Ralph S. Space was born on1901 in Kansas but was raised in the Clearwater country and graduated from Weippe (Idaho) High School and the University of Idaho, where he earned his degree in forestry in 1925. From 1920 to 1924, Space did a seasonal work on the Coeur d’ Alene, St. Joe and Selway National Forests as a smokechaser, scaler, timekeeper, and foreman. He accepted an appointment with the Forest Service in June 1925 and was assigned to the Olney Ranger District in the Blackfeet National Forest. Space later served on the Wolf Creek and Fortine Ranger Districts and on the Supervisor’s staff of the Blackfeet National Forest. He served in the Flathead National Forest and in the Northern Regional Headquarters’ Division of Recreation, Lands and Watershed management and later in the Division of Fire Control. In 1950 he was appointed Supervisor of the Cabinet National Forest and in June 1954 was named Supervisor of the Clearwater National Forest until 1963. He retired on April 30, 1963. He published three books, including” The Clearwater Story,” a book chronicling the history of the Clearwater National Forest. He was involved in the Nezperce National Historical Park, Society of American Foresters, and Clearwater Historical Society. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 92 and was buried in Orofino.