This rare example of European half-timber construction in the midst of a Montana mining camp shows how pioneer buildings often reflected the cultural traditions of their builders. German-born Emil Kluge, after distinguished service as an infantryman in two wars, came to the United States in 1871. He and his bride first settled in Detroit, but tales of gold discoveries soon drew them west. Kluge, his wife, and their small son arrived in Helena in 1873, where he realized little profit in mining. He became one of Helena’s first policemen, served as constable, street commissioner, and justice of the peace, ran contracting and quarry businesses, and later became well known across the state as secretary of the Masonic bodies of Montana. Kluge brought his family to live in an 1860s cabin of hewn square logs, then salvaged timbers from a nearby abandoned flume and added the half-timbered upper story using a medieval building technique he had learned in his native Prussia. The house, one of only several such examples in the United States, gave him an indelible niche in Montana history. He lived here through the 1890s, and the home was later abandoned, stripped, defaced, and nearly destroyed by fire. Because it stood alone, locals called it “the Maverick.” The City of Helena purchased the building, and state and federal funding allowed initial restoration in the early 1970s. The building has been privately owned since 1988.