The Charlie Wise Homestead Cabin will not be available for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately there was a fire at the homestead cabin on October 5 last year. The damage is extensive, it destroyed the roof and its supporting structure and everything inside was lost.

Reconstruction will start this summer. I think the main log structure is salvageable but I don’t know yet which direction it will go.

I was working in and around the cabin, cleaning up the yard, stocking the woodpile, replacing beds, armchairs and tables. I did lite the wood stove for some heat and late afternoon while working in the yard we noticed the cabin being full of smoke. I did try to get inside but a wall of black smoke made it impossible. A friend emptied his fire extinguisher through the window into the corner where the wood stove was and I got my pump going that was still in the creek next to the cabin. We started to pump creek water into the cabin but with no noticeable effect. Several passerby helped in the effort. We got a bigger pump from the hostel. Blankenship, Columbia Falls and Bad Rock fire departments responded. We figured it took 6 to 7 hours between when we discovered the fire until it was out. Here are pictures from the day after: