Belt in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Oriental Saloon

Belt Commercial Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 17, 2022

1. Oriental Saloon Marker

Inscription. A one-story wood-frame building stood here between 1897 and 1907. Reflecting the mining town's early hard-drinking culture, it first originally housed two saloons. When Swedish immigrants Charles Carlson and George Edman purchased the lot in 1907, the town's prospects looked strong. The Anaconda Company had just expanded its coal mining operation, and in response to the influx of newcomers, Belt had incorporated as a third-class city. Main Street businessmen, including Carlson and Edman, began replacing their wooden false-front buildings with more permanent structures. Carlson and Edman relied on locally quarried, rough-faced sandstone to construct their two-story commercial block. The first floor housed the Oriental Saloon, which "boasted electric lights, running water and a bar and back bar of mahogany in a colonial style." Iron pilasters and an iron header allowed the contractor to install large plate-glass windows, letting natural light into the interior. Although the windows are gone, the iron framing remains. Carlson converted the saloon into a pool hall and then a "soft drinks parlor" during Prohibition, before retiring

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in 1926. Later businesses included a butcher shop and a grocery store.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 47° 23.205′ N, 110° 55.673′ W. Marker is in Belt, Montana, in Cascade County. It can be reached from Castner Street (County Highway 331) near Bridge Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 66 Castner Street, Belt MT 59412, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Russell 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 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 16 miles of this marker,

The former Oriental Saloon and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 17, 2022

2. The former Oriental Saloon and Marker

measured as the crow flies: "East Belt" Ventilation Fan (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Belt Jail (about 300 feet away); Belt Commercial Historic District (about 300 feet away); Mountains, Belt Butte, and the Great Falls Coal Field (approx. 3 miles away); Steamboats, Bull Whackers, and Fish Trains (approx. 12.2 miles away); Land of Many Uses / Sulphur Springs Hiking Trail / Lewis and Clark Reach the Rapids (approx. 15 miles away); Flowing Free for Miles (approx. 15.1 miles away); Lewis and Clark Passed Here (approx. 15.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belt.

Regarding Oriental Saloon. National Register Historic District Statement of Significance:

The Belt Commercial Historic District includes commercial businesses, a theatre, banks, restaurants, and saloons, that convey the town’s historic commercial, recreational, and social patterns. The district is representative of three major periods of development for the community: the transition from a small mining camp to a permanent town during the late 1890s; expansion of the community through the 1910s; and a resurgence in prosperity after

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the World War II. For these reasons, it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion A. The Belt Commercial Historic District is eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C as an excellent and largely intact example of late 19th and early 20th century commercial architecture. The Farmers & Miners State Bank (70 Castner Street) exhibits elements of the Neoclassical, and thirteen other buildings are excellent examples of Western Commercial architecture common to rural communities in the American West. Four are built of native stone, while two have brick veneers to present a more modern and substantial appearance. All are minimally ornamented. They are good examples of non-architect designed buildings that have been little modified since their construction between 1896 and 1947. They represent the full gamut of popular architectural design from the peak years of 1896 to 1920 and the post-World War II commercial boom in Central Montana. The contributing buildings on Castner and Bridge Streets represent the transformation of Belt from a frontier mining community to a modern 20th century trade center.

Also see . . . Belt Commercial Historic District National Register Registration Form. (Submitted on May 6, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 195 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 6, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.