The last Mountain Man.........

[ozyclint]

Thought I'd share this that I came across on another forum.

 

[Billy Goat]

If a man can look out his window and see another's house, he is a poor man.

-Buckskin Bill



I might take that quote. I like it.

 

[bigjohn]

Cool video. I read a book about these folks it said a jeep trail went right down almost to his place directly across the river. It did say Francis Wisner was very remote and very much a mountain woman.

 

[elkguide]

Thanks for posting. Beautiful country.

 

[Rsnyder]

Enjoyed this, thanks for posting it!

 

[mike.adams.467]

We visited his place on a float trip several years ago. He was an amazing and innovative individual.


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[ozyclint]

So you can just setup a place where you like and live there?? Sounds to good to be true. Were they given special provisions that don't exist now??

 

[Billy Goat]

So you can just setup a place where you like and live there?? Sounds to good to be true. Were they given special provisions that don't exist now??

I'm not positive, but likely they were there before it was designated as a wilderness area. Where I am National Park service purchased land to create a Park, everyone was removed, not all willingly. The National forest has purchased areas and allowed the private lands within to stay, I think the area in the video was first NF then designated as wilderness, no new roads or construction allowed, no logging. The people who were there were grandfathered tho. Hopefully someone else familiar with the area can answer your question better.

 

[BluMtn]

There are several private properties on the Salmon and Snake. Most have been there since the late 1800's and early 1900's. Some of the ranches were settled to raise livestock to sell to the mining camps along the Rivers. There was a large population increase during the depression era from people who were in some sort of debt or trouble and migrated up into the canyons to escape getting killed or thrown in jail. There was also a large population of miners that had claims and settlements grew up around those camps that later became towns. The Salmon river has a rich and deep history of people who moved there to get away from the world and some never came back. If you study Google earth and follow all the different forks of the Salmon you will see a number of those private ranches still there along the river.

 

[Antarctica]

If a man can look out his window and see another's house, he is a poor man.

-Buckskin Bill



I might take that quote. I like it.

I've always told young people considering a home purchase "never buy a house you can't piss off the front porch of".

They rarely listen, but wish they had 10-15 years down the line...

 

[Billy Goat]

I've always told young people considering a home purchase "never buy a house you can't piss off the front porch of".

They rarely listen, but wish they had 10-15 years down the line...

I have always said I need to be able to piss and shoot off my back deck.

 

[mtnbiker208]

dude was an interesting fellow. Defiantely not a government fan.

 

[danny.doy.99]

Thanks for sharing

 

[Wib]

Great old footage...the life some of these people lived.

 

[Diesel]

Maybe someone on here knows this place and has been there.

Forty years ago I was cutting across Idaho trying to take a scenic backroad way to Montana from Oregon. It was early October and the weather was dry and beautiful. I'm pretty sure the last town was Elk City and then one lane dirt from there east. It had been so dry that the dust was powder dry and several inches deep. The road was so winding that 25 to 30 was all the faster you could go. I had a full tank of gas when I left Elk City.

The drive became tedious as anyone who has driven for hours on rough road can attest. After a couple of hours I started seeing Wooden signs for MacKay's Bar .. 50 miles and after what seemed hours later MacKay's bar 25 miles and on and on. I thought to myself that when I got to MacKay's bar I was gonna stop and pound some cold ones. Then just as I thought I must be close, the road narrowed even more and was headed down a very steep ridgeline with drop offs mere feet on each side of the road. Scary steep and even though I had 4WD, I was concerned.

When I got to the bottom, the road ended and there was the river. This must be the Salmon River. But damn, you have to be kidding me, this is the end of the road after all that driving? There was a foot bridge crossing the river, so I thought that must take you to the bar. Crazy place for a bar and business must sure be slow, but I am looking forward to shooting the breeze with whoever is nuts enough to be here.

The trail on the other side went down stream and around a point and opened up to a string of small cabins. Coming toward me was an older couple in western clothing. First people I had seen all day. After a moment of introduction I asked which one of those buildings was Mackay's bar. The old fellow told me I was standing on it. What??? Turns out MacKay's bar is a SAND BAR. OMG, No beer? Well damn, now what. Well, how do I get to Montana from here?

The old guy asks how did I even get there and I told him down the trail on the other side of the river. He told me nobody had been down that trail for years and hoped my truck could get back up because you can't get to Montana from here. You have to go back to Elk City and take the old Lewis and Clark Trail which is now Route 12 from there. How's your gas?

He tells me if it starts snowing, and that they were already overdue, that the dust would turn to gumbo and I may never get that truck out of there. He also told me that MacKay's bar was a fly in hunting outfit with some private cabins.

The truck made it back up the ridge of course and I made it back to Elk City on fumes.

BTW, back then there were places along route 12 that felt like you had stepped back to a time long past. Wish it was still like that.

 

[sneaky]

Maybe someone on here knows this place and has been there.

Forty years ago I was cutting across Idaho trying to take a scenic backroad way to Montana from Oregon. It was early October and the weather was dry and beautiful. I'm pretty sure the last town was Elk City and then one lane dirt from there east. It had been so dry that the dust was powder dry and several inches deep. The road was so winding that 25 to 30 was all the faster you could go. I had a full tank of gas when I left Elk City.

The drive became tedious as anyone who has driven for hours on rough road can attest. After a couple of hours I started seeing Wooden signs for MacKay's Bar .. 50 miles and after what seemed hours later MacKay's bar 25 miles and on and on. I thought to myself that when I got to MacKay's bar I was gonna stop and pound some cold ones. Then just as I thought I must be close, the road narrowed even more and was headed down a very steep ridgeline with drop offs mere feet on each side of the road. Scary steep and even though I had 4WD, I was concerned.

When I got to the bottom, the road ended and there was the river. This must be the Salmon River. But damn, you have to be kidding me, this is the end of the road after all that driving? There was a foot bridge crossing the river, so I thought that must take you to the bar. Crazy place for a bar and business must sure be slow, but I am looking forward to shooting the breeze with whoever is nuts enough to be here.

The trail on the other side went down stream and around a point and opened up to a string of small cabins. Coming toward me was an older couple in western clothing. First people I had seen all day. After a moment of introduction I asked which one of those buildings was Mackay's bar. The old fellow told me I was standing on it. What??? Turns out MacKay's bar is a SAND BAR. OMG, No beer? Well damn, now what. Well, how do I get to Montana from here?

The old guy asks how did I even get there and I told him down the trail on the other side of the river. He told me nobody had been down that trail for years and hoped my truck could get back up because you can't get to Montana from here. You have to go back to Elk City and take the old Lewis and Clark Trail which is now Route 12 from there. How's your gas?

He tells me if it starts snowing, and that they were already overdue, that the dust would turn to gumbo and I may never get that truck out of there. He also told me that MacKay's bar was a fly in hunting outfit with some private cabins.

The truck made it back up the ridge of course and I made it back to Elk City on fumes.

BTW, back then there were places along route 12 that felt like you had stepped back to a time long past. Wish it was still like that.

You could have gotten to Montana on the Magruder corridor road, comes out just below Darby.

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[IDLassie]

I must be old. Rode that country in the 70's. Met Francis once nice tough lady. Flew with Ray Arnold several times on the mail run. As for Buckskin never met him seen the house. The nephew came in to help Buckskin and built a very modern house next door. Took away from the wilderness era.
Good memories for me to remember my time along the South Fork of the Salmon down to the Main Salmon.

 

[BluMtn]

Maybe someone on here knows this place and has been there.

Forty years ago I was cutting across Idaho trying to take a scenic backroad way to Montana from Oregon. It was early October and the weather was dry and beautiful. I'm pretty sure the last town was Elk City and then one lane dirt from there east. It had been so dry that the dust was powder dry and several inches deep. The road was so winding that 25 to 30 was all the faster you could go. I had a full tank of gas when I left Elk City.

The drive became tedious as anyone who has driven for hours on rough road can attest. After a couple of hours I started seeing Wooden signs for MacKay's Bar .. 50 miles and after what seemed hours later MacKay's bar 25 miles and on and on. I thought to myself that when I got to MacKay's bar I was gonna stop and pound some cold ones. Then just as I thought I must be close, the road narrowed even more and was headed down a very steep ridgeline with drop offs mere feet on each side of the road. Scary steep and even though I had 4WD, I was concerned.

When I got to the bottom, the road ended and there was the river. This must be the Salmon River. But damn, you have to be kidding me, this is the end of the road after all that driving? There was a foot bridge crossing the river, so I thought that must take you to the bar. Crazy place for a bar and business must sure be slow, but I am looking forward to shooting the breeze with whoever is nuts enough to be here.

The trail on the other side went down stream and around a point and opened up to a string of small cabins. Coming toward me was an older couple in western clothing. First people I had seen all day. After a moment of introduction I asked which one of those buildings was Mackay's bar. The old fellow told me I was standing on it. What??? Turns out MacKay's bar is a SAND BAR. OMG, No beer? Well damn, now what. Well, how do I get to Montana from here?

The old guy asks how did I even get there and I told him down the trail on the other side of the river. He told me nobody had been down that trail for years and hoped my truck could get back up because you can't get to Montana from here. You have to go back to Elk City and take the old Lewis and Clark Trail which is now Route 12 from there. How's your gas?

He tells me if it starts snowing, and that they were already overdue, that the dust would turn to gumbo and I may never get that truck out of there. He also told me that MacKay's bar was a fly in hunting outfit with some private cabins.

The truck made it back up the ridge of course and I made it back to Elk City on fumes.

BTW, back then there were places along route 12 that felt like you had stepped back to a time long past. Wish it was still like that.

LOL,
Yes you indeed make the trip to Makey Bar. That last section of road can be a little hairy for full size vehicles. I have seen pickups in there many times, I have even passed a car coming out of there once. There is even a 2 ton truck parked at the bottom, so I know it at least made the trip down but it has not moved since that I can see. I have been down there several times in SxS's and it is one of my favorite rides. On your way in to Makey Bar just past the Red River Ranger Station there was a road on your left (to the east) that would have taken you to Darby MT. which would have been 113 miles of spectacular scenery for you to admire. It is no super highway but passable in a pickup. I must say you had quite the grand adventure though, there is another FS road that you can take out of Elk City and head north and east that will bring you out on the Selway river and then onto HWY 12 (Lolo Pass Hwy) at the Three Ricers Resort (Lowell) that is another beautiful area that has grand scenery also.

 

[Diesel]

Thanks for the reply guys.

It was a long time ago but the memories are strong. Your mention of the ranger station brought back seeing it in my mind. Also remember seeing an Indian Head carving on a rock along the way.

I want to make that trip again to retrace my steps. If I get back there, I'm going to try the other back roads BLU suggested. Tough beautiful country.

Very fond memories of a much simpler time that helps to escape the insanity that is happening today. I wish I could relive it.

I always looked for the most remote places, maybe a little Buckskin Billy spirit in me. Just never really stopped to settle in one spot because there was so much to see and do in this big beautiful country. I should write a book.

 

[hutty]

thanks for sharing. Heck of a ride to just to get down to him to film. Love the homemade musket...shots a 6 oz lead bullet. That's a serious projectile