Greater Yellowstone Furniture and Designs was chosen as a name because we resource the logs and barnwood from the Greater Yellowstone area. We use recycled barnwood and harvest dead trees for our furniture. The Greater Yellowstone area is a large area surrounding Yellowstone National Park, which has abundant wildlife habitat and wooded areas. The beauty of this area is world class and it is a wonderful place to live and work. We spend lots of time searching large areas of the forest for the perfect pieces to build our unique furniture.
We, my wife Nancy and I, are very fortunate to
be able to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world
in our opinions. I enjoy my woodworking, so designing and building
furniture and picture frames is a pleasure. We both enjoy riding
up into the woods and cruising (on foot) the forests, looking for
downed timber or dead-standing timber that will eventually turn into
a beautiful piece of furniture or picture frame.
We also lovingly take down old buildings and barns and use that old
wood to make the picture frames and table tops. The old log cabins that
we take down and then restack onto other pieces of property is one of our
favorites. Lots of people burn these old log cabins and barns, and
it just breaks our hearts to see that. But, the log cabins that
we can save, we do. Here is a picture of a log cabin that we bought
from the owners so that they would not burn it. We did not know where
we would restack it, but we knew the cabin would be born again. And,
now it has a new home on 80 acres, along a creek, and in its new life is
going to be a fishing cabin. No, it is not finished yet, but for
many years to come, it will have a new purpose. That in itself is
so rewarding!! A wonderful sight!!
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Here is a little history on the town of Pony, Montana
and its surrounding area:
Pony Public School sits on the
hill overlooking the valley and was once considered one of the
finest. It was built in 1902 for $10,000 and the gymnasium
was built in 1920. In 1943, the high school was closed.
The grade school closed some years later. The buildings
are still used today for reunions, weddings and social functions.
Another brick building, on Broadway,
is the Masonic Hall. Many tourists stop to snap
pictures on the unique cast iron front. The lower
part was a community dance hall.
Another attraction off of Broadway, is the city
jail, a solid stone structure with the iron bars still on the windows.
Long gone are numerous businesses,
a creamery, two Chinese laundries, a Chinese restaurant,
real estate offices, hat and tailor shops, a blacksmith
shop, rooming houses, a movie house and an electric power
plant. At one time, there were twelve saloons, a slaughter
house on the outskirts of town, a music band and a baseball
team. Pony's main
claim to fame is that it had electricity before New York
City.
In 1920, a tragic fire swept through
the main part of town. It destroyed the livery
stable and many other buildings. The Morris State Bank
and the Masonic Building survived.
At one time, three brick yards
operated in Pony, resulting in many beautiful brick homes.
Many of these Victorian homes are enjoyed and lived
in today.
Pony is listed as a ghost town
and tourists come from all parts of the country to walk the streets,
take pictures, explore the old trails and mines or just
enjoy the clean air, brilliant blue sky and majestic mountains.
In the spring, the hills are full of color from wild flowers.
The Tobacco Root Mountains and
surrounding areas are familiar grounds for the elk, moose, deer,
antelope, bear and mountain lion.
And the bird hunting is great too: duck, geese, quail,
turkey,
pheasant, and more. The fishing in the high mountain
lakes is super, with the golden trout, rainbow
trout and cutthroat trout. Contact
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for education,
hunting and fishing
guidelines.
