Swett Ranch Homestead: One-Room Cabin

Picture yourself another adult and three children in your bedroom. Now imagine that your bedroom also served as your living room and kitchen. That’s exactly what occurred in this cabin. Purchased by Oscar in McKee Draw, the cabin was dismantled and hauled by horse drawn wagon in 1912 to its current location. A wood stove heated the cabin and also served as a cook stove. Ultimately, three children were born while the Swetts lived in this cabin.

Winters were quite harsh on the Forest. To keep warm, the cabin was chinked with clay and further insulated with copies of local newspapers and pages from Home Comfort magazine. Long underwear was worn to bed and the entire family slept on the same homemade straw mattress bed using body heat to keep warm at night.

Present day view of the exterior of the one-room cabin.	Present day view of the exterior of the one-room cabin.