Montana Dreams Magazine April 2014 | Page 18

On Top

Of The World

A REPLICA OF A PIONEER-ERA CABIN IN MONTANA
COMBINES TIMELESS CRAFTSMANSHIP AND MODERN AMBIANCE.

STORY BY K.T. Anders • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ©Gibeon Photography. Last printed in Log Homes & Living, Sept 2006

Love for a cherished cabin is a powerful thing. Some of the allure is aesthetic, but the

remainder of this affection is tied to location, purpose and the almighty tug of memory. Just
ask Gregory and Anita O’Neil, who purchased their 800-square-foot lodgepole pine cabin on
Sheep Mountain near Red Lodge, Montana, eight years ago. It was love at first sight.

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longtime friend and I were looking for a
working ranch in Montana,” says Gregory.
“Although these 120 acres on the mountain
couldn’t be ranched, the real estate agent
drove us up the steep trail to see the cabin
anyway. I got out of the truck and said, ‘Sold.’
“There went the ranch idea.”
What blew Gregory away was the view from this
6,000-foot perch. The structure sits 25 feet from a cliff
that drops 500 feet to Red Lodge Creek. Montana’s
Big Sky Country opens in all directions and includes
the state’s two tallest peaks, Mount Wood and Granite
Peak, both more than 12,000 feet high; the AbsarokaBeartooth Wilderness; and the adjacent Custer National
Forest. Twenty-two miles away (reached without crossing a road) lie the steam pots of Yellowstone National
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Park. “The vista is wilderness, so it will never change,”
says Gregory. “At night, all you can see is one little light
from a homestead in the distance.”
The Houston-based couple, who had been coming to
Montana for 30 years to run the family ranch in Helena,
say the cabin provides a glorious getaway for their children: Sean David, 29; Lauren, 27; and Jay, 19.
Although it was built in 1997, the cabin was a little
rundown and lacked power and water. That called for
a bit of rethinking. “I wanted a rustic feel, but we’re all
used to our little luxuries,” says Gregory with a laugh.
Thus began a cosmetic and practical renovation.