Kalispell in Flathead County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
404 Second Avenue West
West Side Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2020
1. 404 Second Avenue West Marker
Inscription.
404 Second Avenue West. West Side Historic District. When twenty-five-year-old housekeeper Cora (Brooks) Moore lived here with her four-year-old son, she owned the home free of mortgage. She built the simple, one-story gable-front home sometime between 1894 and 1899. At that time, it had a back porch but no front porch. Her neighbors were mostly residents of female boarding houses (a turn-of-the-century euphemism for brothels). Claude Jump, who owned a livery stable one block north, rented the home in 1907. Ezra and Catherine Slack purchased the property in 1910, after their eight children had grown up. The founder of an important Kalispell realty company, Ezra died in 1918. Catherine continued to live here until her death in 1924. Her son George and his family lived just up the block. The red light district had moved elsewhere by the time the Slacks moved in, and the female boarding houses had all been torn down or converted into more respectable lodging. By 1927, the area’s transformation was complete. Two churches neighbored this residence: the Free Methodist Church to the north and the Full Gospel Mission Church to the east.
When twenty-five-year-old housekeeper Cora (Brooks) Moore lived here with her four-year-old son, she owned the home free of mortgage. She built the simple, one-story gable-front home sometime between 1894 and 1899. At that time, it had a back porch but no front porch. Her neighbors were mostly residents of female boarding houses (a turn-of-the-century euphemism for brothels). Claude Jump, who owned a livery stable one block north, rented the home in 1907. Ezra and Catherine Slack purchased the property in 1910, after their eight children had grown up. The founder of an important Kalispell realty company, Ezra died in 1918. Catherine continued to live here until her death in 1924. Her son George and his family lived just up the block. The red light district had moved elsewhere by the time the Slacks moved in, and the female boarding houses had all been torn down or converted into more respectable lodging. By 1927, the area’s transformation was complete. Two churches neighbored this residence: the Free Methodist Church to the north and the Full Gospel Mission Church to the east.
Location. 48° 11.652′ N, 114° 18.925′ W. Marker is in Kalispell, Montana, in Flathead County. Marker is at the intersection of 2nd Street West and 4th Street West, on the left when traveling south on 2nd Street West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 404 Second Avenue West, Kalispell MT 59901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. 404 Second Avenue West House and Marker, at the right
Credits. This page was last revised on December 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 95 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
