Along the Zimmerman Trail
The original Zimmerman Trail was built during the summers of 1890 and 1891 by the brothers Joseph and Frank Zimmerman, born in Fellering, (Alsace-Lorraine) Germany. Joseph immigrated to the United States in 1872; two years later, upon enlisting in the U.S. Cavalary, his duty brought him to Montana. In 1874, Frank followed his brother to Montana where he worked for the railroad until 1883. Frank briefly returned to Alsace-Lorraine, then came back to the United States in 1885 to farm in Flint, Michigan. In 1883, after leaving the army, Joseph started a clothing store in Billings, just one mile west of Coulson.
Several years later, he bought three sections of land west of Billings and started a sheep feeding business. His ranch was located both on the bottom and the top of the rimrocks. Because it required a 32-mile round trip from his home to Boot Hill Cemetery and back to a natural spring on Alkali Creek, Joseph sought a shorter route to move his bands of sheep from his homestead to the spring located atop the rimrocks. In 1890, Joseph brought his brother Frank back to Montana to manage his ranch and to help build the original Zimmerman Trail. Both brothers lived out their lives in the Billings area.
The original Zimmerman Trail passed 2-1/2 miles north of present-day Highway 3 to the spring located on the forks of the
North and South Alkali Creeks. A miner named Thompson did the blasting while the grading was done with a two-handled scraper that could hold only one yard of dirt. Still, with just the three men and two mules, the entire trail was completed by the end of the second summer.In 1938, the Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions service clubs, and a campaign committee headed by Mearl L. Fagg, Grover C. Cisel, Frank G. Connelly, and Chandler C. Cohagen, donated the $750 required to purchase the tract of land (Zimmerman Park) and the right-of-way for the road down the rimrocks known as the "Zimmerman Trail." These properties were subsequently deeded to Yellowstone County.
Although completed in 1891, the original Zimmerman Trail was never used by common stagecoach carriers of that era. Is is speculated that the photograph shown below, which is the only known photograph of the original trail, is of dignitaries being given one of the few rides ever taken up the trail in a stagecoach.
A WPA allotment of $95,252 for equipment and labor was augmented by $23,388 from Yellowstone County for the construction and rerouting of the original Zimmerman Trail. This new trail would require over 150 men working nearly four months to complete the project. The current Zimmerman Trail was finally paved in the 1940s.
Erected 2005 by The Dedication and
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 45° 48.336′ N, 108° 36.29′ W. Marker is near Billings, Montana, in Yellowstone County. It is in Rimrock. Marker is on U.S. 3, ¼ mile west of U.S. Highway 3 and Zimmerman Trail, on the left when traveling west. Hike improved path from parking lot about 200-feet to sign. Wheelchair accessible. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Billings MT 59102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Theodore Roosevelt's Last Speech (approx. 2½ miles away); Arnold Graf House (approx. 3½ miles away); McMullen Hall (approx. 4.1 miles away); 1145 North 32 Street (approx. 4.1 miles away); 1131 North 32 Street (approx. 4.2 miles away); 1147 North 31 Street (approx. 4.2 miles away); 1111 North 32 Street (approx. 4.2 miles away); 1143 North 31 Street (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Billings.
More about this marker. Photo captions:
The original Zimmerman Trail, circa 1920s.
Workers building the new Trail, 1939.
Additional keywords. Wayne Bromenshenk, Kevin Bromenshenk
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2010, by Rich Pfingsten of Forest Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 4,756 times since then and 112 times this year. Last updated on April 3, 2021, by Kirstie Bromenshenk of Billings, Montana. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 25, 2010, by Rich Pfingsten of Forest Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.