Miller Cabin

Located approximately one mile from the Kinney Canyon Walk In Fishery, off of Slate Prairie Road near Deerfield Reservoir, lies a hidden piece of history within the Black Hills National Forest. Built in 1879, Miller Cabin is one of the oldest structures left standing in the central Black Hills.

John A. Miller, who founded the town of Deerfield and owned much of the land in the area, bought the cabin. It had previously been owned by a rancher who let travelers use the cabin as lodging when passing through. In 1940, the Miller family land was auctioned off during the development of Deerfield Reservoir. A family purchased the Miller cabin that, at the time, was located where Deerfield Reservoir now resides. Via Ox, the cabin was pulled to its current location, north of the Reservoir near Castle Creek. The cabin continued to be used as a summer retreat, with each owner adding upgrades to it, including electricity and a telephone wire. It even served as a wedding location for the last owners.

The land, which included the cabin, was sold in 1970 to the Forest Service. In the 1990s, the cabin, which had sat untouched for many years, was rediscovered by Forest Archaeologists. In the 2000s, the Forest, with assistance from the Passport In Time program, a volunteer cultural heritage resources program sponsored by the US Forest Service; began repairs which included removing and replacing the shed roof, replacing the shed floor and walls, putting a door on the cabin, and re-enforcing the fence around the cabin.

During recent area monitoring, archaeologists discovered the Miller Cabin porch had collapsed.

The Regional Forest Service office granted funds to be used towards restoring the cabin, a priority heritage asset, by applying Section 110 from the National Historic Preservation Act.

Forest Archaeologists from the Mystic and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts, spent four days in August 2021 repairing and stabilizing the porch, chinking logs, repairing fencing, cleaning the interior of the cabin, replacing some of the shake shingles on the roof and patching holes to keep rain and weather out.

“It’s a good representation of how the average person lived out here and really developed the Black Hills into the area that we know and love today,” said Janie Knutson, Mystic District Archaeologist.

“There is something special about this area, as well as the age and stories surrounding this cabin,” said Luke Hittner, South Zone Archaeologist. “It has a lot of original features and unique characteristics of that time and, as we move forward, these things tend to disappear. Here on the Black Hills National Forest, we have the opportunity to restore and interpret these for the public.”

Forest archaeologists are hoping the repairs made to the structure will help it stand the test of time and be preserved for future generations.

The Forest is working to preserve a piece of history for all to enjoy, and as with all special places on the Forest, the Forest relies heavily on public support. By leaving no trace, reporting vandalism or other suspicious activity to your local Forest Service office, you can help protect these important places.

Interested in volunteering on historic projects? Reach out to your local Forest Service office for more information.