Special Places To Visit: Johnny Sack Cabin

   On one of my several excursions outside of Yellowstone, I happened to visit Big Springs and Johnny Sack's cabin.  The springs would have been sufficient to visit, but the fact that someone was wise enough to put a cabin on the springs was a very great surprise.  The springs are just that.  Fresh water comes up out of the ground in several places forming a pond and then the excess travel down a small river.  The water stays a constant 55 degrees year round and because of this the water attracts wildlife.  The pond has some very nice trout in it and ducks and other birds call it home.  On my very first trip to the springs I was taking a picture of the beautiful cabin when I was startled to see a mother moose and her young baby come walking down close to me and enter the pond.  It seems the moose like to feed on the plant life at the bottom of the pond.  So they just wade in and go to eating.  The amazing thing to me is how the water just shoots up from the ground and never stops.  It is as clear as glass and cold.  I am sure quite tasty too.  I walked around the pond and was heading to the cabin on the other side when I branched off the path and walked down to a tree.  At the base of the tree the water was just shooting out.  It seems that the spring and the tree had an symbiotic agreement.  The fact that the water seemed to be coming out of the roots of the tree was not hurting it a bit and the tree seemed strong and tall.
   Walking to the cabin I noticed that Johnny Sack had used the spring in a rather ingenious and pretty way.  He built a small building with a paddle wheel that was turned by the action of the springs shooting out of the ground.  The turning wheel generated power, with a line heading to the cabin.  I later found out that Johnny Sack really did not have any need for power until he found out about power wood tools and the water wheel generated power enough to light one light bulb in his cabin.

 From their web site:

In 1929, Johnny Sack leased a small tract of land from the United States Forest Service and began building his log cabin at Big Springs. Little did Johnny know when he first acquired the choice building site, his home would become a landmark one day discussed in the United States Congress.
Due to its unique location and picturesque setting, Johnny’s cabin and nearby water-wheel have long been one of the most photographed sites in Island Park. The cabin attracts thousands of visitors each summer interested in the log and stone structure as well as the building’s colorful creator.

The cabin is open to the public from mid-June through mid-September, and visitors are invited to visit and see firsthand the unique craftsmanship of one of Island Park’s early settlers. One of Johnny’s trademarks is the split bark decoration used in the cabin’s furniture and interior. He took great pride in detail work. One ceiling lamp, still hanging in its original location, contains seventy-two individual handcrafted pieces of wood. A double bed was made of ninety-six wood pieces which Johnny nailed and glued together. Today many of the individually crafted pieces of wood furniture Johnny created for his home remain in their original location. 

The cabin took approximately three years to complete, as Johnny worked primarily with hand tools — saws, draw knives, scrapers and planers. Johnny built a small structure and water-wheel at the edge of the springs to harness the power of the springs and create electricity.

The cabin became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is the property of the USFS. The cabin remains open to visitors through the efforts of the USFS, Fremont County Parks and Recreation, the Island Park Historical Society, and numerous volunteers. 

   I have visited the springs and the cabin several times and just enjoyed the peacefulness of the place.  I have also enjoyed talking to whomever was volunteering to take care of the cabin during tourist season.  We usually swapped stories of the west and it is always good to meet new people.  The history of Johnny Sack and the cabin throughout the years is very interesting and I am grateful to all those that sought to preserve the place, as it could have easily been destroyed over the years.  One note about Johnny.  He was not a tall man.  I think maybe 5 foot or so.  So when he built the cabin's kitchen and counters, he built them to his size.  Which makes that place more unique.  He was an excellent wood worker.