunrud, an adventurous-type, constructed most of the structures himself. Many of the buildings on-site are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Scope of Work: The Double D Ranch barn’s roof collapsed and the foundation suffered deterioration; HistoriCorps reconstructed the gambrel roof and replaced and repaired rotted sill logs on the barn. The cabin was re-roofed and sill logs were replaced.

Participants learned to:
- Reconstruct a gambrel roof;
- Re-roof with historically sympathetic materials;
- Peel, shape, and notch logs;
- Repair and replace deteriorated sill logs.