The complex was built using labor from the Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

[2] The chief structure is the residence, built in 1933 to replace a smaller cabin that had previously served as the guard station.

The 12-foot (3.7 m) by 16-foot (4.9 m) cabin is built of peeled logs on a stone foundation with a gable roof.

One end of the roof overhangs at the gable to form a porch supported by log posts.

[2] The Elkhorn Guard Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 13, 2007.