Hardin in Big Horn County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Lee Building

Hardin Commercial Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2021

1. Lee Building Marker

Inscription. Montana created twenty-six counties during its 1910 county-splitting craze. Among them was Big Horn County, carved from portions of Yellowstone and Rosebud Counties in 1913. Private entrepreneurs constructed the new county’s first courthouses. In 1913, the county leased offices in the Sullivan Block. In 1918, W. O. Lee won the contract “to furnish 20 rooms for courthouse purposes.” To fulfill the contract, he hired Percy Wilcox to construct this $60,000, two-story building. The Prairie style likely inspired the handsome building’s geometric decoration, bands of windows, and horizontal emphasis. Sibley Drug Store and Stockman Bank shared the business block with the county. The bank personalized its interior with mahogany wainscoting, marble trim, and a marble floor. In 1923 the bank closed, a victim of the agricultural depression. That year, the county also moved its offices back to the Sullivan Block. A post office, a clothing store, and a dance hall (on the second floor in the former courtroom) were among the building’s later occupants. The Wilson Building sign dates from the 1960s or 1970s, when Judge Robert Wilson owned

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the property.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 45° 43.938′ N, 107° 36.401′ W. Marker is in Hardin, Montana, in Big Horn County. It is on West 4th Street near North Central Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 West 4th Street, Hardin MT 59034, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically he Crow Nation,

in Southeast Montana, in Custer Country. 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 Rocky Mountains,

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

Lee Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2021

2. Lee Building and Marker

The marker is at the right corner of the building.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 412 North Custer (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); T.E. Gay Building (about 400 feet away); Big Horn County Library (about 400 feet away); Big Horn County Courthouse (about 500 feet away); Hardin Commercial Historic District (about 500 feet away); Schneider Harness and Confectionary (about 600 feet away); James Reid's Pool Hall (about 600 feet away); Hotel Becker (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hardin.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 286 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 1, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.