Dysert Cabin - Dorris, CA
N 41° 57.658 W 121° 55.293
10T E 589369 N 4646005
This old cabin is located just off Hwy 97 in Dorris, CA.
Waymark Code: WMGXZT
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/22/2013
Views: 2
Travelers passing through the town of Dorris might notice an old cabin just off Hwy 97 with a painted quilt hanging in front. This painted quilt is one of two located here. The other one hangs in front of the former Associated Lumber and Box Company building. Both the cabin and the red box company building belong to the Butte Valley Museum and Historical Society. The Butte Valley Chamber of Commerce
website states that this old cabin once belonged to the Dysert Family and was built in 1875. The cabin was moved from the Kern Ranch to its current location in 1989. I could find no other information on the Dysert Family but have contacted the Chamber of Commerce for any additional information they can provide.
I also located a really neat online publication titled Jefferson Backroads that contains an article highlighting the history of Butte Valley and this cabin and reads:
HISTORIC LOG CABIN RESTORATION PROJECT IN DORRIS, CALIFORNIA
The old log cabin located at our Museum site on the south side of Dorris was donated to the Butte Valley Museum in 1989. Built in 1875, it was moved to the Museum site in 1989 from the (then) Kern Ranch on Richardson Road near Sam’s Neck/Meiss Lake Road. It was the old Dysert home from the McClellan-Varnum-Dysert Ranch. Jim Dysert at age 14 worked at the Bray Sawmill. He then moved to Dorris where he met & married Erna Varnum. They made their home at the McClellan-Varnum Dysert place.
The log cabin was built with hand-hewn beams and are tongue and grooved together. The dwelling had a second story loft for sleeping quarters.
Currently, the museum has contracted with a cabin restoration company to repair areas that are beginning to sway, install windows & doors and furnish the inside like it was in its day. The Museum Society plans to put some type of plexi-glass and wrought iron over the windows for the public to view this wonderful piece of history.
To accomplish this restoration properly, the cabin must be taken down, beams cleaned and repaired where needed. Then concrete footings need to laid under the perimeter of the structure and reconstructed so it will last another hundred years. This feat will cost the museum approximately $50,000. We are seeking a grant and welcome any donations towards this effort. Donations are very much welcomed. Our contact information is at the top of this page. Thank You Very Much !!
_____________________________________________________
I located the general area where this old cabin was once home to the Dysert Family on Google Maps and uploaded a screen shot of it in comparison to where it is currently located in Dorris.