Bearcreek in Carbon County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Bearcreek Bank

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2021

1. Bearcreek Bank Marker

Inscription. A coal-mining town established in 1905, Bearcreek developed quickly, and after just one year the town boasted telephones, city water, and electric streetlights. Bert Vaill, a cashier with the Carbon County Bank of Red Lodge, purchased this lot from the townsite company for $800, and in 1906 he hired John Russell to construct a one-story Romanesque style bank from native sandstone quarried just north of town. Symbolizing Vaill’s faith in Bearcreek’s future, the bank’s thick stone walls were also meant to assure customers that their money was safe from theft and bank failure, a tenuous assumption in the days before Federal Deposit Insurance. Part of a vibrant commercial district, the bank—owned for a time by Butte copper magnate William A. Clark—played a significant role in Bearcreek’s development through loans and investments. It also provided currency exchange for the community’s immigrant miners. When the International Coal Company defaulted on a $170,000 loan in 1921, the bank went into receivership. Former mine foreman Tom Frasure purchased the property and reopened the bank under the name Miner’s State Bank in 1922.

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In 1928 it, too, closed. The building then housed a restaurant until 1943. That year an explosion at the Smith Mine killed 74 miners. The disaster started an exodus from Bearcreek, causing the restaurant and many other businesses to close. Used for storage, the building was rehabilitated in 1967 for use as the Bearcreek City Hall, a function it has served ever since.

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 Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1905.

Location. 45° 9.658′ N, 109° 9.519′ W. Marker is in Bearcreek, Montana, in Carbon County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (State Highway 308) and South 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 43 West Main Street, Bearcreek MT 59007, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Yellowstone Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis

Bearcreek Bank and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2021

2. Bearcreek Bank and Marker

& Clark Corridor.

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 least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bearcreek (within shouting distance of this marker); Bear Creek Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Smith Mine Historic District (approx. 1½ miles away); Black Gold (approx. 1½ miles away); The Smith Mine Disaster (approx. 1½ miles away); The Red Lodge Country (approx. 4½ miles away); Red Lodge (approx. 4½ miles away); The Beartooth Plateau (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bearcreek.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.