PARACHUTE, Colorado - A cabin built along the banks of Parachute Creek before the start of the 20th century will be moved to a new location in Battlement Mesa.

Williams Production RMT, one of the largest natural gas producers in the county, is contributing $50,000 to move the Glover cabin, which was built about four miles northwest of Parachute in the late 1800s.

The company is also expected to contribute several thousand dollars more to help build a foundation for the log cabin's new resting spot in Battlement Mesa, along with helping to fix its roof and other improvements, said Ivo Lindauer, a former vice president of the Grand Valley Historical Society, which is working with Williams to move the cabin.

"We have spent a lot of time working on this," Lindauer said. "Originally Williams was going to (move) the cabin. But we negotiated with them to get the cabin up so it is usable, because we don't have any funds for doing any kind of that stuff. (Williams) has been very agreeable to work with."

The cabin's current location, which is located on property owned by Williams, makes it vulnerable to erosion along the banks of the creek, according to a county memo. The Garfield County commissioners will have to approve a special use permit for the cabin's move.

Donna Gray, a spokeswoman for Williams, said the company has began consulting with a company in Grand Junction that specializes in moving old houses. Once the cabin is moved and set on its foundation, structural improvements will commence, Gray said.

"This piece of living history will go back to the community and for the community to appreciate," Gray said.

The cabin is slated to go onto a four-acre parcel in Battlement Mesa next to the historic Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse, Lindauer said. The Grand Valley Historical Society expects to use the newly moved cabin to display antiques and other items the society has acquired since it was established.

Lindauer said his father was born in the Parachute area in 1900 and that the elder Lindauer knew Thomas Glover, the settler who built the cabin, when he was growing up.

A story recounted in "Lest We Forget" by Erlene Murray tells about how Queenie Glover, Glover's daughter, was attacked by a mountain lion while Ms. Glover was doing the family's laundry at the cabin. It is a story that Lindauer's father told him, he said.

Ms. Glover heard the commotion and saw the animal carrying the child away. The mother then screamed at the lion, which dropped Queenie, Lindauer said.

Lindauer said the work to move the cabin and refurbish it is important because of the need for residents to connect with the history of the area.

"I wish my father was around, he could give you a great history of the cabin," said Lindauer, laughing.

Contact Phillip Yates: 384-9117
pyates@postindependent.com