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Warner Valley Ranger Station

Chester, Plumas County, California Listed Ref. 78000364 Building

Also known as: Warner Valley Patrol Cabin; Warner Valley Ranger Residence

Warner Valley Ranger Station, Chester, California
Photo: Fred English, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).

Why it's listed

Warner Valley Ranger Station is a small two-story building in Lassen Volcanic National Park, north of Chester in Plumas County, California. Built by the National Park Service in 1926 and rebuilt in 1927 after heavy snow damaged it, it measures about 24 feet square. Its walls are milled lumber planks laid flat, one on another, with extended butt joints at the corners, an adaptation of log cabin building to sawn lumber. The nomination calls this the only known structure of that type in National Park Service areas in the Western Region, and suggests the method may have been chosen because it needed less labor in a timber-rich area. The station was among the first three buildings the Park Service put up in the park, alongside ranger stations at Summit Lake and Butte Lake. It has served part of each year as a ranger's residence and is closed in winter. A stone fireplace, a corrugated metal roof added in 1967, and a 1935 garage and barn complete the site.

Significance in brief: The nomination argues local significance in architecture and conservation history. Its walls are milled planks laid flat with extended butt-joint corners, as in log cabin construction, a method described as the only known example of its kind in Western Region park areas. It was also one of the first three buildings the National Park Service erected in the park in 1926.

Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000364, listed April 3, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).

Key facts

AddressN of Chester in Lassen Volcanic National Park, Chester
CountyPlumas County
ListedApril 3, 1978
Reference number78000364
Resource typeBuilding
Period of significance1926 - Present
Architect / builderNational Park Service
Areas of significanceEntertainment/Recreation, Architecture
Level of significanceLocal
Status (as stated in the nomination)Listed in excellent condition and largely unaltered since 1927; used part of each year as a ranger residence and closed and empty in winter. Corrugated metal roofing was added over the shakes in 1967.
Acreage0.5
Coordinates40.44087, -121.38369 (NPS GIS)

What listing means for this property

For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.

Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.

Sources and further reading

Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.