I love finding off the beat and track places that are unique and highly memorable. Just 28 miles outside of the quaint town of West Yellowstone, Montana, in Island Park, Idaho, sits Johnny Sack Cabin, a remarkable place in a stunningly picturesque setting. The Cabin was built in 1929 by Johnny Sack, a man with an amazing talent for woodworking. Johnny’s trademark was to incorporate split bark detailing in his woodwork, which is gloriously evident throughout the Cabin’s interior and furniture. Today it is part of the National Register of Historic Places, and it is well worth the journey to see.
Johnny Sack was born in 1884 in Germany and came to the United States with this family at age 6. As an adult he stood just four feet, eleven inches. In 1929 Johnny leased a small tract of land from the US Forest Service and began building his log cabin using craftsmanship learned at the Studebaker Wagon Corporation. He crafted beds, chests, tables and chairs from hundreds of pieces of pine paneled with bark inlay. Even lamp stands, magazine racks and ceiling fixtures were cleverly crafted from odd-shaped limbs, knots and pine cones.
It took 3 years for Johnny to complete his cabin since he worked mostly with hand tools. He also built a small structure and water wheel at the edge of the property to harness power from the natural springs and create electricity. Johnny never married. He claimed, “A woman would just put rugs on my varnished floors and draperies over my picture windows!” Love That!
The area of Big Springs produces over 120 million gallons of water a day. It is one of the 40 largest natural springs in the world, and home to rainbow trout, muskrats, ducks and moose, as well as osprey and eagles.
The cabin and interpretive center are open mid-June through mid-September, and is located at S. Big Springs Loop Road in Island Park. There is no cost to tour Johnny Sack Cabin, although donations are welcome. From the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Montana, travel east on the 20 into Idaho. Highway 20 turns south to Island Park and Johnny Sack cabin, which overlooks Big Springs, at the headwaters of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River. Take a virtual tour at www.co.fremont.id.us.
Next time you’re in the area, don’t miss this! Having seen Johnny’s work and after learning about the life of this fascinating man, to me he may have been dwarf-size in stature but he was a giant among great men.
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