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.
Lemon Boarding House. Great Falls West Bank Historic District. 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.
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.
Location. 47° 30.279′ N, 111° 17.848′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. Marker 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.
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 163 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 23, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
