Hi, Everyone!
Because my project is on forest service land, it will need to be no cost. I have been doing research to understand the history of the area we’d like to see restored, if we are allowed to. I posted photos in Module 2.
I did hear back from one of the cabin owners on Lake Mullen, and what he wrote is discouraging because of the human impact over the years. Here is what he said,
“Good afternoon Judy
I received your message last nite and did some thinking. I’ve been roaming around the hills at the cabin since I was old enough to walk. We used to get dropped off at the 9 mile, Homestake pass or Roosevelt Drive and hike to the cabin. I’ve even been to the headwaters of the North Fork of Little Pipestone Creek. It comes out of some rocks in the middle of a hillside. I don’t think there was much mining going on, mostly logging. There are some glory holes here and there are remenents of old logging wagons harnesses and yolks.
At the prospectors cabin a man named Oscar Blixt had the only working mine in the near area.He was a quiet man and never said much at one time his mine went in about 150 feet.
To my knowledge there were never any man made dams. At one time there were 3 beaver dams.The largest was straight out from the prospectors cabin.The second one was upstream and the smallest was downstream from the large dam.
According to Joan Shannon the pond at the cabin was just an over grown beaver dam.It was either her father or grandfather decided to enlarge it with some dynamite.
When we were small my uncle swam out to the center of the pond and could not touch bottom.I would guess the water was at least over 6 to 7 feet deep.
There was a saw mill at Oassis and another one half way between the Toll Mountain campground and the highway.
Over the years people would break the beaver dams and drain all the mud and silt down into the pond causing the pond to fill up.
I used to snow shoe with Mrs. Koch and her husband and she told me the wood cut up around the cabin was used in the mines in Butte and to fire the brick kilns down by the ZbarT.
I hope this information is useful and I would like to get involved in your project if you need any help.
Keep me posted
Thanks
Jim”
I will continue to do more research and have sent Jim additional questions. I would love to reintroduce beavers to the area, but that would involve MTFWP, and I am not sure if the area can be protected from trapping.
There is so much to consider!