Forsyth in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Choisser Block
Forsyth Main Street Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
1. Choisser Block Marker
Inscription.
Choisser Block. Forsyth Main Street Historic District. Sunrays filtering through a window apparently ignited straw packing in the basement of the J. E. Choisser Wholesale Liquor Company in July 1917. Bottles of liquor burst in the flames, fueling a fire that ultimately gutted the two-story building. Self-made entrepreneur Joseph Choisser built the original business block in 1908 for approximately $30,000. The post office shared one of the storefronts with a newsstand from 1910 to 1968. A womens clothing store was also a long-term tenant. The manager of the Alexander Hotel, Choisser used the second floor as a hotel annex. A pedestrian overpass connected the two buildings. After the fire, Choisser hired Billings architect Curtis Oehme to renovate and add a third story to the property. The original 1908 pediment, inscribed J. E. Choisser, tops the three-story building, one of only two in Forsyth. Oehmes design included a central, open light well to draw sunlight and fresh air into each hotel guestroom. Today, the building, remodeled again in the 1980s, remains a hotel frequented primarily by railroad crews laying over in Forsyth.
Sunrays filtering through a window apparently ignited straw packing in the basement of the J. E. Choisser Wholesale Liquor Company in July 1917. Bottles of liquor burst in the flames, fueling a fire that ultimately gutted the two-story building. Self-made entrepreneur Joseph Choisser built the original business block in 1908 for approximately $30,000. The post office shared one of the storefronts with a newsstand from 1910 to 1968. A womens clothing store was also a long-term tenant. The manager of the Alexander Hotel, Choisser used the second floor as a hotel annex. A pedestrian overpass connected the two buildings. After the fire, Choisser hired Billings architect Curtis Oehme to renovate and add a third story to the property. The original 1908 pediment, inscribed J. E. Choisser, tops the three-story building, one of only two in Forsyth. Oehmes design included a central, open light well to draw sunlight and fresh air into each hotel guestroom. Today, the buildingremodeled again in the 1980sremains a hotel frequented primarily by railroad crews laying over in Forsyth.
Location. 46° 15.968′ N, 106° 40.773′ W. Marker is in Forsyth, Montana, in Rosebud County. It is on North 9th Avenue near Cedar Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 167 North 9th Avenue, Forsyth MT 59327, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Northern Cheyenne Nation, in Southeast 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
3. Choisser Block
Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 16, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
