The cabin was built in 1936 on a ridge overlooking the school for
Froelich Rainey, the first professor of the university's Anthropology Department. During his tenure the cabin played a significant role as a social center of the university, hosting a number of pioneering archaeologists and anthropologists, including
J. Louis Giddings and
Frederica de Laguna. When Rainey left in 1942 the university bought the cabin to use as faculty housing. Upon Skarland's sudden death in 1965, university students requested that the cabin, ski trails, and a residence hall be named in his memory, resulting in the
Rainey-Skarland Cabin. Today, a permanent or visiting anthropology faculty member or student lives there. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A major 1982 renovation was highlighted by roof replacement, insulation, and installation of an alarm system. ==See also==