Biederman was an immigrant to the United States from Bohemia, and was attracted to Alaska in 1899 by the Nome Gold Rush.

To provide food for the many dogs Biederman owned as a result of the mail route, the family used the cabin as a fish camp and installed two fish wheels to catch salmon swimming upstream during the spawning season.

Other additions were made to the cabin, including a tin roof to replace the sod and an Arctic entry.

After Biederman's death, the cabin fell into relative disuse by the family, though winter travelers continued to seek shelter in it.

A nearby wildfire threatened the cabin in 2007, and the National Park Service installed temporary sprinklers at the site as a preventative measure.