The Glacier Ranger Station (now known as the Glacier Public Service Center) was completed in 1938 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers housed at nearby Camp Glacier. One of 70 such camps set up in Washington, Camp Glacier was established by the CCC in June of 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program to combat the economic depression of the 1930s. The ranger station was one of Camp Glacier’s later projects and took several months to complete with the masonry comprising the largest part. Standard building plans prepared for the U.S. Forest Service were modified, and designs and materials were improvised to limit expenses and utilize the skills of the available labor force. Largely unchanged, the Glacier Ranger Station remains one of the best examples of a CCC-era project and demonstrates a high degree of skill and expertise in contrast to their more typical road building or forest work.

The Sampson Ranch (now known as the Snowline Lodge) was constructed in 1917 by the Sampson family to replace an earlier house destroyed by fire. Harry and Nancy Sampson first settled on their land east of Glacier in the early 20th century, establishing a small subsistence farm in the forested area. With ample living and dining areas on the first floor, the new two-story log structure soon became a favorite stopping place for visitors to the mountains, arriving first by railroad and later by automobile, especially after the opening of the Mount Baker Highway in 1923. Known for its chicken dinners and hospitality, the Sampson Ranch served outdoors enthusiasts and tourists into the 1940s. A later owner developed the surrounding property as a private residential community with the Sampson Ranch serving as the office and residence of the manager. The Sampson Ranch is a significant example of early 20th century log construction in eastern Whatcom County and an important surviving remnant of the early years of travel and tourism along the route to Mount Baker.