Great Basin Research Station

The Great Basin Research Station Historic District was established east of Ephraim U.T., within the Manti-LaSal National Forest, by the U.S. Forest Service in 1912 to research problems in forestry and watershed management. The experimental range has an area of 4608 acres and consists of two building complexes: the Headquarters, which consists of 10 buildings, and an experimental station, consisting of three buildings referred to as the Alpine Cabin. The research station was built in two stages. The first stage happened from 1912-16, and the second stage happened from 1933-36. In addition to the Headquarters and Alpine Cabin, there are also several recreational structures contributing to the Headquarters, including a tennis court, an amphitheater and a tent frame.

It was built in response to concerns about flooding and unrestricted cattle grazing of federal lands in Central Utah, the Great Basin Research Station is one of two research stations considered to be the birthplace of scientific range management. The research done at this station had a profound impact on the way the U.S. Government manages federal land, both during the historic period and the present day.

Between the years 1888 and 1910, there were a series of severe floods that particularly impacted Manti, Utah. Many farmers and townspeople in Manti believed that unrestricted cattle grazing was directly responsible for these floods. In response to these concerns, Manti City was given authority to regulate livestock grazing more closely, leading to a ban on the grazing of 8000 acres of land in Manti Canyon in 1901.

On the federal level, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt established, by proclamation, the Manti Forest Reserve in 1903 and 1906. Grazing within the reserve was heavily restricted by the Forest Service, including a ban on it for a period of time. These actions led to fierce debate as they were protested by Livestock farmers who organized into associations and lobbied Congress for unrestricted access to federal lands. All of this, including numerous complaints to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from all areas of the country, culminated in the establishment of research stations to study flooding.

The layout of the Headquarters complex is a classic camp form, with the primary buildings grouped around an elliptical drive with concrete walkways connecting the buildings. There are also three residences and a laboratory/office building adjacent to the drive. To the north, there is a greenhouse, which was converted to housing in 1933, a shower house and a tent-frame structure used for extra housing. Some of the other buildings and structures within this complex include a two-car garage, a three-car garage, an oil and gas storage building and a tennis court and amphitheater, both of which are located northwest of the main compound.

The Alpine Cabin complex is located about three miles up the canyon from the Headquarters, both of which are connected by the Ephraim Canyon road. This research station, used to facilitate field studies, consists of two sediment and stream-flow monitoring buildings, the Alpine cabin itself and foundations of its dismantled garage. Determined by the natural topography of the area, the location of the station was strategically chosen at the intersection of two watersheds.

During its second phase of construction in 1933, the research station was significantly expanded by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The buildings themselves are an example of the cooperation of the Forest Service with other government agencies in its conservation efforts. Research at the station went on until the 1970s, when researchers no longer lived at the station. Today, they work at Forest Service offices in Ephraim, Provo and Ogden instead. The historic research station has been converted into the Great Basin Environmental Education Center since then. In addition, a significant number of artifacts still present at the historic research station provide a glimpse into the daily life of researchers who lived at the station.