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The Lean house was built out of bridge timbers by Frank Towle, a prospector. The 4-inch-by-12-inch timbers were laid horizontally and covered on the exterior with vertical boards. The front door originally faced the river; it was closed off before 1925, although a front porch was added about 1930. In 1919 Frank Towle's wife, Grace, sold the house to Charles Lean, who that year married a woman named Beryl. Charles worked as a guide, trapper, and woodcutter, and obtained seasonal work from the Bureau of Public Roads. The Leans also ran a roadhouse and resort, using the schoolhouse in the off-season for sleeping quarters.