Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Education

Location

4 2nd St, Wanakena, NY 13695, USA

Lat/Long

44.13607, -74.921684

Grant Recipient

Wanakena Historical Association

The Ranger School of The SUNY College of the Environmental Science and Forestry is located in the small community of Wanakena, New York, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains. In May of 1912 a local business, Rich Lumber Company, donated more than 1,800 acres of land to the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, which was used to establish one of the country’s first Ranger Schools. In the 1913 “Bulletin of Syracuse University, The State Ranger School of the New York State College of Forestry, the purposes of Ranger School are clearly laid out:

The School gives an unusually through and practical training of one year, fitting men for such positions as rangers, guards, tree planting experts, nursery foremen and managers of forest estates.

The bulletin also states the advantages of attending the Ranger School:

Young men who have already had some experience in lumbering operations or are well trained in woodcraft will find this course a material help to them in preparation for the more expert quality of service which s demanded by modern methods of handling timber holdings.

As of 2020, the Ranger School is still in operation and remains a prominent feature of the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry.

Links

• Ranger School @ SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry