Near Miles City in Custer County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Remount Depot Mess Hall
Fort Keogh Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
1. Remount Depot Mess Hall and Marker
The marker is to the left of the stairs.
Inscription.
Remount Depot Mess Hall. Fort Keogh Historic District. Breaking and training thousands of horses at Fort Keogh for the U.S. military and Allied French and British forces was crucial during World War I because of the military’s reliance on horse-drawn transportation. This two-story mess hall served employees and civilian cowboys who worked on the ranch. Constructed in 1920 near the end of Fort Keogh’s days as a Remount Station at a cost of $15,000, the wood-frame building featured many windows, high ceilings, hot water, steam heat, and electric lights. The main floor originally had five rooms and the basement three rooms. Records show that the basement housed the heating plant and storage for coal and the commissary. In 1924, ownership of the fort transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Husbandry, by an act of Congress. The mess hall was subsequently remodeled to serve as the USDA administrative headquarters. It served in that capacity until the construction of a new administrative building in 1970. Today, the building serves as a storage area and carpenter’s shop.
Breaking and training thousands of horses at Fort Keogh for the U.S. military and Allied French and British forces was crucial during World War I because of the military’s reliance on horse-drawn transportation. This two-story mess hall served employees and civilian cowboys who worked on the ranch. Constructed in 1920 near the end of Fort Keogh’s days as a Remount Station at a cost of $15,000, the wood-frame building featured many windows, high ceilings, hot water, steam heat, and electric lights. The main floor originally had five rooms and the basement three rooms. Records show that the basement housed the heating plant and storage for coal and the commissary. In 1924, ownership of the fort transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Husbandry, by an act of Congress. The mess hall was subsequently remodeled to serve as the USDA administrative headquarters. It served in that capacity until the construction of a new administrative building in 1970. Today, the building serves as a storage area and carpenter’s shop.
46° 22.854′ N, 105° 53.037′ W. Marker is near Miles City, Montana, in Custer County. Marker can be reached from Fort Keogh Road near Business Interstate 94. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 243 Fort Keogh Road, Miles City MT 59301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
2. Remount Depot Mess Hall
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 98 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 8, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A closeup view of the marker. • Can you help?
