Forsyth in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Hall
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 13, 2020
1. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Hall Marker
Inscription.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Hall. . On May 8, 1882, the first train rumbled through Forsyth, and the growing town soon became home to many Northern Pacific Railway workers. Among them were locomotive engineers, whose skills were in high demand, particularly in the West during the heady days of railroad expansion. The Forsyth engineers operated their steam- powered locomotives to the crew change point of Billings (and later Laurel). By September 1882, enough engineers had moved to Forsyth to form Division 195 of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), the United States first railroad union. Founded in Detroit in 1863, the BLE generally avoided strikes in favor of negotiations; it became a pioneer in collective bargaining and a strong lobby for railroad safety. BLE Division 195 built this meeting hall in 1886 with labor and funds donated by its members. Constructed of logs, the hall was later sided and eventually stuccoed. The building contains a small vestibule, a closet, and a single meeting room that still boasts its original wood floor, baseboards, and chair rails. From 1886 to 1899, the engineers leased the land on which the hall stands from the Northern Pacific Railway; in 1899 they purchased the lot when the railroad sold the land to a townsite company, creating Forsyths NP Addition. Many organizations used the BLE Hall for meetings, dances, and family gatherings, and one early Forsyth congregation worshipped here until it could build its own church. One of the best surviving examples of Forsyths early architecture, it is still occasionally used by the BLE.
On May 8, 1882, the first train rumbled through Forsyth, and the growing town soon became home to many Northern Pacific Railway workers. Among them were locomotive engineers, whose skills were in high demand, particularly in the West during the heady days of railroad expansion. The Forsyth engineers operated their steam- powered locomotives to the crew change point of Billings (and later Laurel). By September 1882, enough engineers had moved to Forsyth to form Division 195 of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), the United States first railroad union. Founded in Detroit in 1863, the BLE generally avoided strikes in favor of negotiations; it became a pioneer in collective bargaining and a strong lobby for railroad safety. BLE Division 195 built this meeting hall in 1886 with labor and funds donated by its members. Constructed of logs, the hall was later sided and eventually stuccoed. The building contains a small vestibule, a closet, and a single meeting room that still boasts its original wood floor, baseboards, and chair rails. From 1886 to 1899, the engineers leased the land on which the hall stands from the Northern Pacific Railway; in 1899 they purchased the lot when the railroad sold the land to a townsite company, creating Forsyths NP Addition. Many organizations used the BLE Hall for meetings, dances, and family gatherings,
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and one early Forsyth congregation worshipped here until it could build its own church. One of the best surviving examples of Forsyths early architecture, it is still occasionally used by the BLE.
Location. 46° 15.727′ N, 106° 40.778′ W. Marker is in Forsyth, Montana, in Rosebud County. It is at the intersection of South 7th Avenue and Front Street, on the left when traveling south on South 7th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 278 South 7th 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 341 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 16, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
