Wolf Creek in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Wolf Creek Hotel

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 15, 2022

1. Wolf Creek Hotel Marker

Inscription. In 1886-1887 the Montana Central Railroad wound its way through the steep Prickly Pear Canyon, an area prized for its superb trout fishing. The town of Wolf Creek, named after an Indian word meaning “Creek That The Wolf Jumped In,” grew from Cartersville, a mile to the east, to serve the railroad. James Carter built a small one-story hotel here in 1887. He soon sold the hotel to a young Englishman, Charles Forman, who replaced it with this three-story frame building circa 1892. Forman attached his new hotel to the original manager’s house, covering its log walls with clapboard siding. Its simple no-frills style was once a common sight across rural Montana. Ten rooms and home-cooked meals offered respite for outdoor enthusiasts as well as stage and railroad travelers. Forman, a butcher by trade, also operated a livery stable and meat company. The small house out back, once filled with ice cut from the Missouri River, kept his larder cool. The hotel operated from 1887 to 1984 under only five owners. It served as a stage stop along the Mullan Trail and routes from Helena to Augusta and Fort Benton. Later it sheltered workers

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who built Holter Dam in 1910, gas pipeline laborers in the 1930s, and highway crews who divided the town in the 1960s. Although now under the shadow of the interstate, its time-layered walls earlier witnessed high winds and waters, fires, births, and deaths. Restoration as a private home in the 1990s began a new chapter in the long life of this railroad-era landmark.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 47° 0.378′ N, 112° 4.226′ W. Marker is in Wolf Creek, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Walsh Street, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Main Street, Wolf Creek MT 59648, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Montana, in Gold West Country and in Greater Helena.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis

Wolf Creek Hotel and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 15, 2022

2. Wolf Creek Hotel and Marker

The marker is on the building, to the left of the flagpole.

& 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 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ordway Creek? (approx. 2.9 miles away); Old U.S. Highway 91 (approx. 3 miles away); The Mann Gulch Fire (approx. 3 miles away); The Montana Central Railroad (approx. 4.1 miles away); A Perfect Defile (approx. 4.1 miles away); Remembering Governor Forrest H. Anderson (approx. 6.9 miles away); The Search (approx. 10.2 miles away); The Dearborn – Ancient Interstate Highway (approx. 11.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wolf Creek.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 15, 2022

3. Wolf Creek Hotel and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 280 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 28, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.