Preserve Montana helps with Wheeler Cabin restoration

Preserve Montana recently announced a new  partnership with the Glacier National Park Conservancy to  rehabilitate the historic Wheeler Cabin in Glacier National Park.

In July, members of the Preserve Montana Trades Corps traveled to the park to restore the cabin’s windows and doors,  marking the next step in a multi-year effort to transform the property into the Waterton Glacier International Peace Center at Wheeler Cabin.

The Wheeler Cabin was once the residence of Senator Burton K. Wheeler, a pivotal figure in Montana and national history. Restoring its windows and doors will protect the building’s historic fabric while advancing a broader vision for the site as a place of education, dialogue, and connection.

“This project is exactly the kind of hands-on preservation work our Trades Corps was built for,” said Jenny Buddenborg, executive director of Preserve Montana. “We’re proud to bring traditional trades  skills to a building with such significance to Montana’s history, and to help lay the groundwork for a  space that will serve visitors and communities for generations to come.”

Once complete, the Waterton Glacier International Peace Center at Wheeler Cabin will offer interpretation of Senator Wheeler’s legacy and serve as a day-use hub for discussions on pressing  issues facing communities today. The center will also host workshops promoting conservation through an environmental peacebuilding approach, fostering education and collaboration across borders and disciplines.

“Wheeler Cabin holds a unique place in the story of this landscape and the people who have shaped it,” said Lacy Kowalski, Associate Director for Programs & Policy, Glacier National Park Conservancy. “Partnering with Preserve Montana and its Trades Corps allows us to restore this building with the craftsmanship and care it deserves, while building toward a future where it can host the kind of dialogue and learning this place has always inspired.”

The Preserve Montana Trades Corps trains the next generation of preservation tradespeople through hands-on restoration projects on historic buildings across the state. 

The program pairs participants with Preserve Montana’s experienced craftspeople to build skills in carpentry, window and door restoration, masonry, and other traditional trades essential to saving Montana’s historic places.  

Beyond the technical training, the Trades Corps is building a sustainable workforce pipeline for preservation work in Montana, addressing a shortage of skilled tradespeople while ensuring the  state’s historic buildings, like Wheeler Cabin, are restored using methods and materials that honor their original craftsmanship.

The July window and door restoration builds on the ongoing, multi-year rehabilitation of the Wheeler Cabin property. As work continues, Preserve Montana and the Glacier National Park Conservancy will share updates on the project’s progress and on opportunities for the public to engage with the future Peace Center.