The Long Way
Mineral County
A stone bridge spans a small stream in front of a white building surrounded by a dense forest.
Plate I. Stone bridge, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A grassy area with picnic tables under large trees and white buildings in the background.
Plate II. Picnic area, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A stone bridge leads down a path towards a white building surrounded by trees.
Plate III. Bridge and grounds at Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
An exterior view of a small white building with a porch.
Plate IV. East entrance, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A statue stands near a pond and grassy hill with mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.
Plate V. Front pond and grounds, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
A grassy clearing is surrounded by tall evergreen trees under a cloudy sky.
Plate VI. Fire pit area, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
Several white picnic tables are placed under the shade of trees in a park.
Plate VII. Picnic area, Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov
An exterior view of a white building with a metal roof and an outdoor staircase.
Plate VIII. Savenac Bunkhouse. From recreation.gov

Savenac Bunkhouse

Haugan, Mineral County, Montana. Bunkhouse.

Details

Map. Haugan, Mineral County, Montana. Larger map
Where
Haugan, Mineral County, MT. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check in 2:00 PM; Check out 11:00 AM.
Season
May 5 to October 15 each year, except when reserved for administrative use or maintenance.
Getting there
From Missoula, travel west on Interstate 90 for 90 miles, to Exit 16 for Haugan. Turn right at the stop sign. At the frontage road turn right and take the first left across the cattleguard.
Access
Drive-in vehicle access. Sleeping facility only; cooking not allowed within the facility. Smoking and pets prohibited inside. Avalanche danger in the area. Guests bring own bedding, towels, soap, and other necessities.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservable on recreation.gov; maximum stay 5 nights per reservation.
Phone
406-822-4233
Website
recreation.gov
Managed by
Lolo National Forest, Superior Ranger District.
Established
1907 (Savenac Nursery founded); the bunkhouse was originally a garage and has been converted to sleeping quarters.
Coordinates
47.3855556, -115.3955556.

Two-story sleeping accommodation for large groups at the Savenac Historic Tree Nursery in the Lolo National Forest.

Notable Events

  1. 1910The first nursery was destroyed in the Great Fire of August, 1910; reconstruction started that fall and by winter an office/residence was completed. npgallery.nps.gov
  2. 1915By 1915 the nursery was fully stocked with about 10 million trees of various age classes and ready to maintain an annual output of three million trees; it had become the largest tree nursery in the Forest Service. npshistory.com
  3. 1935Camp Taft, F-9, of the Civilian Conservation Corps was established across the St. Regis River on the bench above Big Creek and Company 956 moved in in 1935. npgallery.nps.gov
  4. 1935In 1935 over 200 CCC workers were camped across from Savenac Nursery at Camp Taft; with that labor pool they built most of the infrastructure at Savenac. vp-mi.com
  5. 1936The bunkhouse building (#1301), a rectangular one and one-half story gable roof building in the southwest corner of the service cluster, was built in 1936. npgallery.nps.gov
  6. 1942Camp Taft closed on June 27, 1942. npgallery.nps.gov
  7. 1956The building, originally built as a garage/implement shed, was modified into a combination bunkhouse/cookhouse in 1956. npgallery.nps.gov
  8. 1969Savenac Nursery was closed in 1969 with its functions transferred to the Coeur d'Alene Nursery. npgallery.nps.gov
  9. 1979The building was modified into its current configuration in 1979, with the glass door and combination fire escape/porch added for the YACCs. npgallery.nps.gov
  10. 1996A 25,000 pound stone from Silver Creek was set along the slough for a memorial to the firefighters who lost their lives in the Fire of 1910; the plans were interrupted by World War II and the memorial was not completed until 1996. npgallery.nps.gov

People

  • Elers Koch, supervisor of the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests who started Savenac Nursery in 1907 (1907).
  • David S. Olson, nurseryman (from 1915).
  • Frank Haun, Ranger supervising nursery operations.
  • Will Simons, Assistant Ranger supervising nursery operations.

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234412
  2. recreation.gov/api/camps/campgrounds/234412
  3. fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/recreation/savenac-historic-tree-nursery-area
  4. fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/newsroom/releases/savenac-historic-tree-nursery-area-upcoming-closure
  5. npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/89df5a09-a6dd-4c34-9e66-a7a0e4fa1123
  6. npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/1/early-days/3/sec18.htm
  7. vp-mi.com/news/2013/may/08/savenac-nursery-a-legacy-of-forestry-14
  8. fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/recreation/savenac-historic-tree-nursery-area
  9. nps.gov/state/mt/list.htm?program=all