MOOSE CREEK -- Nestled among the lodgepole pines, the little log cabin gives few hints of the treasures it holds.

But swing open the front door and walk inside the Moose Creek cabin, then step back into the life of a ranger on the Helena National Forest in the 1920s.

In another era, this could have been the home of Duane Harp, the current Helena District Ranger. Today, he gets a faraway look in his eyes and smiles as he says he can almost hear the patter of the children's footsteps as they're hustled from this front office back into the kitchen area, so their father, the ranger, could conduct business with miners and ranchers.

Their mother might have made stew on a stove similar to the 1900-circa green Windsor in the corner, which would warm both the house and the inhabitants.

Harp quickly adds that the vision is only in his imagination, since few details have been found about the family, or families, who might have lived here since it was built in 1907.

What he does know is that recent renovations have restored the Moose Creek cabin to its initial glory, and that the Forest Service is considering putting the cabin on its rental list for the public to use, not just for overnight rentals but also for organizations that might need a small place, near Helena, to hold meetings.

Carl Davis, forest archaeologist, played an integral part in the cabin restoration and he too is pleased with the prospect that the public will step back in time here. But he's also a little leery, since many of the furnishings are historic.

"There's a lot of pride of ownership by the volunteers and the Forest Service, and we talked about whether we really wanted to rent this to the public," Davis said, standing next to the Windsor stove. "But this is a public place, fixed up with public money, and we want the public to enjoy it."

On a sturdy oak table -- the type the ranger may have used -- a historic telephone sits, waiting to be mounted on the wall.

Harp turns and points with pride at the prize uncovered during the remodeling of the 100-year-old cabin, just above the oak table. On one of the old structural logs, someone painted in oil a picture of the nearby Red Mountain. Less than 1-by-1 foot, the meticulous work of art was covered by plywood paneling of the 1970s-era.

"I don't know if a family member of one of the rangers did it or what," Harp muses. "But isn't it great?"

Not all is old, though -- a floor lamp from Home Depot sheds light in one corner, poised over a small couch donated by Appleton Furniture. The coverlets on the two double beds and one twin bed look new, but their metal frames show signs of wear.

And in a nod to public needs, and unlike most of the other Forest Service cabins, this one comes equipped with electricity and a propane heater that looks like a wood burning stove.

Altogether, the overall package is a warm and inviting cabin.

Built in 1907, the Moose Creek cabin is part of a historic Forest Service ranger station that was staffed in the early 1900s. When the ranger station moved into Helena, the building served as a guard station and later was used by supervisors of the Civilian Conservation Corps working at nearby Camp Rimini.

Eventually, the home was leased to a private party, but returned to the Forest Service in the late 1990s, as part of the program in which the federal agency was buying inholdings in the forest.

The renovation -- estimated at a minimum cost of about $50,000 -- was done mainly by volunteers, the Montana Discovery Foundation and Helena National Forest and regional Forest Service employees. They've been working sporadically on the project for the past seven years or so.

Davis notes how they've reroofed both the cabin and a nearby garage with cedar shakes -- not particularly the most fireproof material, Harp acknowledges, but historically correct. They've rechinked the logs with a mixture of sand, lime and just a little bit of porcelain cement, which might not last as long as what you could buy in the store today, but again, is a throwback to older times.

Look closely at the exterior windows and you can make out where the original openings were altered and recently restored; the lighter wood around them gives away the new sections, which was done intentionally so it doesn't fool the public, but retains the historical integrity of the structure.

"We could have done magic and make it almost look like the same logs, but didn't because of the ethics of the preservationists," Davis said with a smile. "The preservation team was pretty hard core, and everything we did was subject to their approval. I tried to cut corners a couple of times and was caught. They didn't want to fool anyone."

Today, the hills around the cabin buzz with the sound of chain saws felling trees as part of the renovation, as well as an attempt to keep the cabin around for another 100 years.

Davis points toward the lodgepole limbs, noting how they shaded the area so well that accumulated snow wouldn't melt, putting pressure on the roof. The shaded area also made the roof retain moisture.

"This was a really cold, dark spot, and to get some snow loading off we're doing this process. But it's also about making defensible space," Davis said.

In addition, the thinning project better reveals a trail to the top of Colorado Mountain, which the rangers used to ride or hike to ensure the phone lines were still in place.

"You can still see the old insulators in the trees," Harp said. "We hope that people will use that trail, or in the winter, they can cross country ski or snowmobile.

"Or they can just relax and enjoy the ambiance and the historical nature of this place."

Stay a night

The Moose Creek cabin is just off Rimini Road in the Tenmile Creek area west of Helena. The Helena National Forest anticipates rent will be about $50 a night and the plan is to have it available for rental from May 1 through March 31. Helena District Ranger Duane Harp said he's not sure when the starting date would be; they have to run it past a citizen advisory committee first.

The advisory committee review, required by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, allows the group to review the proposed fee and provide a recommendation to the agency. The Helena National Forest is collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to use its existing Resource Advisory Committee, which represents a broad range of interest groups.

The public is welcome to attend and comment at all advisory committee meetings; the next is slated for Nov. 28 in Butte.

If approved, the Moose Creek cabin will be available for rent through the National Recreation Reservation System. People wanting to make a reservation would need to either call toll-free 1-877-444-6777 or go online at www.recreation.gov.

To provide comments or obtain additional information, contact Recreation Program Leader Dave Payne at the Helena Forest Supervisor's Office at 495-3735.

Reporter Eve Byron can be reached at 447-4076 or at eve.byron@helenair.com.