Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Arvon Block
Great Falls Central Business Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019
1. Arvon Block Marker
Inscription.
Arvon Block. Great Falls Central Business Historic District. During the busy 1890s, Great Falls’ business district swarmed with activity. City boosters such as pioneer rancher Robert Vaughn expressed confidence in the town’s future by investing in commercial real estate. Vaughn commissioned an unknown designer to create this unusual combination stable and hotel. The Axtell Stables occupied the western portion of this splendid 1890 Renaissance-inspired building. Montana’s most complete livery stable provided passenger, express, draying, and transfer services. While basement stalls accommodated fifty-eight horses, ground-floor harness and carriage showrooms displayed the newest equipment. Stable hands shared second-floor sleeping quarters with huge hay chutes that ran to the basement. On the east, a three-story boardinghouse boasted forty rooms for offices and lodgings. The Derrig Fruit Company had moved into the main floor area below the hotel by 1895, and in that year, the company paid out over $76,000 in freight charges alone. Shipped by rail to the station a block away, the goods were no doubt then delivered to Derrig’s by Axtell’s wagons. One of few local Victorian-era commercial structures to have escaped natural and manmade destruction, this “grand old survivor” recalls the necessity of horse-drawn services before the advent of the automobile.
During the busy 1890s, Great Falls’ business district swarmed with activity. City boosters such as pioneer rancher Robert Vaughn expressed confidence in the town’s future by investing in commercial real estate. Vaughn commissioned an unknown designer to create this unusual combination stable and hotel. The Axtell Stables occupied the western portion of this splendid 1890 Renaissance-inspired building. Montana’s most complete livery stable provided passenger, express, draying, and transfer services. While basement stalls accommodated fifty-eight horses, ground-floor harness and carriage showrooms displayed the newest equipment. Stable hands shared second-floor sleeping quarters with huge hay chutes that ran to the basement. On the east, a three-story boardinghouse boasted forty rooms for offices and lodgings. The Derrig Fruit Company had moved into the main floor area below the hotel by 1895, and in that year, the company paid out over $76,000 in freight charges alone. Shipped by rail to the station a block away, the goods were no doubt then delivered to Derrig’s by Axtell’s wagons. One of few local Victorian-era commercial structures to have escaped natural and manmade destruction, this “grand old survivor” recalls the necessity of horse-drawn services before the advent of the automobile.
Location. 47° 30.247′ N, 111° 18.296′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. Marker is on 1st Avenue South near 2nd Street South, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114-118 1st Avenue South, Great Falls MT 59401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The maker is near the left end of the street railing.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 19, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.