Pioneer in Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Milwaukee Depot

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024

1. Milwaukee Depot Marker

Inscription. From the 1880s to the 1950s, trains assured Butte's survival by transporting everything from passengers and mail to ore. This marvelous depot with its 95-foot clock tower was constructed in 1916 to serve passenger trains of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway or “Milwaukee Road.” The station consisted of a head house for passenger services and a baggage/express building connected by a glass vestibule. St. Louis pressed brick, marble floors and oak-and-burlap paneling added interior elegance to the 160 tons of structural steel used in the construction of the complex. Electrically powered engines brought no dirt, dust, or smoke into the station, earning it a reputation as a “model of cleanliness.” The depot ceased its original function when train travel diminished in the 1950s. Home of KXLF television since 1957, the depot was one of Butte's first major restoration projects in the 1970s. It is today an excellent example of preservation and adaptive reuse.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings •

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Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.

Location. 46° 0.038′ N, 112° 32.373′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It is in Pioneer. It is on South Montana Street (Business Interstate 15/90) just south of West 2nd Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, on the right side of the east/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1003 South Montana Street, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining 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 walking distance of this marker: St. Joseph's Catholic Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Emanuel Lutheran Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Virginia Apartments (approx. 0.7 miles away); Lynch Residence (approx. 0.7 miles away); St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory (approx. 0.7 miles away); St. Patrick's Catholic Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); 423-425 West Mercury (approx. 0.7 miles away); 431 West Mercury (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Butte.

Regarding Milwaukee Depot.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024

2. Milwaukee Depot Marker

The marker is mounted on the right side of the east/front entrance.

Contributing property, Butte-Anaconda Historic District, National Register of Historic Places #66000438.

From the National Register Nomination:
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Freight Depot was built in 1908 with the arrival of that railroad. The Mission Revival-style Milwaukee Depot [1919], with its prominent clock tower, was built 11 years later and dominates the southern reaches of the NHL. Designed by railroad architect A.O. Lagerstrom, the depot was the last historic addition to the warehouse row, employing twentieth-century technology with its riveted iron framework, and masonry-clad reinforced concrete. Staked mining claims and their continued use into the twentieth century excluded portions of land from residential development. Vacant land in the area was allocated to railroad right-of-way for warehouse and mining claim spurs. The rail yard functioned as an assembly and sorting point for train cars loaded with ore.

Also see . . . Milwaukee Depot, Butte (Montana National Register Sign Program). (Submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Milwaukee Depot (<i>southeast elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024

3. Milwaukee Depot (southeast elevation)

Milwaukee Depot (<i>east/front elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024

4. Milwaukee Depot (east/front elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.