Miles City in Custer County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Pope House
East Main Street Residential Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
1. Pope House Marker
Inscription.
Pope House. East Main Street Residential Historic District. A low-pitched hipped roof, an asymmetrical open front porch with massive square porch supports, clean lines, and wide overhanging eaves mark the two-story Pope residence as a classic example of the Prairie style. Builder Thomas Burton clad the residence in a new product called “Flex-O-Tile,” a substance that resembled stucco, but was said to be “more lasting … practically indestructible, and fireproof.” Rancher G. B. Pope had the home built in 1917, and in 1920 his twenty-two-year-old son James, James’s twenty-three-year-old wife Helen, and James’s nineteen-year-old sister Frances all shared the residence. Banker and businessman Karl Johnson purchased the home from the Popes, but by 1930 he had sold it to John Johnson. An auto dealer and mechanic, Johnson strategically located his business on the Yellowstone Trail (the tourist route from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Yellowstone National Park). Not surprisingly, John was responsible for construction of the two-car garage behind the house. He and his wife Jacqueline lived here into the 1970s.
A low-pitched hipped roof, an asymmetrical open front porch with massive square porch supports, clean lines, and wide overhanging eaves mark the two-story Pope residence as a classic example of the Prairie style. Builder Thomas Burton clad the residence in a new product called “Flex-O-Tile,” a substance that resembled stucco, but was said to be “more lasting … practically indestructible—and fireproof.” Rancher G. B. Pope had the home built in 1917, and in 1920 his twenty-two-year-old son James, James’s twenty-three-year-old wife Helen, and James’s nineteen-year-old sister Frances all shared the residence. Banker and businessman Karl Johnson purchased the home from the Popes, but by 1930 he had sold it to John Johnson. An auto dealer and mechanic, Johnson strategically located his business on the Yellowstone Trail (the tourist route from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Yellowstone National Park). Not surprisingly, John was responsible for construction of the two-car garage behind the house. He and his wife Jacqueline lived here into the 1970s.
46° 24.497′ N, 105° 50.206′ W. Marker is in Miles City, Montana, in Custer County. Marker is on Main Street (State Highway 59) near South Custer Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1902 Main Street, Miles City MT 59301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
2. Pope House and Marker
The marker is in front of the tree at the far left.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
3. Pope House
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 5, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 5, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
