After Rob and I both graduated from college and got married, we decided that this was the ideal place to raise our kids. We both shared a deep appreciation for the outdoors and the history of the area, and the proximity to Yellowstone Park makes it ideal. We love the story of how his family came to be here. Rob's great grandfather, Joseph, was born in Slovenia, Austria in 1862 and worked in the coal mines from the age of 9. He later immigrated here from Slovenia with his wife and two children in 1892, following the promise of work in coal mines in Montana. When they arrived he discovered that no work was to be found. Joeseph used his last $10 to buy a gun so that he could hunt in order feed his family. While here, a fire broke out in the Cokedale mines. Joe helped put out the fires and was noticed by the mine boss who asked 'who is that good worker?' Someone explained that it was an immigrant who couldn't find work. The mine boss said 'Put that man to work. Anyone who works that hard for no pay should get a job.' The family, along with the addition of three more children, moved to the ranch in Cinnabar Basin in 1900. They purchased the original homestead of Bob Dixon. Their house consisted of a dirt roofed dugout built by Dixon. Later, when the mine closed in 1910, the lumber was brought from the hospital building in Aldrige to construct a log and lumber house. Rob's grandfather was born here in 1910, and he later attended school at the schoolhouse across from this cabin. In 1935, he married Gladys Elliott, who was one of the teachers at the schoolhouse. Their son, Jim, also attended school there and continued to live on the ranch with his wife Lorayne.