Founded in 1890 against the backdrop of the lush Bitterroot Valley, the town of Hamilton's history revolves around timber, the railroad, and agriculture. Hamilton owes its early history to copper baron Marcus Daly, whose Anaconda Company sawmill and private Bitter Root Stock Farm dominated the community through the late nineteenth century. The drama of the twentieth-century apple boom and the saga of the battle to cure Rocky Mountain tick fever enrich the town's more recent past. Drawing the reader into the historical mosaic that is Hamilton, Montana, with architectural and historical information on town and valley history, buildings and historic sites, this guide is a treat for all those who would explore "the jewel of the Bitterroot."
In the Geographic Center of Montana sits Lewsitown, whose rich history is still reflected in today's streets. A testament to the homesteading boom at the turn of the century, Lewistown grew with the surrounding communities. A service center, rail stop, and county seat, its population tripled between 1900 and 1910, then doubled again by 1920. It was not to last. Drought and agricultural depression drove thousands of homesteaders from the land in the 1920s and 1930s; Lewistown's boom had ended. But preserved from that heady period of expansion are the exceptionally crafted business blocks, homes, churches, often built of 'Lewistown red' brick or local sandstone. This architectural heritage awaits your discovery, on the streets of Lewistown and through this lively guide.
The sixth volume in the Montana Mainstreet series, A Guide to Historic Missoula points readers to the buildings, historic sites, and parks that act as monuments to Missoula's--and Montana's--history.
Founded in 1891 as a railroad town for the transcontinental Great Northern Railway, Kalispell, Montana, faced bitter disappointment when the railroad relocated its route to the north in 1904. Most towns suffering similar fates fell into decline - but not Kalispell, which had become Flathead County seat in 1894. Situated in the majestic Northern Rockies, the town thrived as the region's trade center and later became a gateway to Glacier National Park. As Kalispell grew and prospered, its streetscapes matured, and the town's historic center remains a vibrant part of the community. Discover Kalipsell's rich history and architectural heritage through this lively guide. (6 x 9, 84 pages, b&w photos, illustrations, maps)
The gold-rush-era town of Virginia City, recently purchased by the State of Montana to preserve for posterity, makes a fitting first subject for the Montana Mainstreet series. Once it was Montana's acting territorial capital and the center of trade for Alder Gulch, the site of the richest placer mines in the world, but Virginia City became a town almost frozen in time once gold deposits played out and the state capital moved to Helena in 1889. Today, Virginia City attracts visitors from all over the world, who marvel at its intact architecture. If walking down Virginia City's streets is like a trip backwards in time, the road map for that journey is Guide to Historic Virginia City.
Bozeman has been home to many pasts. Founded in the 1860s, the town has grown from a frontier farming settlement to a bustling city and center of academic excellence. This guide tells the stories of the places and people that built Bozeman and the efforts to preserve the town's colorful history.
Based on the memoir of Stephen Norton Van Blaricom, An Uncommon Journey details the origins of Dawson County, Montana, in the late 1800s. The oldest of nine children, Van Blaricom left home at the age of thirteen and worked for many of northeastern Montana's earliest ranches. After working for the Northern Pacific Railroad, he married Maud Griselle, one of the first female telegraphers for the Northern Pacific. More than a family history, An Uncommon Journey tells the personal stories of many of the first settlers of this last West: buffalo hunters, cattlemen, train drivers, early tradesmen, saloonkeepers, scallywags, and lawmen. This is the story of many of the long-forgotten first settlers of old Dawson County and how they met the challenges of a country that was then primitive and remote at its best and deadly at its worst. For all of them it was, indeed, An Uncommon Journey.
Montana offers a wealth of outdoor fun for the active traveler, from skiing and snowmobiling to fly fishing and horseback riding. With stunning scenery and colorful history, the state is one of the most appealing in the US. And the best part: it's rarely crowded!