THREE FORKS — Homesteads are a living, breathing aspect of Montana history, but what happens when a natural disaster takes one out?
“You know, you kind of do a shoulder slump and think, ‘Oh no, another little hiccup and things to do,’” said Ted Beardsley.
That was his reaction after a friend messaged him about high winds that sent a towering cottonwood crashing through the roof of the Parker Homestead outside of Three Forks.
Join us as we explore the Parker Homestead, a piece of Montana history at risk. Watch the video to see the damage and hear from those working to save it
His grandfather acquired the property back in the 1930s.
“In 1991, the state engaged in a 20-year lease with my folks. It was, for those 20 years, the smallest state park in Montana,” Beardsley explained.
The park closed to the public in 2011, but the cabin still stands as a quiet monument to the families who once called it home.
“This sort of living history, I guess you could call it, is really kind of dying off—and cottonwoods have been to blame for a lot of the cabins.”
To understand the roots of this place, I visited the Headwaters Heritage Museum in Three Forks.
These historic findings help tell the story of the Homestead Act. When the cabin was constructed in the early 1900s, the Parker family weathered floods, dug wells by hand, and raised their children in this tiny sod-roofed cabin.
That same roof has now collapsed. After Ted shared the damage on Facebook, the comments came pouring in.
“We get a lot of comments; people send us pictures that they’ve sent over the years of just how important this is and how much they appreciate being able to stop and see it.”
And while the homestead hasn’t been open to the public since 2011.
“That’s the hope—just to get it back up and presentable, to get it safe again for the public.”
Ted says the first step will be removing trees, and then he's hoping to secure funding.
“There’s a possibility of some grants, some other private type of historical preservation outfits. So, we will see what our options are moving forward. We want to get it opened back up and get the picnic tables out here, that sort of deal. It's a pretty popular place.”
For now, the cabin stands still quietly holding onto its history.
