Historic cabins from the early days of Mammoth now serve scientists and students

Historic cabins from the early days of Mammoth now serve scientists and students

It was the perfect spot. An ideal place to escape the hustle of Los Angeles. It had a creek, forests, a meadow. They could make some fishing ponds, build a few cabins, and pass their summers in the Eastern Sierra. Yes, it would do nicely.

There was no way for these Southern Californian businessmen to know that their camp in the mountains would eventually become a Natural Reserve, upholding a mission of education, research and environmental preservation. Or that over 100 years later, these same summer cabins would host students, scientists and environmental stewards, enabling others to discover the wonder of the Eastern Sierra for themselves.

Education, research and environmental preservation

A variety of characters have cared for Valentine Camp Reserve and its historic cabins over the past century. Some were longtime, year-round residents, while others had a shorter tenure. The forested property at the base of Mammoth Mountain has enchanted many since its first cabin was built more than 100 years ago. And now, as part of the UC Santa Barbara's Natural Reserve System, the site sees hundreds of guests each year, from school children to researchers and tenured professors.

It's safe to say those cabins have had their fair share of visitors. To ensure that Valentine Camp can serve the needs of those who visit well into the future, the reserve team has begun to restore and upgrade the property's historic cabins. Central to those efforts is current reserve manager, Juyung Yoo. He has a unique perspective on the location, having come to the site many times, and in many different roles.

A refuge in the mountains

Valentine Camp originally served as a summer retreat for a cadre of wealthy businessmen from Los Angeles, including William Valentine. The founders purchased the site in the 1910s and developed it in the '20s and '30s. Over the years the owners sold their shares to one another, and in 1966 the entire property landed in the hands of the Valentine family, from whom the reserve takes its name.

Because they bought it for recreation, the owners had no need to log the forest or graze the meadows, explained Reserve Director Carol Blanchette, a faculty member at UCSB. As a result, the reserve harbors uniquely pristine habitats compared to the surrounding national forest, which is "a land of many uses," as US Forest Service signs will inform you.

The 155-acre reserve also boasts a mosaic of habitats that support some of the highest biodiversity in the entire Sierra Nevada. This habitat diversity enables scientists to study a relatively intact ecosystem and provides an ideal classroom for school children and ecology students.

But Blanchette and Yoo feel additional responsibility to look after this place, beyond its natural and educational value. When Carol Valentine gifted the property to UCSB in 1972, she entrusted the university to continue using and caring for the site. Without that understanding, the family very well could have kept it for themselves.

"Part of our obligation is to preserve that history," Blanchette said, "the reason why the people that purchased this land fell in love with it." This includes the reserve's six remaining historic cabins, which now provide a home for students and researchers working in the Eastern Sierra.

Historic yet functional

There was no way for these men to know that, over 100 years later, their summer cabins would host students, scientists and environmental stewards. "These are historic cabins built in a time when Mammoth was first being developed," Yoo said. "Yet, here we are, using them to this day." Maintaining them requires a careful balance between retaining their original character while ensuring modern functionality.

So far, the reserve directors, caretakers and staff have carried out most of the upkeep. Fortunately, the cabins are not complicated buildings. "They're basically logs that are nailed and glued together," Blanchette remarked.

Drag the slider left and right to see the University Cabin's transformation from its early days to 2025.

"Yoo and the reserve team have begun addressing these tasks, but we will need professionals to scale this effort to all the cabins and to carry out the expensive and technical electrical and plumbing upgrades to ensure the cabins are around for another 100 years of research and student use," said Conner Philson, executive director of UCSB's Natural Reserve System.

Caring for these cabins requires working with the structures' idiosyncrasies. "Each one has its own unique personality and unique quirks," Yoo said. He's currently working to refurbish the original red fir flooring in Old Valentine - which is not exactly level or precisely square - before closing up the reserve for winter.

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