(BLAINE COUNTY, Mont.) – The Ervin Homestead/Gist Bottom Historic District lies within the vast and isolated, but breathtakingly beautiful Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
In 1997 Zane Fulbright was sent on a work detail from the U.S. Forest Service to record homesteads within the Bureau of Land Management Upper Missouri National Wild & Scenic River area.
Twenty years later, on Jan. 20, 2017, he accepted the certificate recognizing the Ervin Homestead/Gist Bottom Historic District's listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
"This has been a long time coming," said Fulbright, who is now a BLM Archeologist. "My predecessor Stanley Jaynes had the vision to document these homesteads back in the 90's. It's exciting to see we continue to recognize the value of our early heritage." Being listed in the National Register of Historic Places does not add additional protections, but is an important recognition of a property's historic significance.
The district consists of the abandoned buildings and sites associated with the John Ervin Ranch and the Gist Family Ranch. John Ervin developed the land and buildings beginning in 1911. The Gist
See Page A4: Gist
family bought the land in 1947 and began developing the area east of Bullwhacker Creek in what is now known as Gist Bottom. The Gist family sold the land to the BLM in 1980.
Since acquiring the land and resources, the BLM has been a stalwart steward of the Ervin Homestead/Gist Bottom area. The BLM has made valiant efforts to maintain the historic character of the buildings, preserve the integrity of this remote rural agricultural landscape, and educate the public about its importance. Projects have included trash removal, fence building to keep cattle away from buildings, stabilization of the Ervin cabin and installation of an interpretive panel in the cabin.
The standing residences are the most significant reminders of life in this most lonely and unforgiving landscape, and taken together with the remains of outbuildings, structures, fields, and roads, this district strongly represents the hope, hard work, and history of the people who settled and eked out an existence in the Upper Missouri River Breaks. To read the National Register nomination click on the following link: http://mhs.mt.gov/Portals/11/shpo/docs/NRnoms/MT_BlaineCo_ErvinHomestead.pdf
