The railroad grade you see before you was the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad, the precursor of the Great Northern Railway. In 1887, nearly 9,000 men constructed 550 miles of track across Montana's northern Great Plains between Minot and . . . — — Map (db m142486) HM
Homesteaders, travelers, and railroad crews helped the tiny town of Virgelle thrive during the 1910s. Town founder Virgil Blankenbaker chartered the Virgelle State Bank in 1917 where he, his brother-in-law John G. Chancellor, C. J. McNamara, and . . . — — Map (db m161664) HM
A small community, called Beebe, once existed in this remote, sparsely settled country. It owed its existence to A. J. Maxwell, owner of the Deadwood Stage Line. Maxwell established a stage station here where the Simonson-Patterson Cattle Company . . . — — Map (db m202900) HM
Real estate speculation abounded in the East Main district when carpenter Ernest Anderson built this lovely one- and-a-half-story bungalow in 1916. Its large front porch, supported by heavy, tapered columns, and its low- pitched roofs with . . . — — Map (db m164150) HM
The I. Orschel and Brothers clothing firm first located on this site in 1878 in a small wood-frame building. Following a disastrous fire that leveled much of the block, local businessmen formed a syndicate to build this four-part commercial building . . . — — Map (db m163978) HM
By late 1880s breeders in the Miles City area produced cow ponies, saddle horses, cavalry mounts, carriage horses, draft animals for farming and freighting, some polo ponies, and race horses.
In 1883, the Custer County Assessor estimated . . . — — Map (db m163879) HM
Cabinet and furniture makers also made caskets, and so the two businesses often went hand in hand. Furniture dealer James E. Graves purchased H. C. Plimpton’s long-established furniture and undertaking business in the 1920s. In 1929, Graves moved . . . — — Map (db m164118) HM
The Jackson Block’s spare façade bears witness to those watchwords of modern architecture, “form follows function.” The two-story building suggests ways that urban architectural trends were translated and adapted in small communities. Its main . . . — — Map (db m164044) HM
Complex rooflines and decorative details define this wood-frame residence. Particularly noteworthy are the ornamental bargeboards fastened to the roofline and the unique bull’s-eye pattern decorating the front gable. Other details include windows . . . — — Map (db m164095) HM
Sometimes called “labor’s aristocracy,” locomotive engineers were the highest paid workers on the railroad. That fact gave William Kelly, an engineer for the Milwaukee Road, the means to purchase this one-story home. In 1920 he lived here with his . . . — — Map (db m164172) HM
This popular gathering place, one of Miles City’s oldest established businesses, has been proclaimed by connoisseurs the perfect bar. Originally a saloon (1893), then a fine saddlery (1900-1907), businessman James Kenney purchased the property in . . . — — Map (db m163980) HM
The end of the 1880s witnessed development of Miles City’s north side, with expensive homes being built on generous tracts of land. As land became scarce, parcels were carved from spacious lawns and working families became the neighbors of prominent . . . — — Map (db m164090) HM
Built for C. N. and Louise E. Lukes in 1911, the home is also known as the Ed Love House. Lukes was cashier of the Commercial State Bank and after the deaths of C. N. and Louise in 1929, ownership passed to their daughter, Doris Lukes Love, and her . . . — — Map (db m164148) HM
The Main Street historic district reveals Miles City’s major growth periods of 1882-1887, 1905-1920, and 1935- 1940. The first of these began with the arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1881, when imposing brick business blocks began to replace the . . . — — Map (db m163979) HM
A low-pitched hipped roof, an asymmetrical open front porch with massive square porch supports, clean lines, and wide overhanging eaves mark the two-story Pope residence as a classic example of the Prairie style. Builder Thomas Burton clad the . . . — — Map (db m164117) HM
By the 1920s the horse industry was thriving in eastern Montana. "There were horses on every knoll and hill in sight." In the 1930s the Great Depression combined with drought drove people to abandon their farms and ranches, turning lose (sic) their . . . — — Map (db m163880) HM
Since the 1880s, Miles City has been the trade, service, and social center for Eastern Montana ranchers. After its famed McQueen House burned down, town booster Joseph Leighton built the Leighton, 1898-1899, which became an area landmark. Within a . . . — — Map (db m163974) HM
Armed with a degree from the Ontario Business College, Canadian-born Thomas Shore arrived in Miles City in 1896. He and former cowboy Wirt Newcom formed a partnership and opened a department store on Main Street in 1900. The store flourished, . . . — — Map (db m164174) HM
The elegance of this magnificent Neoclassical style mansion belies the humble roots of its first owner, George H. Ulmer, the Pennsylvania-born son of a German immigrant. Ulmer came to Miles City in 1883, and by 1889 partners George Miles and Charles . . . — — Map (db m164094) HM
Log cabins and canvas tents lined Miles City’s Main Street when Walrond Snell and William Ladd opened their crockery business in the late 1870s. Snell sold his interests in 1883, returning to his native England to marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth . . . — — Map (db m164173) HM
The settlement of Old Scobey relocated here from the Poplar River flats to greet the approaching Great Northern Railway branch line in 1913. By the time the first train arrived on Thanksgiving Day, the two-story Commercial Hotel—today the south . . . — — Map (db m202833) HM
This ancient trail extended from the Yellowstone River past this point to the Wood Mountains in southwestern Saskatchewan. It was used for generations by the Sioux and Assiniboine Indians in pursuit of buffalo and for trade with the Canadian tribes . . . — — Map (db m202831) HM
Contractor John Holm constructed this small two-story building for the Dion family in 1929 after he had remodeled the Dion Block on one side and built the J.C. Penney Building on the other. This final addition to the five-building Dion Block shares . . . — — Map (db m163465) HM
Rancher and banker Charles Krug came west from Ohio in 1878, searching for opportunity and a climate to relieve his sister Emma’s asthma. In 1881, he and Emma settled in Glendive where she was a seamstress and he worked for the railroad. Krug built . . . — — Map (db m163564) HM
"On our return we shal probably pass down the yellow stone river, which from Indian informations, waters one of the fairest portions of this continent." — Captain Meriwether Lewis, letter to President Thomas Jefferson, dated April . . . — — Map (db m202998) HM
Henry Dion built this brick building circa 1894 to expand his mercantile business. In 1908, he sold it to his two eldest sons, Harry N. and Fred. The brothers enlarged the original one-story building in 1910, adding a second story with apartments . . . — — Map (db m163802) HM
Fire swept through Glendive’s wood-frame businesses in January of 1886, destroying Henry Dion’s saloon and general merchandise, established on this corner in 1881. Dion constructed a kiln and built a more substantial fire- resistant brick building, . . . — — Map (db m163464) HM
Fancy arches and other fine detailing highlight the façade of this commercial building, constructed as an investment in 1905 by pioneer Henry Dion. The outer walls are of softer, locally produced “Glendive brick” while quality imported . . . — — Map (db m163803) HM
After the death of Glendive pioneer Henry Dion in 1920, his widow and children contracted with John Holm to construct this commercial building according to the specifications of the J.C. Penney Company. Built in 1929, the architecture is typical of . . . — — Map (db m163560) HM
Backed by the powerful San Francisco syndicate of Hearst, Haggin and Tevis, Marcus Daly built the world’s largest smelter (combined upper and lower works) on Warm Springs Creek between 1883 and 1889. Along with the smelters, Daly envisioned a . . . — — Map (db m183523) HM
Though altered over many years to look like three separate buildings, this early 1900s brick commercial block is actually one large building (extending to the corner of Oak). Originally divided by interior partition walls, the building hosted three . . . — — Map (db m183393) HM
Anaconda Copper Mining Company carpenter Daniel R. Beck built this small brick building in 1896. He lived in one half and rented out the other half. Beck was an early resident of Anaconda, arriving in 1883 when it was still a hodgepodge of shacks . . . — — Map (db m183458) HM
Copper king Marcus Daly selected a site for a smelter and town along Warm Springs Creek in 1883. Daly began construction of an immense smelter complex on the hill shortly before his death in 1900. Completed in 1902, the Washoe Smelter processed . . . — — Map (db m183615) HM
In June 1867, Alexander Aiken, John Person, and Jonas Stough located a rich gold quartz lode near here, the name commemorating the recent laying to the second transatlantic telegraph cable.
Like many fabulously rich mining properties in Montana, . . . — — Map (db m205447) HM
Austrian immigrant George Barich came to Anaconda from Butte in 1883 to work at the smelter. He later turned to commercial business and, in 1892, commissioned builders Daniel Dwyer and John Cosgrove to construct the first floor of this block. Barich . . . — — Map (db m183452) HM
It took millions of miles of copper to build the telegraph, telephone, and electrical lines that transformed the United States from a collection of small, isolated communities to a cohesive, industrialized nation. Looming gallows frames and the . . . — — Map (db m128116) HM
This building began as a one-story, wood-frame grocery store on Main Street in 1883. In 1885, owner David Cohen Sr. sided it with brick veneer, giving it a more permanent appearance. Soon after, a fire broke out, destroying nearly everything on the . . . — — Map (db m205706) HM
The fortunes of copper mining and smelting and associated enterprises were subject to the boom and bust cycles typical of metals-based industries. World and national events affected rapid fluctuation in the supply, demand, and price of copper. . . . — — Map (db m128134) HM
A heavy metal cornice, cast iron columns, and a metal frieze still embellish this building, constructed in 1895. Two cast-iron oriel windows once also graced the upper story. The Anaconda Company’s foundry produced the decorative metal front, a . . . — — Map (db m180973) HM
French immigrant and wealthy Deer Lodge Valley dairyman John Furst built this brick store and boardinghouse for $5,000 in 1895. Just steps away from Marcus Daly’s new bank and the fine Montana Hotel, the Furst Block fit in well amongst its . . . — — Map (db m183392) HM
Attracted by the opportunity to work at Marcus Daly's copper smelter, thousands of immigrants came seeking work in Anaconda. Many were from Ireland, like Daly himself, but skilled and unskilled workers also came from a myriad of foreign places. Most . . . — — Map (db m128123) HM
The Imperial Meat Market specialized in fresh meat, sausage, game, fish, and oysters when D. D. Walker and Israel Gibbs opened it in a wood-frame building on this lot in 1889. Shop foreman Albert Bourbonniere, in partnership with Big Hole Valley . . . — — Map (db m183451) HM
Until the arrival of large discount grocery chains after World War II, numerous grocery businesses thrived in Anaconda. Some merchants sold a vast array of goods, and others specialized in dry goods, produce, or meat. Many groceries catered to . . . — — Map (db m183453) HM
In 1876, an Irish immigrant working for a Salt Lake City mining company arrived in southwest Montana to appraise mining properties. His name was Marcus Daly, and as a result of good timing and a keen knowledge of the mining industry, he became . . . — — Map (db m128128) HM
Marcus Daly and W. L. Hoge founded Anaconda’s first bank in 1883. Hoge, Anaconda’s first mayor, sold his interest in the bank to Daly in 1895. The institution became the Marcus Daly & Company Bank and later, the First National Bank of Anaconda. . . . — — Map (db m180837) HM
Thomas Silha and sisters Mary Vollenweider and Margaret Morse hired architect Joseph White to design this commercial/residential building in 1911. The $20,000 brick building originally featured identical storefronts with glass display windows topped . . . — — Map (db m183391) HM
After building the St. Jean Block next door in 1893, Dr. Felix St. Jean again hired respected Anaconda mason John Cosgrove to build this annex building in 1897. Cosgrove, an old friend of Marcus Daly’s, also built the foundations of the Upper Works . . . — — Map (db m183525) HM
Between 1880 and 1920, large-scale development of copper mining and smelting in Butte and Anaconda spurred the growth of railroads and industrialization. This, in turn, attracted thousands of workers from across the country and around the world. . . . — — Map (db m128131) HM
Prosperous Deer Lodge Valley rancher George Parrot invested $13,000 to build the Parrot Block in 1896. The first story of this well-appointed Queen Anne style commercial and boardinghouse building originally featured tall, plate-glass display . . . — — Map (db m183394) HM
Wholesale liquor dealer John V. Collins commissioned this handsome Renaissance Revival style commercial and boardinghouse building in 1897. The store was home to several saloons during its first twenty years. Workers at Marcus Daly’s Anaconda . . . — — Map (db m180956) HM
On September 29, 1980, the Anaconda Minerals Company, which had merged with the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) three years earlier, announced the indefinite suspension of copper smelting in Anaconda and refining in Great Falls, Montana. The . . . — — Map (db m128127) HM
Contractor John Jacobson built this brick store and boardinghouse in 1915, during a time of rapid commercial and residential expansion in Anaconda. Downtown Anaconda property owners developed every square foot of their lots during this boom, . . . — — Map (db m183521) HM
Extracting pure copper from the ores mined in Butte was a complex process. First, the useless waste rock was separated from the valuable ore, and the high-grade material was separated from the low-grade material. Next, the lower-grade ore was . . . — — Map (db m128132) HM
Dr. Felix L. St. Jean and brick mason Joe Cosgrove commissioned local architect Herman Kemna to design this building in 1893. Though later owners remodeled the first-floor façade and renamed the building, the second story remains among the best . . . — — Map (db m183526) HM
The well-preserved Thorsen Brothers Grocery building is a classic example of an early-twentieth-century commercial building. The decorative brick parapet made the building look larger and offered ample room for signage, while tall display windows . . . — — Map (db m183455) HM
An architecturally impressive landmark and gateway to Anaconda’s east side, the Washoe Brewery symbolizes the private enterprise that flourished in this company town. The imposing Italian Renaissance-inspired brewery with its signature corner tower . . . — — Map (db m205886) HM
During the early years of smelting in Anaconda, each of the many furnaces at the Old Works required its own stack. Later the individual stacks were connected through flues to a large central stack.
When constructed in 1902, the first Washoe . . . — — Map (db m128130) HM
In October 1900, German tailors William Weiss and John Zilinsky invested in this commercial building. They paid an exorbitant $9,500 for three lots behind Marcus Daly’s bank, where they constructed the first story of this two-story building. Early . . . — — Map (db m183528) HM
Architect Jonathon Barlett designed this marvelous business block as an investment property for T. C. Davidson in 1896. Davidson, an Ohio native and Civil War veteran, came to Montana in 1879. In the early 1890s, Davidson moved from his nearby ranch . . . — — Map (db m183395) HM
The Empire Land Company constructed many of Judith Place’s most fashionable residences, including this one- and-one-half-story Craftsman style home circa 1914. Reflecting the Progressive Era’s emphasis on efficiency, the company adopted the . . . — — Map (db m143460) HM
In March of 1914, four hundred local business owners protested locating Lewistown’s new post office on this site, claiming that the call for bids was not properly advertised. Most favored housing the post office in the Masonic Temple building. . . . — — Map (db m143414) HM
Kent and Bell, designers of the Montana State Capitol, drew the plans for this Renaissance Revival/Beaux Arts- inspired building of sandstone and brick, completed in 1904. The bank was Lewistown’s first, founded in 1887 by S. S. Hobson, James H. . . . — — Map (db m143365) HM
Built around 1893, the Bon-Ton is one of four remaining pre-1900 masonry structures in the Central Business Historic District. The term bon-ton means “a good or elegant form or style; regarded as fashionably correct.” This structure is . . . — — Map (db m143410) HM
Welsh immigrant Archibald Hopkins settled in central Montana in the 1870s, where he raised produce for sale to local markets. Hopkins watched Lewistown grow from a small trading post to an established community before linking his fortunes to the . . . — — Map (db m143458) HM
Rubble stone construction with brick veneer became Main Street’s preferred design after 1909. The elegant façade of this business block is an early example of the newer style, constructed before 1911 when locally produced bricks became available. . . . — — Map (db m143459) HM
Two distinct buildings of different origins but with a shared purpose rest companionably side by side on this site today. Pioneer merchant Charles Lehman constructed the handsome stone segment in the 1890s as a rooming house for his unmarried male . . . — — Map (db m143507) HM
Rail transportation in the early twentieth century brought homesteaders to Fergus County and cemented Lewistown’s role as a regional commercial center. The General Brokerage Company of Grand Rapids, North Dakota, financed this stunning warehouse for . . . — — Map (db m143355) HM
The seven large residences that comprise Lewistown’s mansion, hence “silk stocking,” district were built during the city’s period of greatest prosperity, from 1904 to 1919. In this small neighborhood, central Montana’s major . . . — — Map (db m143504) HM
Constructed during the 1911 half-million-dollar Lewistown building boom, the $20,000 Mackey Building sits directly over Big Spring Creek. A blend of Romanesque and Classical Revival styles, the structure maintains much of its original façade, . . . — — Map (db m143360) HM
The beautiful blending of brick and handcut stone in this 1905 business block serves as a fine example of Lewistown’s distinctive architecture. Romanesque Revival arches, Renaissance Revival wall layering, and an Italianate cornice speak to the . . . — — Map (db m143413) HM
This elaborate six-story brick structure represents a visible sign of the stability and prosperity in Lewistown in 1916 and stands as the architectural anchor of the Central Business District. The construction of this mixed Neoclassical and Revival . . . — — Map (db m143364) HM
One of four remaining pre-1900 masonry structures in the 300 block of Main, this structure at 322 and 324 West Main Street originally housed a restaurant and drug store. “Prescriptions our Specialty” proclaimed an early advertisement for . . . — — Map (db m143411) HM
Possibly one of the first architect-designed stone buildings along Main Street, the Power Mercantile Building is the most visible example of Lewistown’s stone architecture. Merchant Francis Janeaux became indebted to supplier T. C. Power and lost . . . — — Map (db m143379) HM
Lewistown’s population tripled between 1900 and 1910 and the booming building trade attracted stonemasons and craftsmen, many of them Croatian immigrants, who settled here. The upper façade of this 1908 one-story commercial building, revealed during . . . — — Map (db m143363) HM
A man of vision and foresight, Austin W. Warr contributed to the financial development of early Lewistown. Warr established many of Lewistown’s founding companies, became a key figure in the development of Central Montana, and helped ensure the . . . — — Map (db m143356) HM
Austin W. Warr employed renowned architect John H. Kent—one of the architects for the Montana Capitol Building—to design the Warr Building. Warr organized the Lewistown Telephone Company in 1899. Upon completion of this new office . . . — — Map (db m143359) HM
The banner year of 1913 saw close to $1.5 million spent in Lewistown on construction. Two thirds of that sum went toward new, elegant business blocks. The city’s rapid growth—from approximately a thousand people in 1910 to over five thousand . . . — — Map (db m143412) HM
As Lewistown’s population doubled between 1910 and 1920, the community found itself short on living space. According to the paper, newcomers had difficulty procuring “even the most indifferent dwelling accommodations.” G. R. Wiedeman . . . — — Map (db m143455) HM
Essex, with its multi-tracked train yard, owes its existence to the Great Northern Railway. The steep grade on the west side of Marias Pass necessitated a train yard sufficient in size to allow "helper engines" to idle and wait for the heavy . . . — — Map (db m161117) HM
This ingenious 4.5 ton, 8-foot diameter ball was used in 1950 for clearing operations on 6,207 acres in the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Two contractors, S.L. (Red) Wixson, and John H. Trisdale, developed it.
The ball was dragged at the end of . . . — — Map (db m102199) HM
Two husky freight horses, Tex and Terry, working in the rugged wilderness of the Flathead River’s South Fork area, wandered away from their sleigh during the severe winter of 1900-1901.
After struggling for a month in belly-deep snow, they were . . . — — Map (db m102201) HM
Architect Marion Riffo demonstrated a flair for the dramatic in this grand residence, built in 1910 for State Lumber Company manager David Barber. The home features tall prominent chimneys against a steep, side-gabled roof, which capture the . . . — — Map (db m160210) HM
Kalispell carpenter Cassius McCarty, property owner from 1909 to 1911, most likely built this vernacular style residence with Craftsman style details. Shortly after construction newlyweds Herbert and Kate Alward moved into the new home. An . . . — — Map (db m160791) HM
Flathead County High School principal Gilbert Ketcham was the first owner of this Craftsman style home built in 1908. As principal from 1902 to 1911, Ketcham was a well-rounded educator who loved being in the classroom. He was called upon to teach . . . — — Map (db m160271) HM
Carpenter Elmer Bader came to Kalispell from Wisconsin in 1891 to practice his trade. The energetic bachelor purchased two corner lots for $1,000 in 1895 and built two modest residences, one at 521 1st Street West and one at 36 5th Avenue West. In . . . — — Map (db m160666) HM
There were two businesses devoted to automobile repair in Kalispell in 1909, and seven blacksmiths. By 1915, the ratio was almost reversed. Mort Fuller and Harry Jones worked here in one of Kalispell’s three remaining blacksmith shops, while seven . . . — — Map (db m160659) HM
In 1894, the two-year-old Brewery Saloon—then a one-story, twenty-five-by-sixty-foot building—served Kalispell draft beer for five cents a glass. Lunch was free. One of Main Street’s first brick buildings, the saloon featured an oak and mahogany . . . — — Map (db m160658) HM
There were very few homes in the neighborhood when the Reverend O. W. Mintzer built this cross-gabled Queen Anne style landmark in 1894. Although brick was readily available, its wood construction illustrates the local preference of the period. . . . — — Map (db m160329) HM
District court judge David Smith and his wife Hattie lived in a small wooden home here in 1900. That original house was demolished by 1910 and replaced about ten years later with this stylish cottage. Designed following an H-shaped plan, the . . . — — Map (db m160337) HM
Pioneer merchant James Conlon commissioned architect Joseph B. Gibson to design this stunning Georgian Revival style home in 1914. The home was built for Conlon’s wife, Mary. J. F. Simmonds was the contractor. The high style and fine details are . . . — — Map (db m160332) HM
The Mansion was built in 1895 as the home of Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Conrad. E.C. Conrad was a prominent Missouri River freighter, trader and pioneer during the Gold Rush and Indian Wars and later founded the city of Kalispell. The mansion has 23 . . . — — Map (db m160125) HM
Newlyweds Kokoa Baldwin, daughter of Kalispell attorney Marcus Baldwin, and Charles D. Conrad, son of the wealthy Charles E. Conrad, built and settled in this three-story wood-frame home in 1907. The comfortable front- gabled residence with its . . . — — Map (db m160145) HM
Newlyweds Kokoa Baldwin, daughter of Kalispell attorney Marcus Baldwin, and Charles D. Conrad, son of the wealthy Charles E. Conrad, settled in this three-story wood-frame home in 1907. The comfortable front- gabled residence with its combination . . . — — Map (db m160151) HM
“New Buildings Show Upward Swing of City,” crowed the Flathead Monitor in April 1936. Charles Cyr contributed to the optimistic outlook by constructing this “modern one-story building, 50 by 100 feet.” Cyr spent approximately . . . — — Map (db m160652) HM
Alonzo J. Dean turned to real estate investment after his retirement as longtime manager of Kalispell’s J.C. Penney store in 1927. In 1928, Dean purchased the elegant Charles Conrad stable complex that originally stood on Woodland Avenue. The barn . . . — — Map (db m160120) HM
A small one-story dwelling stood on this lot in 1894, just three years after Great Northern Railroad officials founded Kalispell. Builders may have incorporated the original wooden house into the current gable-front-and- wing residence, built by . . . — — Map (db m160330) HM
Kalispell architect Fred Brinkman added character to the town’s built environment, designing everything from modest dwellings to grand residences and civic buildings. He wrote that “… man has built his hopes, dreams and ideals into the . . . — — Map (db m160123) HM
The Craftsman bungalow was brand new to Kalispell when Edward Gay built this beautifully finished home, a classic example of the style, in 1907. The Kalispell Journal reported that among the town’s new homes, the nearly completed Gay residence was . . . — — Map (db m160719) HM
Kalispell architect Fred Brinkman designed this one-of-a-kind neighborhood landmark early in his career in 1924. Known for unique designs, Brinkman’s creativity is particularly evident here in the picturesque lattice used as architectural ornament. . . . — — Map (db m161029) HM
An eclectic blend of periods and styles characterizes the historic streetscapes of Kalispell’s East Side. This home is a charming example of a mixed house form with Tudor style details, very fashionable during the 1920s and 1930s. Frank W. Cole drew . . . — — Map (db m160268) HM
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