P a g e 2 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r ment. Please help us maintain the past for the future. If you would like more information, please contact the Helena Ranger District at 406-449-5201. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Historical information excerpted from Home on the Range, Montana’s Eastside Ranger Stations, author Vicky MacLean KADING GUARD STATION The original cow-camp cabin built by C.J. Kading A letter dated April 13, 1912 from the Forest Supervisor to Assistant Ranger Mizner instructs him to select a site for a ranger station in the vicinity of Kading Cabin and to get help from Ranger Sheehey if needed. A report from 1913 from Ranger Sheehey: “that this is a good location being between the Blackfoot Station and the Burnt Hollow Station. The Blackfoot telephone line passes through here and trails radiate out in all directions.” The report stated that the cabin was built by C.J. Kading of Deer Lodge as a cow camp, but was not presently in use. It was used by the Ranger as a stopping point and he went on to recommend the site be used for administrative purposes. The present Kading Cabin was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1941. A letter dated October 1940 from Forest Service personnel stated that the plan for this location was for a two-room cabin. Evidently plans changed because the Kading Cabin ended up as the small, one-room structure you see today. In recent years, recreation and historic preservation have become important aspects of the agency’s mission. The cabin was restored in the 1990s. It is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and is maintained and managed for its historic and recreational value. It has been placed on the Forest Service cabin rental program for your enjoyment. Please help us maintain the past for the future. If you would like more information, please contact the Helena Ranger District at 406-449-5201. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Historical information excerpted from The Helena National Forest, The Early Days, author Vicky MacLean. Information on Montana’s Historical Cabins and photos provided by: https://www.fs.usda.gov/ Claims in the Cataract Mining District were made in the early 1860s as prospectors made their way from Fort Benton to the Grasshopper Creek diggings near Bannack. The Cataract Creek claims were acquired by James and Granville Stuart, and Reece Anderson who built cabins at the mouth of the creek. These boys were also credited with the gold strike made at Gold Creek a few years earlier. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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