Missoula in Missoula County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Lindsay Commission Company Warehouse

Northside Missoula Railroad Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019

1. Lindsay Commission Company Warehouse Marker

Inscription. The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad transformed every aspect of life in Montana, including the food available for purchase. Frank Lindsay opened his first fruit warehouse in Helena in 1883, the year the railroad arrived and made importing fresh fruit and vegetables practical. He expanded his business to Bozeman and Billings and in 1909 had this substantial, brick warehouse constructed in Missoula. Missoula architect A. J. Gibson designed the state-of-the-art warehouse, which featured a four-ton, electric-powered ice machine and two refrigeration areas. Oriented toward the tracks, the forty-by-sixty-foot building has an oriel bay, commonly seen on railroad buildings. Such windows were used to pass messages to railroad personnel. Montana fruit farmers, particularly apple farmers in the Bitterroot, stored their crops here before shipping them east. The warehouse also received carloads of apples, apricots, pears, peaches, and other fruit from Washington and points south. Plans for the warehouse even specified a "banana room," attesting to the way fruit wholesalers like Lindsay were able to capitalize on the far-flung

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rail network and the invention of refrigerated cars to bring exotic provisions to Montanans.

Erected by Montana National Register Sign Program.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 46° 52.681′ N, 113° 59.719′ W. Marker is in Missoula, Montana, in Missoula County. It is at the intersection of North 1st Street West and North Orange Street, on the left when traveling west on North 1st Street West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 313 North 1st Street West, Missoula MT 59802, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana

and in Glacier 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.

Lindsay Commission Company Warehouse and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019

2. Lindsay Commission Company Warehouse and Marker

The marker is above the steps.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 426 North First Street West (within shouting distance of this marker); Keim Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northside Missoula Railroad Historic District (about 300 feet away); John S. Johnston House (about 600 feet away); Taxidermist Shop and Warwick Apartments (about 700 feet away); Mrs. Lydia McCaffery's Furnished Rooms (approx. 0.2 miles away); McIntosh House (approx. 0.2 miles away); 613 North Third Street West (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Missoula.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 277 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 15, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.