Miller cabin survives the Dust Bowl and Depression...

Miller Cabin is just north of Deerfield Reservoir.

Perfect!  That well describes the weather for the latest Black Hills Moon Walk hosted by the U.S. Forest Service. Our principal guide for this hike was Michael Salisbury, an archaeologist with the Mystic District of the Black Hills National Forest.

July and August can be pretty hot and miserable months for hiking.  We’ve already had some of that misery–and there'll likely be more on the way. 

But last Saturday night (7/7/12) was spectacular.  It was a cool evening with absolutely no wind.  There were clouds in the sky, but just enough to make it interesting for the 150 or so people who gathered on knoll just a few miles north of Deerfield Reservoir in the central Black Hills.  It was in this same vicinity of Reynolds Prairie that we gathered just over a year ago to examine wild flowers.

There was an abundance of wild flowers on this hike, too.  But our mission this time was to visit the rustic Miller Cabin, built over a century ago in a high country meadow about 20 miles west northwest of Hill City.  We took several photos on this outing, and you'll find them posted in our Moon Walk Gallery.

John A. Miller was among the influx of pioneers who came to the Black Hills in the 1870’s in search of gold.  Born in Sweden in 1850, the Millers arrived in the United States in about 1868.  Census documents indicate that John and his wife Josephine lived in Illinois, Iowa, and then Phillips County, Kansas, before arriving in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory in the mid 1870’s.

Michael Salisbury

Ranger Salisbury says John Miller was among the many people seeking his fortune by placer mining in the Custer and Hill City areas.   Miller is listed as having lived in a variety of area communities, including – among others – Pactola, Hill City, Cross Mine, Cresville, Tigerville, Sheridan, Rochford, Queen Bee, Sitting Bull, Lookout, Limestone, Silver City, and Mountain City. 

After the initial gold boom in the central hills “fizzled” and most miners set their sights on gold strikes in the Lead and Deadwood area,  Miller decided to buy a ranch near Castle Creek in 1882, according to the U. S. Forest Service.  He apparently was looking at other ways that he might make his fortune, and the land near Castle Creek also just happened to be along the Cheyenne to Deadwood stage route.  Miller apparently saw opportunity in operating a stage stop that would cater to the needs of folks who were in transit.

“He could offer fresh horses, meals and lodging to travelers, and even make repairs,” for those making the trek along the route, according to Salisbury.

And since the area was well suited for growing succulent grasses for livestock forage, and Miller could also sell stock animals to miners.

Census records indicate that John and Josephine raised five sons – John, Jr., Manfred, Emil, Frank, Edward, and Charles.  The 1920 census records list John and Josephine Miller – and their grown son, Frank – as residing at that Miller residence in Mountain City.

On New Year’s Eve Day in 1933, John A. Miller died.  It was a tough time for the Miller family – and a tough time for the nation.   The Depression years, fueled by a severe drought, virtually clobbered agriculture in the U.S. heartland.

“The U.S. government stepped in,” said Salisbury, “part of the Works Progress Administration with the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Bureau of Reclamation began looking at areas of South Dakota that had decent creeks running into them….where they could impound water and stave off another Dust Bowl.”

A “water storage project” was created along Castle Creek, requiring the removal of Mountain City (Deerfield).  The community sat smack dab in the middle of what was to become Deerfield Reservoir.

The sign that sits in front of the Miller Cabin today says “The Millers, after receiving a settlement for their lands soon to inundated by the rising waters, sold their remaining land to the Anderson family.”

Kids of all ages enjoy the Moon Walks!

The cabin was apparently moved out of the area to a “temporary” location.  But by the 1940s, the old cabin was loaded onto wooden skids and pulled by teams of horses to meadow just north of Deerfield Reservoir.  Andersons lived in the structure until sometime in the early 1970’s.

Ken Anderson of Hill City was on hand for this Moon Walk, and he shared both some photographs and memories about the cabin – and later lumbered through the cabin with members of our entourage, answering questions.

The old Miller cabin has special meaning for Anderson on several levels.  Of course, it was an ancestral home – and one with lots of history behind it.  Too, the old cabin was the site of his marriage to Elizabeth nearly 36 years ago, on July 24, 1976.

Lots of history and lots of fun for this third Moon Walk of 2012.

Next month, walkers will congregate near Cascade Creek in the southern Black Hills as a Forest Hydrologist leads us through the Whitney Preserve while discussing some of the unique features of the area.  

Moon Walk coordinator Amy Ballard says, “If it’s a hot day, come early to take a dip in the popular swimming hole at this picnic area.”  Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 4^th, for the next Moon Walk to Cascade Falls south of Hot Springs.