The little cabin on Skyline’s property has lived many lives since its construction in 1988. It has been a family home, the base of business operations, an old-time photo studio, a wrangler bunkhouse, and even a cluttered storage shed. Now, we’re excited to give this cabin yet another new life as a recently renovated rental for Skyline visitors.
This little cabin is a testament to our family business's growth and progress. Join us as we take a walk through thirty-six years of Skyline’s history.
More pictures of the new renovation can be found at the bottom of the article. Thank you Amanda Tonagel Photography!
In the summer of 1988, Victor and Liz began building the cabin. By fall, it was nearly complete when the historic Yellowstone Park fire swept through the region. Firefighters warned that the only way to save the cabin was to move it away from the trees into an open meadow, lifting it high enough to avoid any fire creeping along the ground. Acting quickly, Victor and Liz hoisted the cabin onto a trailer and moved it into the meadow before evacuating their family and horses.
The fires burned throughout the fall and were officially declared out on November 18, 1988, after scorching 1.4 million acres in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (burning through our area on September 7th). In the spring of 1989, the cabin sat safely amidst the remaining snow in the meadow. On June 15th the cabin was moved back into the trees close to where it resides today. That historic fire came within a quarter mile of the Skyline property before the winds shifted—a blessing we are grateful for to this day.
Liz and Victor, alongside their five children (and a few cousins) all lived in the cabin while running Skyline Guest Ranch each summer. For over a decade, the cabin served as the center of business operations. For a short time, there were even three generations living under that roof when baby Kameesha came up the mountain in June of 1998.
(Who noticed the bear casually chillin' in the background of one of the pictures above?)
In 2001, construction of the Lodge was completed, and Skyline’s bed and breakfast officially opened. After years of dedicated service, the little cabin finally got a break!
In 2004, Lara transformed the little cabin into an Old Time Photoshop, creating western-inspired portraits for visiting families. The lower level of the cabin served as the photo studio, while the upper level was brimming with vintage dresses, hats, and accessories. Many cherished photos of friends and family from this time still decorate our walls and screensavers.
From 2008-2020, the little cabin was used as a bunkhouse for our wranglers and guides! It seems like just about everyone spent a year or two living in the little cabin. In 2021, it briefly served as a "puppy sanctuary" for nine golden retriever puppies born on the ranch that summer. By day, the puppies played in the lodge’s front yard, and by night, they cozied up in the little cabin to stay safe and warm. You would think this is the strangest use of the cabin until I tell you that in 2022 Kameesha's pet duck, Howard, slept in a crate in the little cabin for a few weeks when a fox was trying to get into the barn to snatch her up.
In the past years, the little cabin slowly became a storage shed and catch-all for anything from old saddles to gardening tools, until the idea was born last fall to renovate it into another premium lodging option. After finishing our 2023 season we went to work! We removed the second story to give it vaulted ceilings, added a huge real stone fireplace, and built on an addition for a bigger bathroom.
After being pushed off the mountain when a storm dropped three feet of snow on the ranch, we returned in winter to finish the job. New light fixtures, decor, and even a freestanding copper tub came into the ranch via cargo sled and snowmobile. This spring we added some last-minute touches before opening it to guests the first week of June.
Thirty-six years after it was built, the cabin continues to be an integral part of our story—from its beginnings as a family home to its latest transformation into a cozy guest rental. We’re thrilled to share this piece of Skyline’s legacy with our visitors, and we hope that staying in the 'Bunkhouse' will allow you to feel a part of this ongoing story.
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