The Long Way
Lewis and Clark County
A wooden bridge leads over a stream to a log cabin surrounded by trees and snow.
Plate I. Moose Creek Cabin. From flickr.com
A cabin nestled in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees and mountains.
Plate II. Moose Creek Cabin exterior, Helena. From recreation.gov
A log cabin sits in a grassy clearing surrounded by a dense forest.
Plate III. Log cabin at Moose Creek Cabin. From recreation.gov
Wooden cabins stand in a grassy clearing surrounded by tall trees.
Plate IV. Moose Creek Cabin near Helena. From recreation.gov
A log building stands in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees.
Plate V. Moose Creek Cabin. From recreation.gov

Moose Creek Cabin

Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. National forest cabin.

Details

Map. Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Larger map
Where
Helena, Lewis and Clark County, MT. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check-in 2pm; check-out 1pm.
Getting there
From Helena, travel west on Montana Highway 12 approximately 8 miles, turn south on Rimini Road #695 at MacDonald Pass, and continue about 5 miles; the cabin is east of the road beyond Moose Creek Campground.
Fees
$50 per night.
Access
One vault toilet; potable water is not available.
Walk-in or reserve
Make reservations.
Phone
406-449-5490
Website
fs.usda.gov
Managed by
Helena National Forest.
Established
1907.
Coordinates
46.5252, -112.253611.

A two-bedroom log cabin in the Tenmile Creek drainage west of Helena with access to hiking, picnicking, skiing, snowmobiling, and hunting.

Notable Events

  1. 1910Agency correspondence indicates that the station was fully operating by 1910. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org
  2. 1927Moose Creek Ranger Station operated until 1927, when district headquarters were consolidated and moved to Helena; Moose Creek was then operated as a guard and workstation. fs.usda.gov
  3. 1930sMoose Creek functioned as a guard station and in the 1930s served as the access point to a lookout atop Colorado Mountain, removed by the Forest Service in the 1960s. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org
  4. 1939Forest Camp A-79, or Camp Rimini, was established in June 1939 just south of Moose Creek Ranger Station on the west side of Ten Mile Creek. fs.usda.gov
  5. 1942CCC Camp 79-A was converted to an Army sled- and pack-dog training facility in April 1942. fs.usda.gov
  6. 1944The property was converted to private ownership in 1944. fs.usda.gov
  7. 1944The Camp Rimini dog training facility closed in March 1944; because district headquarters had moved to Helena, the old Moose Creek ranger station was also sold. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org
  8. 1998The Forest Service terminated the Special Use Permit for the property in 1998. fs.usda.gov
  9. 2000Renovation of the Moose Creek Ranger Station has been ongoing since 2000; surviving buildings include the original ranger's cabin, garage and cellar. fs.usda.gov
  10. 2001In 2001 the Helena National Forest began restoring the old ranger station for use as a summer educational facility and winter rental cabin. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org
  11. 2005The facility opened for public use in the summer of 2005, the Forest Service's centennial year. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org

People

  • Bert Goodman, ranger in charge of the facility (1930s).
  • D.H. Lewis, ranger (by 1919 until 1928 or 1929).
  • Walter Derrick, ranger (1911).

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233151
  2. recreation.gov/api/camps/campgrounds/233151
  3. fs.usda.gov/r01/helena-lewisclark/recreation/moose-creek-cabin
  4. visitmt.com/listing/moose-creek-cabin-17532
  5. montanadiscoveryfoundation.org/moose-creek-ranger-station
  6. fs.usda.gov/media/212548