Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Lemon Boarding House

Great Falls West Bank Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019

1. Lemon Boarding House Marker

Inscription. Beneath the façade of this solid-looking building stands a much older wooden boarding house. In 1891, only seven years after the founding of Great Falls, a two-story dwelling stood on this lot. Mrs. S. H. Lemon ran the boarding house in 1896 and 1897, and owners continued to rent “furnished rooms” into the 1910s. Apartments were at a premium during this period, as Great Falls boomed from nearly 4,000 citizens in 1890 to over 15,000 in 1910. Dr. Alfred G. Ladd lived and saw patients here in 1913 and 1914. Cascade County’s first physician, Ladd is credited with performing the first major surgery in Great Falls, an appendectomy. The residence soon reverted to a boarding house, owned and managed in 1920 by Elizabeth Good. Four families lived here, with tenants including the business agent for a labor union, a jeweler, and a grocer. Sometime before 1929, Good renovated the property, attaching an ell-shaped addition to the rear. She also installed the dignified brick veneer, under which remains the residence’s original clapboard siding.

Erected by The Montana National Register Sign Program.

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine • Women. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.

Location. 47° 30.279′ N, 111° 17.848′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. It is on 6th Avenue South near Central Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12 6th Avenue South, Great Falls MT 59401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Russell Country. 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 walking distance of this marker: Great Falls Central Business Historic District (about 400 feet away, measured in

Lemon Boarding House and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019

2. Lemon Boarding House and Marker

The marker is in the right front window.

a direct line); F.W. Woolworth Building (about 500 feet away); S.H. Kress and Company (about 700 feet away); Methodist Parsonage (approx. 0.2 miles away); First United Methodist Church Parsonage (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bus Depot and Garage (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); "Nibbles" (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Great Falls.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 303 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 23, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.