In one of the most remote corners of the country is a cabin compound so vast that it feels more like a frontier village than a private residence.
Now on the market for just a hair under $5 million, the Montana estate is spread across more than 220 acres that include pristine forestland, over a mile of river frontage, and six separate dwellings.
At the heart of the enormous compound is a main home that dates back to 1915—and is steeped in local lore, with whispers suggesting that it may even boast a very impressive Hollywood connection.
“It’s rumored that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz once owned this estate,” says listing agent Shirin Lamp, of Yaak’s Real Estate Outpost LLC, who has lived in Yaak since 1999.
“I have no way of substantiating it—it’s more of a local legend, but stories like that are part of what makes this place so unique.”
While Ball and Arnaz’s connection to the compound cannot be cemented, the main cabin on the sprawling property is known to have once served as the childhood residence of author Doris Knowles Pulis—and even featured prominently in her memoir, “How It Looks Going Back: Growing Up in the Montana Woods.”
“In 1949, taking a break from San Diego’s post–World War II bustle, the Knowles family went camping in Canada. Heading home through northwest Montana’s Yaak River country, they found a two-bedroom, story-and-half log cabin on a small lake,” the book’s description reads.
At the time, the cabin was bare and crumbling, with no real amenities or utilities.
“There was neither electricity nor plumbing. Access was via dirt road, slow at best and iffy during the long, hard winters,” the description continues. “Darwin Knowles saw a peaceful life, and adventurous wife Marilyn agreed.
“Third-grader daughter, Dee (for Doris), could attend the one-room school, and three-year-old Bob (Barbara) have a safe place to play. Enthusiastic but ignorant of wilderness living, the family moved in that fall—working together to cook and heat with wood, hunt and fish for food, haul water, and wash clothes by hand.”
The Knowles family resided in the property for six years, during which Doris says she experienced all manner of ups and downs, writing that the period in her life was “a cozy, scary, painful, hilarious, dangerous, interesting, and grand time, and the most fun I ever had.”
Since the Knowles’ departure, the extraordinary compound has changed hands on just a few occasions, most recently in 2022, when it sold for an undisclosed sum to the current owner.
Set amid thousands of acres of Kootenai National Forest, the estate offers a level of privacy and raw beauty that’s increasingly hard to find in today’s market.
“There’s a peace and tranquility to being here like nowhere else,” says Lamp. “But there’s also a challenge, it’s a wilder, more self-reliant lifestyle that brings out the best and worst in a person. In a sense, living in Yaak is really living.”
The property’s impressive natural features are among its biggest draws. A private lake serves as a scenic centerpiece, while more than a mile of Yaak River frontage creates endless opportunities for fishing, kayaking, or simply watching the water flow by.
There’s even a private airstrip for adventurous buyers who prefer to arrive by plane.
What makes this estate particularly unusual is its multistructure layout. In addition to the main house, the property includes five other cabins and dwellings, each with their own character and purpose.
“It’s rare to find a property with so many individual structures,” Lamp explains. “There are three wells, five septic systems, and a newly built caretaker’s quarters, which makes it ideal as a private retreat, a multigenerational compound, or even a boutique resort.”
While modern comforts are intentionally minimal, and part of the property’s charm, the essentials are all covered. Starlink internet service allows for remote work, and the property is fully connected to electricity.
“It’s not a ‘modern comfort’ home,” Lamp says. “It’s a place to reconnect with nature, with yourself, and with the people you love.”