Henry and Rebecca McMichael were the first to settle this "little meadow" about 1873. Newsmen who stayed there while writing about mining called it Lonesome Cove Ranch and later McMichael Station. In 1875, Nathaniel McNair established his pack trail from Yank Ledge, carrying three tons of ore a day and connecting here with trails to the north and south. With rooms and meals available, it became popular with miners, packers, and travelers. After Henry's death, Rebecca married Gebhard Karg in 1887 and continued serving guests. After divorcing, she married William Anderson in 1904 and sold the place in 1906 to George Strong, who ran cattle. Slim and Jean Gould purchased it in 1924, then sold in 1930 to Charles "Buster" and Mary Gray, whose descendants are still here today. By 1902, nearly a thousand men worked in support of the mines of Leland, Lower Grave Creek, and Mt. Reuben, mines that made some men rich, some broke, and others merely a living.