Bozeman in Gallatin County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Lindsay Fruit Company
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 25, 2021
1. Lindsay Fruit Company Marker
Inscription.
Lindsay Fruit Company. Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District. A Northern Pacific spur line ran in front of this warehouse, originally railroad owned and built in the 1880s for the cold storage of produce. The brick walls are four layers thick with a central air space to maximize insulation; a chute conveyed ice to the basement. Heavy post and beam supports with cast iron plates in between reveal the weight the floor could accommodate. A counter-balanced elevator operated by a rope and pulley remains intact. By 1904, the warehouse served the Lindsay Fruit Company and later the Ryan Fruit Company. Produce arrived daily. In the summer, watermelons shipped in straw-lined cattle cars tempted neighborhood children to cut slices through the slats. One old-timer remembered unloading the cars. The kids would form a line and pass the watermelons hand to hand. “Well, you didn’t get paid in money, but you did get paid in broken watermelons and we made sure that there were enough ... to go around.”
A Northern Pacific spur line ran in front of this warehouse, originally railroad owned and built in the 1880s for the cold storage of produce. The brick walls are four layers thick with a central air space to maximize insulation; a chute conveyed ice to the basement. Heavy post and beam supports with cast iron plates in between reveal the weight the floor could accommodate. A counter-balanced elevator operated by a rope and pulley remains intact. By 1904, the warehouse served the Lindsay Fruit Company and later the Ryan Fruit Company. Produce arrived daily. In the summer, watermelons shipped in straw-lined cattle cars tempted neighborhood children to cut slices through the slats. One old-timer remembered unloading the cars. The kids would form a line and pass the watermelons hand to hand. “Well, you didn’t get paid in money, but you did get paid in broken watermelons and we made sure that there were enough ... to go around.”
45° 41.246′ N, 111° 1.523′ W. Marker is in Bozeman, Montana, in Gallatin County. Marker is at the intersection of Front Street and Plum Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 720 Front Street, Bozeman MT 59715, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 22, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 113 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 22, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
