Built by the McCoys in 1861 at their ranch on the side of Kirker Pass, this small house served first as the family's home. After the ranch became established and a larger farmhouse was built, the two-room cottage became the cook house, where meals were prepared for ranch hands during round-up and for the family during the warm summer months to keep heat out of the main house. At one time five people lived in the little house: older children slept in the barn in warmer weather, adults folded kitchen tables against the wall and lowered springs and mattresses onto the floor, and small children slept in cribs, with their parents, or under tables until they were too large. In those days, protecting livestock with a good barn was considered more important than having a big house. The building originally stood on the side of Kirker Pass, was later moved to the old Arata Ranch at the foot of Somersville Road and used by the Antioch School District as a display of pioneer living, and in 2008 was moved to its present location and restored to its current condition.