HistoriCorps is a program of Colorado Preservation, Inc., funded in part by the US Forest Service.
Off Cow Camp
Purpose of the Project: The proposed project for the Off Cow Camp will rehabilitate the existing buildings as a cabin and stabling facility for use by equestrian travelers on the nearby trails. The site has been vacant for several years, and the cabin and barn have experienced deferred maintenance. This project will make the buildings functional for use by visitors.
History: The Off Cow Camp is located within the Rio Grande National Forest, on the south side of Burro Creek, at an elevation of 10,520 feet; due to this remote location, the site is accessible by foot, horse, bike, or ATV, but not motorized vehicles. The Off Cow Camp was constructed circa 1905, with improvements made to the log cabin and barn in 1915 by Simon Off, a local cattle rancher, for the site to serve as a cow camp used every year from 1915 to 1979. The Off Cow Camp site is significant as an example of permanent improvements by ranchers on the National Forests to serve the needs of agriculture. Furthermore, the Off Cow Camp site is architecturally significant as reflective of early cow camps in Colorado: often cabins, roughly constructed, with hewn logs and low gabled roofs exemplifying pioneer construction.
Scope of Work: The proposed project at the Off Cow Camp will involve repairs to both the cabin and barn. Crews will restore the barn as a stabling facility for equestrian travelers through several projects including: the replacement of rotten sill and top logs, reroofing with rusted corrugated metal, the manufacture and installation of barn door constructed of rough-sawn lumber, and the installation of wood-sashed sliding glass windows in existing openings. The cabin will be rehabilitated as well, with rotted sills and top logs replaced, reroofing with rolled asphalt shingles, the cabin door reconstructed, and the construction of an unobtrusive cement pier foundation and wood flooring. Surrounding the site, crews will construct a buck-and-rail perimeter fencing. Furthermore, an outhouse facility, mimicking a nearby outhouse structure similar in size and materials, will be constructed on site. These projects at Off Cow Camp will provide much needed preservation and maintenance to the site, and students and volunteers will learn valuable skills in log construction, door and window installation and roofing methods.
Off Cow Camp
History: The Off Cow Camp is located within the Rio Grande National Forest, on the south side of Burro Creek, at an elevation of 10,520 feet; due to this remote location, the site is accessible by foot, horse, bike, or ATV, but not motorized vehicles. The Off Cow Camp was constructed circa 1905, with improvements made to the log cabin and barn in 1915 by Simon Off, a local cattle rancher, for the site to serve as a cow camp used every year from 1915 to 1979. The Off Cow Camp site is significant as an example of permanent improvements by ranchers on the National Forests to serve the needs of agriculture. Furthermore, the Off Cow Camp site is architecturally significant as reflective of early cow camps in Colorado: often cabins, roughly constructed, with hewn logs and low gabled roofs exemplifying pioneer construction.
Scope of Work: The proposed project at the Off Cow Camp will involve repairs to both the cabin and barn. Crews will restore the barn as a stabling facility for equestrian travelers through several projects including: the replacement of rotten sill and top logs, reroofing with rusted corrugated metal, the manufacture and installation of barn door constructed of rough-sawn lumber, and the installation of wood-sashed sliding glass windows in existing openings. The cabin will be rehabilitated as well, with rotted sills and top logs replaced, reroofing with rolled asphalt shingles, the cabin door reconstructed, and the construction of an unobtrusive cement pier foundation and wood flooring. Surrounding the site, crews will construct a buck-and-rail perimeter fencing. Furthermore, an outhouse facility, mimicking a nearby outhouse structure similar in size and materials, will be constructed on site. These projects at Off Cow Camp will provide much needed preservation and maintenance to the site, and students and volunteers will learn valuable skills in log construction, door and window installation and roofing methods.