Last week, renovation began on the historic Glade Guard Station, located more than 20 miles from the nearest paved road in Dolores County.

Volunteers came from around the United States to help the San Juan National Forest restore the main structure on the site - a circa 1916 residence - to its original condition.

Faced with a long to-do list and only five days to do it, they rose to the challenge.

They scraped, sanded and primed the exterior then painted it its original bright white color. They tore off the deteriorating cedar-shingle roof and put on a new one. They replaced an exterior side door and its frame, as well as the porch railing and balusters. They installed a flagpole donated from the Mancos chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and made repairs to the chimney and sandstone foundation.

If that weren't enough, they improved the site drainage and removed the windows so they could be professionally restored.

"Those guys are the hardest-working guys you'd ever meet," said Julie Coleman, heritage team leader for the San Juan Public Lands.

A smokin' crew

"Those guys" are 14 retired smokejumpers from the National Smokejumper Association, which through its trail-maintenance program, restores historic structures on Forest Service land across the country.

Averaging 68 years old, the smokejumpers paid their own way to get to the guard station, where they camped, ate catered fare and enjoyed the chance to look back on their shared experiences as smokejumpers.

"It's a rare opportunity for guys our age to come back together and relive our youth," said Bill Ruskin, a Colorado Springs resident who oversees the program.

Also dedicated to the task at hand were Coleman and her husband, David Singer, with Silverton Restoration Consulting; Elaine Sherman, archaeologist for the Dolores Public Lands Office; Lloyd McNeil, a crew foreman for the Forest Service as well as a founding member of the Jersey Jim Foundation; and Russel Heaton, a rail ranger with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Together, they got the job done, with time left over for a flag-raising ceremony and barbecue Friday afternoon.

"Without proper maintenance, everything just deteriorates. The paint goes away, animals chew on things, the porch railing rots out," said Rich Hilderbrand, the smokejumpers' squad leader from Colorado Springs.

"(The house) is being restored to look very much like it did 50 years ago."

One hundred years of service

At an elevation of about 8,300 feet, the guard station is located about 10 miles north of McPhee Reservoir, on a remote hillside overlooking a large open area known as The Glade.

As one of the oldest U.S. Forest Service administrative sites in Colorado, it has a well-documented history.

The guard station was first established in 1906, when a log cabin, long since decayed and removed, was built as shelter for the "guardian" assigned to watch over the Glade District of the Montezuma National Forest, now part of the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest.

In 1916, both the 600-square-foot house and a barn were constructed to serve as the ranger's seasonal headquarters.

In the mid-1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps set up a camp next to the guard station and built a woodshed, garage and outhouse, all of which still stand today.

The Forest Service used the station well into the 1970s, primarily for storage, but dwindling budgets and a lack of need for the facility resulted in its being left largely unintended.

Neglected but not forgotten, the station remained under the watchful eye of McNeil, who checked on the station whenever his work took him into "the boondocks." He said he continued to pester district officials about the station.

"I've kept fanning the flames or blowing on the coals to get the fire going, because it's meant a lot to me, and I didn't want to see it disappear," he said.

In the nick of time

In 2001, the guard station was listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, and efforts continue to have it added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Still, even a year ago, the historic guard station remained at risk of being lost to history.

The house was showing its age with a rapidly deteriorating roof, a crumbling sandstone foundation, an infestation of rodents and myriad other problems.

Yet, the San Juan National Forest lacked the funds and manpower to do anything about it.

Last summer, however, things started looking up for the station after archaeologist Sherman told Ruskins, with the National Smokejumper Association, about its dire situation.

When Ruskins jumped at the chance to provide free labor to help save the forest gem, Coleman started rounding up money.

She secured a $10,000 grant from the Bacon Family Foundation and a $1,000 grant from the Ballantine Family Fund, in addition to $16,000 from the San Juan Public Lands.

The money covered last week's renovation activities, including the construction materials, an historic structural assessment provided by Silverton Restoration Consulting, and catering services provided by Elevated Fine Foods of Silverton.

A new chapter

Coleman said the next major stage of the renovation, slated for next summer, will include painting the interior and reinstalling the windows. She expects the renovation to be fully complete by 2010.

The house will then be available to the public as a recreational rental, operating under permit by the Jersey Jim Foundation.

The nonprofit organization already manages the Jersey Jim lookout tower north of Mancos, and is being considered to oversee management of the lower Hermosa trailhead.

Although national television crews weren't on the scene to film their efforts, the volunteers can be proud of their work.

"I think (the station) really is a connection to the past," Coleman said. "We're giving it a new life and a new chapter."

Click here to send an email to the author