Meyers Creek Work Center Listed on the National Historic Register

Constructed as the Meyers Creek Ranger Station in 1906, the 120-acre Meyers Creek Work Center complex on the Beartooth Ranger District of the Custer Gallatin National Forest, the work center was listed April 14, 2023 on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2021, GAOA funding was awarded to the Meyers Creek Work center to conduct restoration of the rental cabin and to improve the water system. The Custer Gallatin Historic Preservation Team will be repairing windows, doors, siding, and water-damaged interior surfaces. Work is expected to occur for repairs during the 2024-2025 summer seasons.

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The work center is located adjacent to Meyers Creek in the Beartooth Mountains of south-central Montana, approximately 10 miles north of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and several miles northwest of the small town of Nye.

“If someone were to visit here, transported through time from the 1900s, this area would still have the same feeling that it did back then. They would be able to recognize each one of the buildings, what it was used for, the area still has the same feeling, the same sound. If we had a horse crew right here, right now, you could still be able to hear the stock, you'd be able to smell the horses. If a fire crew was here, you'd be able to see them sitting out on the porch sharpening their tools, hearing those noises. And it just maintains that early 1900s feeling, that 1920s feeling. That it had,” said Custer Gallatin National Forest Archeologist, Brian Haas.

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While several buildings and structures historically associated with the Meyers Creek Work Station have come and gone as its use evolved over time during its 100-year history, the Meyers Creek Work Center, formerly the Meyers Creek Ranger Station, continues to reflect its historic ownership and continues to serve many of its historic functions. The historic site layout remains reflecting architectural details that include livestock and equipment storage and maintenance appropriate to the function, look, and feel of such historic stations. Although the site continues to evolve with the removal or addition of resources, the general arrangement and historical integrity of the property, including adjacent horse grazing pastures remains intact.

The current historical configuration of the property includes fenced grazing pastures, that accommodate the horses and mules that have traditionally – and continue to be used - to access and monitor more remote areas of the forest. 

The property consists of fenced grazing pastures, a concentration of historic buildings that include a wood frame house, a log house, a small wood framed garage, a wood frame livestock barn with associated corrals, and a wood frame garage-shop for the storage and repair of more modern accoutrements. On the western side of the work center lies a parking lot for accessing the Meyers Creek Trailhead.

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While the main frame house is currently available as a public cabin rental, the property continues to serve its original purpose and retains the look and feel of such a facility. The cabin at an altitude of 5,646 feet, offers opportunities to enjoy relaxation and recreation in beautiful surroundings. It is reservable from May through November. The cabin is accessible by vehicle, 4-wheel drive is recommended during wet weather. Horse facilities are also available at the cabin.

Trails crisscross the area, including the Meyers Creek and Lodgepole Creek Trails. This area offers recreation for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. Anglers can fish for rainbow and brown trout in nearby creeks.

Thanks to the efforts of the Custer Gallatin National Forest and the support received due to the listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the forest will be able to maintain the work center and will help to ensure a future for the Meyers Creek Work Center and Historic Ranger Station for generations to come.

References:

Nomination for Meyers Creek Work Center National Register of Historic Places