Built To Last

Custom from the ground up, a Whitefish, Montana, log home blends Adirondack and Native American motifs with solid western red cedar construction.

- Chris Wood

Like many log home aficionados, the owners of the Standing Bear cabin in Whitefish, Montana, value the seclusion and privacy of their location. They’re perched on a ridge in the Salish mountains, with 360-degree views of the Rockies, the Black Tail ski area, and — in spring and summer — the vibrant yellow canola fields in the Flathead Valley below.

So forgive Wayne and Early for not sharing their last name. If anything, it’s likely just Wayne’s attempt to keep any Colorado folk from catching up with him. “For some reason, people from Colorado don’t seem to like us Texans,” Wayne says with a chuckle. “When we were looking for the cabin, we drove right through Colorado and up to Wyoming. I didn’t even stop for gas.”

Finding Wyoming too windy for their taste, Wayne and Early chose to settle in Montana. A statewide search ended in Whitefish, where the couple drove onto a piece of property, witnessed a bear standing in front of the mouth of a cave in the distance and knew they had arrived.

Construction of the 6,000-square-foot home began in 2004, using western red cedar logs hand-selected and harvested from a friend’s property by Wayne and a team led by Steve Burgmeier at Montana Cabin Fever/Far West Builders. Wayne and Early had largely designed the house themselves, but Steve noticed one small oversight as soon as building began.