Karst's Camp was originally a dude ranch that was founded in 1901 by Pete Karst. He was awarded the property by Bozeman businessman Walter Cooper because of back pay that the Cooper Tie Company owed him. Karst built a cabin he initially called the "Cold Springs Ranch," but eventually changed its name to "Karst's Kamp." In 1937 he installed a rope tow for use in recreational skiing. Karst's Kamp eventually grew to include a bar and restaurant, a museum of artifacts, electricity, a heated swimming pool and, after Pete Karst's daughter married a golf pro, he installed a golf course. At the height of his business, Karst had over 25 guest cabins. In the early 1950s Karst sold the property and retired.
The Karst Kamp guest registers consist of two volumes. The first bears signatures from guests who visited the facility from 1908-1913 along with a notation of their home city. The second volume bears the same information for guests who visited from 1938 through 1943. In this volume there are occasional comments from the guests or informal greetings.
This collection is open for research.
The Karst's Kamp guest registers were transferred by the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, to the MSU Library Special Collections on March 13, 1985.
This collection was processed 2012 January 26