Red Lodge in Carbon County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Red Lodge Brewing Company ⎯⎯⎯ Red Lodge Canning Company Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 22, 2021
1. Red Lodge Brewing Company/ Red Lodge Canning Company Historic District Marker
Inscription.
Red Lodge Brewing Company, also, Red Lodge Canning Company Historic District. . Pure Rock Creek water and a ready market of thirsty coal miners struck Bozeman beer baron Julius Lehrkind as a recipe for success. With nephews Fred and Paul, Julius incorporated the Red Lodge Brewing Company in 1910, hiring the prominent architectural firm of Link and Haire to design the monumental brick brewery as well as the bottling plant next door. Red Lodge contractor Anton Roat constructed both buildings. The brewery design, modified from plans John Link created for the Washoe Brewery in Anaconda, reflected the owners’ prosperity, pride in their product, and European heritage. It also reflected the building’s function. The ornamental tower was an integral part of a gravity flow system that moved huge quantities of liquid through the brewing process without the use of pumps. The owners’ widely advertised decision to use local Fromberg brick and union labor tied the brewery to the Red Lodge patrons it hoped to serve. Prohibition spelled the end of the brewery, but the building received a second life when a Billings capitalist purchased it in 1925. Sturdy construction, an established railroad spur, connection to city water, and room for expansion made the property the perfect site for a factory, and the former brewery was soon converted into a pea cannery. Cannery owners constructed the three-story wood addition in 1927. The cannery, which operated through 1975, was an important part of the Red Lodge economy, seasonally employing up to 300 people in the rush to preserve the highly perishable product.
Pure Rock Creek water and a ready market of thirsty coal miners struck Bozeman beer baron Julius Lehrkind as a recipe for success. With nephews Fred and Paul, Julius incorporated the Red Lodge Brewing Company in 1910, hiring the prominent architectural firm of Link and Haire to design the monumental brick brewery as well as the bottling plant next door. Red Lodge contractor Anton Roat constructed both buildings. The brewery design—modified from plans John Link created for the Washoe Brewery in Anaconda—reflected the owners’ prosperity, pride in their product, and European heritage. It also reflected the building’s function. The ornamental tower was an integral part of a gravity flow system that moved huge quantities of liquid through the brewing process without the use of pumps. The owners’ widely advertised decision to use local Fromberg brick and union labor tied the brewery to the Red Lodge patrons it hoped to serve. Prohibition spelled the end of the brewery, but the building received a second life when a Billings capitalist purchased it in 1925. Sturdy construction, an established railroad spur, connection to city
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water, and room for expansion made the property the perfect site for a factory—and the former brewery was soon converted into a pea cannery. Cannery owners constructed the three-story wood addition in 1927. The cannery, which operated through 1975, was an important part of the Red Lodge economy, seasonally employing up to 300 people in the rush to preserve the highly perishable product.
Location. 45° 11.756′ N, 109° 14.697′ W. Marker is in Red Lodge, Montana, in Carbon County. It is at the intersection of 2nd Street East and Haggin Avenue, on the right when traveling west on 2nd Street East. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 904 North Bonner Street, Red Lodge MT 59068, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Yellowstone Country and in Greater Billings. It is also in the American
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 22, 2021
2. Red Lodge Brewing Company/ Red Lodge Canning Company and Marker
The marker is on the left side of the building in the foreground.
Mountain West and in the Lewis & 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 560 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 17, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
