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Historic Cabin at Center of Conflict

By Lauren Walser | Online Only | June 25, 2010 

The Monte Wolfe Cabin, built in the California woods in the 1930s

Credit: Judith Marvin

Sparking a feud that is pitting wilderness advocates against historic preservationists, the Monte Wolfe Cabin, a historic log cabin in the Eldorado National Forest in California, incurred damage last October when volunteers and employees of the Amador Ranger District removed the cabin's door and stovepipe, leaving the cabin and its contents vulnerable to the elements.

In a written statement to Preservation, the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service says the actions were taken after a volunteer noted an unauthorized lock had been placed on the cabin's door. In response, district staff and two volunteers opened the locks and removed the door, rendering it unusable. Upon entering the cabin, they noted that the wood stove appeared prepped for use and removed the stove pipe from the roof to prevent its further use.

However, what they believed to be kindling was actually a rat's nest, says Judith Marvin, historian and vice president of the Monte Wolfe Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 1989. She adds that the door was not merely removed, but also broken into many pieces.

Preservationists have decried the act as vandalism against a historic property, while wilderness advocates maintain the cabin has been in the forest illegally.

The Monte Wolfe Cabin, situated deep in the Mokelumne Wilderness several miles from the nearest trail, was long home to the legendary Monte Wolfe, nee Archie Wright. Wolfe, a convicted robber, outlaw, and robust outdoorsman, made his home in the forest in the 1930s, when he built a cabin and lived there until his mysterious disappearance around 1940. Today, the reclusive figure has achieved folk hero status, and stories of his legendary strength and wilderness prowess still circulate.

In 2007, the cabin was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by both the Forest Service and the California State Historical Preservation Officer, though it is not officially listed on the National Register.

According to Marvin, the Monte Wolfe Foundation signed an agreement with the Amador Ranger District of the Eldorado National Forest in November 1997. The agreement stated the foundation could maintain the cabin in a state of arrested decay, meaning the group could not initiate a full-scale restoration of the cabin, but could, instead, keep it maintained in its present condition.

While the foundation members maintain they complied with their agreement with the Amador Ranger District, wilderness advocates argue that the mere presence of the cabin in the protected wilderness area is in violation of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which prohibits people from soiling places designated as wilderness areas.

At the time the Wilderness Act was passed, the National Historic Preservation Act had not yet been enacted and was not introduced until two years later. Congress passed the NHPA in part because "the preservation of [our nation's heritage] is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, economic, and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations." Section 106 of the Act requires a formal review process for all projects that will impact sites listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places.

"It's a perfect example of a conflict within the laws," says Brian Turner, regional attorney for the Western Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, based in San Francisco. "We're hoping to figure out a win-win solution."

The Amador Ranger District is now getting heat for not complying with Section 106.

The U.S. Forest Service has now initiated the Section 106 process, which requires consultation among the agency and among parties with an interest in the cabin to decide how to correct the damage from the removal of the door and stovepipe. Other parties involved in the consultation include the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the California State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Monte Wolfe Foundation.

But the question remains how the cabin will be managed in the future.

"This case will be important in determining what happens to other properties in the wilderness," Turner says. "A lot of people will be looking to this case as a test for how to care for historic resources in the future."

Both Turner and Marvin note that while the two laws come into conflict, both wilderness advocates and preservationists share similar values.

"We have to see that we're more alike than different," Turner says.

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