Hamilton in Ravalli County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
First National Bank
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 11, 2018
1. First National Bank Marker
Inscription.
“No year has favored the business section like 1910. And best of all, the buildings are of a better class than last year,” enthused the Ravalli Republic. Part of this boom, the First National Bank building replaced two wooden structures that housed a general store and Hamilton’s first hospital in the mid-1890s. The second floor of the new masonry building was divided into inexpensive apartments. The building’s first-floor façade reflected its dual purpose as a bank and store. Large display windows with an aluminum mullion frame marked Hub Clothing, which occupied the business block’s south half. Double-hung windows accented by brick voussiors (wedge-shaped bricks or stones) adorned the more formal façade of the First National Bank. F. H. Drinkenberg, president of First National Bank, also owned an interest in Hub Clothing. Mayor of Hamilton in 1910, his real estate investments reflected his faith in the town’s future. In addition to this building, Drinkenberg owned interests in two other Second Street business blocks also constructed 1909-1910.
Location. 46° 14.785′ N, 114° 9.431′ W. Marker is in Hamilton, Montana, in Ravalli County. It is on South 2nd Street near Main Street (State Highway 531), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 176 South 2nd Street, Hamilton MT 59840, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana, in Glacier Country, and in Greater Missoula. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: City Hall (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Carnegie Library (about
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 21, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
