Ronan in Lake County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Ronan United Methodist Church

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022

1. Ronan United Methodist Church Marker

Inscription. The first circuit-riding Methodist ministers, “the Lord’s Horsemen,” arrived in Montana in the 1870s to establish congregations among the territory’s early population. Settlers came to the Flathead when reservation lands opened to homesteading in 1910. An itinerant minister, Reverend Welch, held services in Ronan twice a month. In December 1910, the Ronan Methodist congregation purchased the land and members began building this Gothic style church; services were held five months later. The First Ladies Aid raised money for furnishings with numerous fundraisers including a colonial dinner, a Japanese tea, and a play at the opera house. When they ran out of ideas, the women challenged each other to earn a dollar and tell the group how she did it. They carpeted the aisle, bought lights, and paid the minister’s salary. The stained glass windows, installed in 1911, and the original ornately carved organ are part of their legacy. Construction of the annex enlarged the church in 1918 under Pastor W. I. Greer. During his tenure from 1929 to 1940, Reverend Joe “Little Joe” Ashworth saw the addition of the sidewalk, lawn, and bell

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tower. Today the charming simplicity of this sturdy homestead-era house of worship, the oldest continuously used Methodist church in Lake , symbolizes the faithfulness of early Methodism in the Mission Valley.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1910.

Location. 47° 31.655′ N, 114° 6.197′ W. Marker is in Ronan, Montana, in Lake County. It is at the intersection of Adams Street Southwest and 4th Avenue Southwest, on the right when traveling east on Adams Street Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 407 Adams Street Southwest, Ronan MT 59864, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Flathead Nation,

in Western Montana,

and in Glacier Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western

Ronan United Methodist Church and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022

2. Ronan United Methodist Church and Marker

The marker is on the pedestal to the left of the entrance.

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 6 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Don E. Olsson House and Garage (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Mission Mountain Wilderness (approx. 2.9 miles away); Fort Connah (approx. 8.2 miles away); St. Joseph's Catholic Church of D'Aste (approx. 10.8 miles away); Flathead Lake, the Hellgate Treaty, & the Allotment Act (approx. 12 miles away); The National Bison Range (approx. 13.2 miles away).

Ronan United Methodist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022

3. Ronan United Methodist Church

Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 29, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.