The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with New Deal federal relief construction.

The rustic architecture is also significant because it was common to the design of land management administrative buildings within this time period.

On February 13, 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Superior National Forest with an area of 1,018,638 acres (412,228 ha).

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps was formed to provide relief for unemployment, and also to stimulate local economies through federally funded, grassroots development projects.

The Isabella guard station served as a facility for crews that were working in an often roadless area within the Superior National Forest.