I caught a glimpse of this old cabin from the highway the other day and turned around and went back to get a few pictures. It sits on the banks of the Flathead River on the Flathead Indian Reservation and, by the looks of it, it goes way back in time. I love to think of what it looked like in it’s prime and what the lives of the occupants were like back then.
And the old root cellar, too. It looks as though it could be used today!
Montana Outdoors 
They certainly had a beautiful location in which to live; breathtaking, really. I wonder if there were any neighbors nearby or if it was a lonesome place to reside.
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Comment by Tabbie — December 10, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
Hi from a fellow Montanan! well, that’s where I was raised. Beautiful…God’s country. Some of my family live in Kalispell, Cascade, Fort Benton, Brady, and near Big Fork.
From the looks of it, winter is upon you there as it is here. great pics. Will look forward to seeing more of what Montana holds! Thanks!
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Comment by olsenweb — December 10, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
Tabbie,
I think that would have been a very lonely place, especially in winter. I’ve seen bit of other buildings which were probably like this one, but they are miles apart, and those were horseback times. That area would have been awesomely beautiful in those time though, the wildlife was abundant, and the river back then was full of big trout. They must have raised some pretty good food crops too, to fill that root cellar.
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Comment by montucky — December 10, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
Hi, olsenweb!
Always good to hear from someone with strong Montana roots! The area where this old cabin sits is near Perma, about 15 or so miles from where the Flathead flows into the Clark Fork.
Winter has been late this year, but its due Saturday night with an influx of arctic air (I’m sure you remember that!). Sunday night is forecast to hit -11.
Thanks for the visit!
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Comment by montucky — December 10, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Oh,… if those old walls could talk!
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Comment by Cedar — December 11, 2008 @ 5:59 am
I wonder if it has a WiFi connection. If so, I’d like to escape to a place like that where I can write without having the phone ring or people drop by. Looks like it might need a little insulation, though.
You’re right, Montucky, I imagine it would have been lonely, though if one enjoys one’s own company, the days will still be good ones.
Malcolm
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Comment by knightofswords — December 11, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Such a stark and rugged beauty, even in a state of decay. Thank you.
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Comment by fw — December 11, 2008 @ 9:44 am
I sure wish they could, Cedar!
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Probably doesn’t have WiFi, Malcolm, and it would have been a wonderful place to write back in its day, at least if you didn’t have to work the land for a living. The summers would have been beyond compare; the winters, well, not so much!
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 10:51 am
fw,
I’ve seen many cabins similar to this one and I always marvel at the folks who built and lived in them. I wish I knew!
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 10:52 am
I know what you mean. They just reek of history and of somebody’s very personal story…life, love, work, death…all of it….
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Comment by fw — December 11, 2008 @ 11:37 am
I wish I could find a connection there, fw, perhaps through an old timer who might be able to pass down some of the stories he knew about. What a source for a book!
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
What a wonderful cabin!
I bet with a stove it was actually kind of cozy, or at least not uncomfortable–it’s nice and small and not many windows. And logs are supposed to give good insulation.
I’m with everyone else here–I want to know who lived there and how they lived. Did they farm, raise livestock, trap? All of the above? Where did they go and why?
Oh to walk back in time and visit with them just for a day.
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Comment by gradschoolsara — December 11, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Yes, they were likely able to stay pretty warm there. I’d select “all of the above” and guess that for a good hunter there would be plenty of food. The root cellar also suggests that they had crops to store too. I do wonder why they left. I’ll visit it again and go inside to see if there are any clues, although I wouldn’t expect to find much.
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 4:37 pm
The entrance is awfully striking. So symmetrical and the textures of the exposed wood are stunning. It might be lonely up there, but I sure bet it was beautiful in its day.
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Comment by Bo — December 11, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
Wouldn’t it have been something to see when it was in its prime, Bo? Someone was proud to live there!
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Comment by montucky — December 11, 2008 @ 10:51 pm
interesting place. I know I would have made a rotten pioneer but I’d love to hear the stories these walls could tell….
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Comment by silken — December 14, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
I’m sad to think that there’s a story there that probably will never be told, Silken.
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Comment by montucky — December 14, 2008 @ 11:31 pm