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Historic Doc Huson Homestead Volunteer Day

August 26, 2025

News – Sheridan Media

On Saturday, August 23, around 20 volunteers joined in the clean-up and maintenance on the Historic Huson Homestead, a two-story stone house built in 1891 by Sarah Pattengell and the Doc Huson family.

Doc Huson started the town of Huson, hoping the railroad would come past it, but the railroad turned North, by-passing his town. The town people and businesses moved into nearby Clearmont.

Robert Prusak, president of the Clearmont Historical Group came to lend a hand at the clean-up, and he talked about the Huson House.

The volunteers boarded up some windows that had been broken, and secured the doors, giving the house a little TLC.

Three members of the Huson family came to join the clean-up. Viva Huson McGill and her sister, Lynn Huson Kirkpatrick, are great-granddaughters of Doc Huson. Viva’s son, Eric Stringer, also helped with the project. Viva said that Doc Huson, with the help of his son, Frederick, built the stone house.

Viva and Lynn said they didn’t hear any stories from their family about the homestead but they did some genealogy research and discovered more about the family. They were glad that people were coming out to help preserve it.

Later, the family moved to Sheridan, and their father was a meat cutter in Sheridan for many years.

Great-great grandson Eric, Viva’s son, was helping by measuring the windows and cutting plywood to cover the windows.

He added that one of his mother’s friends, who had done some research on the Huson family, drove out from Indiana to help with the clean-up.

Kevin Knapp, SCLT History Program Manager, added about the clean-up day.

SCLT provided water, snacks, and some tools. Volunteers cut plywood for the windows, carried branches off the lawn, and put weed eaters to good use on the long grass.

The Huson Homestead is approximately three miles west of Clearmont, at 3581 US Highway 14-16. The Homestead is on the East side of the highway. There is an interpretive sign telling a brief history of Doc Huson and the old house.

Last modified: August 26, 2025

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