Albert Pete just can’t figure out what those benches in the upstairs hay loft were used for.

He has become quite familiar with the barn in the last few days.

Pete is a project manager for North Country Builders, which is leading the restoration of the barn on Montana Highway 82 near Bigfork. As of two months ago the barn belongs to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which purchased it and the 189-acre farm recently from Kalispell attorney Darrell Worm. The land will be used for farming, public recreation and wildlife preservation.

Renovation of the 100-year-old barn began last Friday. Workers are concentrating this week on repairing the south wall of the barn, which has been hammered by a century of north shore wind and sun. The boards will have to be removed and replaced.

“We’re going through right now and finding out the bad stuff,” Pete said. “The south wall is just like sawdust.”

The barn and adjoining Quonset structure will be renovated. It’s a three- to four-month project. All of the original details will be preserved, including the rock foundation.  

Upstairs of the barn, most of the pigeon manure has been removed, revealing planed planks. Wood that has to be replaced will be milled at North Country’s shop near Whitefish. Most of the barn is in good shape. Upstairs, the tongue and groove siding is dry, and in perfect shape.

Downstairs, a concrete floor remains from what was a pig operation. Custom-engineered components of the barn reveal the ingenuity of farmers 100 years ago. A trough surrounds the pig pens, and a cable wound around spools pulled a plate through the trough to clean out manure.

Slots from the upstairs grain bin point outside, where grain could be fed to livestock.

It takes some detective work to figure out what some parts of the barn were used for. A curious-looking machine on the south side of the barn has Pete baffled. “It must have been used for grinding grain,” he wondered aloud.

A wood bin on one end of the barn was stamped in faded black letters “GNRY.” Great Northern Rail Yard, perhaps. “It’s like digging for gold,” Pete said.

He may never know what those benches were for, though.