Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Northside Residential Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019
1. Northside Residential Historic District Marker
Inscription.
Great Falls founder Paris Gibson was drawn to the power of the falls of the Missouri where he vowed to found an industrial center of “unsurpassed beauty.” Backed by railroad magnate James J. Hill, Gibson hired H. P. Rolfe to plat the townsite in 1883. Industry harnessed the river’s power and the advent of the railroad in 1887 assured the town a future. The Northside District, part of the original townsite, was planned as a neighborhood removed from industrial activity but still convenient to it. By the 1890s doctors, lawyers, politicians, businessmen, and smelter officials had begun to settle in its neighborhoods. More than 200 beautifully preserved homes and buildings span the period from 1885 to 1945, offering a medley of period architectural styles including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman Bungalow, Prairie, and Moderne. The work of renowned architect George Shanley, a Northside resident, indelibly colors the district. The Classical Revival style Sacred Heart Convent and the Romanesque Revival style Cascade County Jail showcase his talents. Paris Gibson himself, first mayor of Great Falls, also built
Click or scan to see this page online
a Northside home. Gibson believed that beautiful surroundings molded a diverse population into a contented community. Gibson Park which skirts the district and the double-lined boulevards, resplendently shaded by huge trees planted between 1888 and 1913, are central to Gibson’s legacy. Today the Northside’s residential streets, magnificent churches, and impressive public buildings reflect the economic, social and political flowering of Gibson’s vision.
Erected by The Montana National Register Sign Program.
Location. 47° 30.588′ N, 111° 18.226′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. It is on 4th Avenue North near Park Drive North, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 3rd Avenue North, Great Falls MT 59401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019
2. Northside Residential Historic District Marker
The marker is inside the sidewalk V on the right.
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.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 236 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 27, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
