Forsyth in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Blue Front Rooming House
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
1. Blue Front Rooming House Marker
Inscription.
The Northern Pacific Railroad was the lifeblood of many small Montana towns like Forsyth, which was founded in 1882 to serve as an operations base for rail crews. Since unmarried men filled most railroad positions, towns like Forsyth had need of inexpensive, basic housing facilities. Originally the railroad provided housing for its Forsyth workers, but when the “section house” burned in 1902, the railroad did not replace it. Gustaf “Gus” Swanland built this rooming house in 1912 to fill a need for housing. He lived here himself along with his single tenants, many of whom were Northern Pacific employees. Although advertised as the Swanland Hotel, the building was commonly known as the “Blue Front” because of its bright blue paint. Boarding houses were usually residential in appearance but Swanlands narrow lot and location in the business district dictated a more commercial look. A 1905 city ordinance required fire-resistant brick construction, and, like its neighbors, the vernacular Italianate style faηade was enhanced with a layer of light-colored brick veneer. A bracketed wooden cornice
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and pediment soften the rather austere, utilitarian image. The Blue Fronts interior, which survives almost intact, provides a fascinating glimpse into turn-of-the-twentieth-century accommodations. Both stories reflect typical boardinghouse living arrangements with small, wall-papered rooms opening onto a central hallway. The Spartan sleeping room had little space, not even closets, but the Blue Fronts common kitchen, parlor, and dining room offered a more homelike atmosphere.
Location. 46° 16.022′ N, 106° 40.541′ W. Marker is in Forsyth, Montana, in Rosebud County. It is on Main Street near 12th Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1187 Main Street, Forsyth MT 59327, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Northern Cheyenne Nation, in Southeast
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
2. Blue Front Rooming House and Marker
Montana, in Custer Country and in the Powder River Basin. It is also in the American Mountain West, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 263 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 14, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
