Ingomar in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank

— (Jersey Lilly) —

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021

1. Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank Marker

Inscription. Completion of the “Milwaukee Road” brought hundreds of homesteaders to Ingomar during the 1910s. By 1914, wood-frame homes and a small commercial district proclaimed the town a permanent settlement. On July 2, 1914, the Ingomar Index announced that a bank would soon open, marking an important milestone in the community’s development. Investors H. B. Wiley, C. W. Greening, and E. B. Clark hired bookkeeper W. T. Craig. All, declared the Index, were businessmen of sterling reputations. When the new building was completed that October, the newspaper declared it a “pippin,” noting that “cashier Craig feels like a kid with a new toy.” It was Ingomar’s first brick building. The bank indeed prospered, reorganizing and expanding in 1917 as a state bank, and reorganizing again in 1921 under federal charter. Economic reversal led to the bank’s sudden closure later that year. Craig was convicted of misuse of bank funds, a ruling that was later overturned on appeal. The bank stood empty, a painful reminder of delinquent loans and failed homesteads. In 1933, the Oasis Bar opened in the building and the Jersey Lilly Bar and Café moved

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here in 1948. The former bank has since served as a community gathering place with a devoted clientele. Original pressed tin ceilings, bank vaults, and the outline of teller cages on unfinished hardwood flooring suggest the building’s previous function. Its dignified outward appearance reflects the time when Ingomar was the commercial and social center of a vital agricultural community.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and the Montana National Register Sign Program series lists.

Location. 46° 34.643′ N, 107° 22.515′ W. Marker is in Ingomar, Montana, in Rosebud County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and First Avenue (?), on the left when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 Main Street, Ingomar MT 59039, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Montana, in

Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021

2. Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank and Marker

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 Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 4 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: J.A. Bookman General Store (a few steps from this marker); Ingomar (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ingomar Public School (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Ingomar (approx. 0.4 miles away).

Also see . . . The One Restaurant In Montana That’s Unlike Any Other In The World -- Only in Your State. This also may be the last restaurant in Montana to still only have an outhouse as a restroom. (Submitted on December 28, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021

3. Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank and Marker

The Jersey Lilly, formerly the Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021

4. The Jersey Lilly, formerly the Wiley, Clark and Greening Bank

The Jersey Lilly bar image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Only in Your State/AmyM/Yelp

5. The Jersey Lilly bar

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 28, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.