Forsyth

By 1897, a single-story home stood on this site. Owners had added a wing and two porches by 1910, but by 1920 that house had been replaced with this one-story bungalow. The full-length front porch tucked beneath the roof, exposed rafter tails, and decorative wooden brackets on both home and garage all suggest Craftsman style influence. When railroad conductor William Moore and his wife, Ruth, purchased the home in 1918, it was worth more than $2,500. Four years later, the couple sold it to Northern Pacific yardman Fred Gardkey, who rented it to various tenants. Among them was Burt Clark, a self-proclaimed “finger print expert.” In 1928, Fred and his wife, Bessie, died of pneumonia within days of each other. Fred did not have a will, and his estate was tied up in court until 1936. That year, roundhouse foreman T. E. Beals and his wife, Ella, purchased the home for $675—much less than its $1,250 appraised value. They continued to own and presumably rent out the residence until Ella sold the property in 1946.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

At the turn of the twentieth century, inviting porches fronted many houses in Forsyth. Built before 1910 on a prominent corner lot, this hipped-roof home retains its full-length porch, supported by Doric columns. As with many early-twentieth-century homes, the kitchen, located at the back of the house, was placed under a separate roof. This design provided some protection for living and sleeping rooms in case of a kitchen fire. The one-story residence became home to John and Mabel Hefferin and their children by 1912. When the Hefferins purchased the home, it sat across the street from the Methodist Episcopal Church and parsonage. A leading voice for Prohibition, the church was a potentially awkward neighbor for John, a successful Main Street saloonkeeper. Montanans voted to outlaw alcohol in 1916 with the support of 64 percent of Rosebud County voters. Prohibition went into effect December 31, 1918, and John converted his saloon into a “club,” still operating in 1920. The family had moved on by 1923. That year, stenographer Alice Files, her father John, and her younger sister Margaret made their home here.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

Early pioneers Thomas and Mary Alexander owned large swaths of land in and around Forsyth, including most of this block, which they subdivided into lots. They sold this tract to Edward Jones in 1903, who likely built this asymmetrical two-story residence soon after. Builders like Jones had begun to turn away from Victorian excess after the turn of the century. Although this home features a number of Queen Anne elements—multiple roof faces, an octagonal bay, and decorative spindlework—it is less ornate than earlier examples of the style. Edwin and Isobel Katzenstein rented the home in 1912. Edwin, known affectionately as “Katzie,” was proprietor of the Forsyth News Co., a community institution. John and Mabel Hefferin lived here with their family in 1914. John was co-owner of a Main Street saloon. That the Hefferins lived in this elegant home on a prestigious corner lot reflected the family’s rising fortunes. The Twelfth Avenue residence was certainly quieter and more comfortable than their earlier accommodations on Main Street.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

A single-story octagonal cutaway bay with prominent wooden brackets and a multi-sided screen porch mark the street façade of this T-shaped, two-story home. An excellent example of vernacular Queen Anne style architecture, the home displays much historic detail common to the form: irregular angles, cutaway bays, decorative multi-paned windows, wooden bracketing, a large porch, and a flared roofline. Inside the home, many of the corners are convex rather than the traditional 90 degrees. According to papers found tucked inside the home’s walls for safekeeping, the house was built in 1897. However, it was not moved to this lot until circa 1909. Robert Lane, who owned a sheep ranch near Big Porcupine, lived here with his wife, Dora, and their three children from 1909 to 1914. Rosebud County rancher Charles Straw and his wife, Mabel, owned the home between 1914 and 1918. Both the Lanes and the Straws left Rosebud County before 1920, likely due to the extended drought, which made it difficult to make a living from the land.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Northern Pacific conductor Frank Runyan and his wife, Nellie, built this one-story bungalow in 1914. County jailor Dick Wright and his wife, Edith, lived here from 1919 to 1923. A. J. and Ina Freeman owned the home in 1940. A. J. was justice of the peace; Ina helped found the Forsyth library and served as its first librarian. Before dentist Craig Phillips and his wife, Julia, purchased the residence in 1942, the house had been used as a duplex. One family lived in the daylight basement and the other on the main floor. Both families shared a single bathroom by the basement stairs. A community-minded dentist, Craig served on the school board, the hospital board, and as a church trustee. His business records show that he charged the same rates from 1934, when he opened his Forsyth practice, until his death in 1966. After Craig died, Julia worked for twenty-one years as secretary of the Federated Church. She lived here full time until 1990 and then in the summers until her death in 2000.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Standing just outside the original town site, this two-story home is believed to be one of the first residences constructed so close to the Yellowstone River. It was a dangerous place to build since despite early dikes, the river was still prone to floods. The concrete block foundation of this wooden home dates its construction to around 1906, after local mason Carson Conn had begun manufacturing the “pressed stone building material,” which he “guaranteed against frost and dampness.” Although several local buildings used the material in their foundations, only two Forsyth homes prominently feature the decorative concrete blocks. These were built by E. A. Richardson, founder of the Richardson Mercantile, and his nephew and employee E. A. Cornwell. Hal Withington, who is believed to have built this home, may well have learned about the technology from them. He worked with both men as manager of the Richardson Mercantile’s grocery department.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

In 1882, pioneer Thomas Alexander traded a parcel of land to the Northern Pacific in exchange for other property nearby. Alexander’s farm became the town of Forsyth and Alexander became an important local merchant and real estate developer. Among his other ventures, he constructed four brick buildings on Main Street’s 900 block. In 1897, he rented this one to a hardware and saddlery shop; construction of the second floor, which features a cornice decorated with a row of short pilasters, was still underway. In 1902 Alexander sold the western commercial style building to Peter Droese, who operated a drugstore here until 1933. Droese helped found Forsyth’s telephone service in 1900 and, despite being a man, worked as its first “Hello Girl.” In the teens, Droese stuccoed the building’s exterior, which perhaps had suffered damage when the nearby American Hotel burned in 1912. In 1933, Ike Blakesley and Jack Mason converted the drugstore into “Club Cigar,” later known as Blakesley’s. Ike’s son Glen continued to operate the popular bar and lunch room into the 1980s.

Erected by Montana

Historical Society.

A large central dormer and an inset front porch distinguish this Craftsman style residence. Businessman and real estate developer Winnie Dowlin likely had the home constructed circa 1910 along with the two houses immediately to the south for rental and resale. By 1914, the side-gabled, one-and-one-half-story residence had become home to the "Bachelors Club," an upscale boarding house for professional gentlemen. Housekeeper Alice A. Coleman created a comfortable, homelike atmosphere for the residents, who included dentist Mark Baker and the legendary Charles L. Crum. One of the most prominent victims of the anti-German hysteria that flourished during World War I, Crum served as judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District from 1912 to 1918. That year the Montana state senate impeached him as punishment for his outspoken anti-war views. Over seventy years later, the state senate reconsidered his case. With a (sic) unanimous vote of 46-0, it passed a resolution exonerating Crum in a "re-avowal of the principles of free speech and . . . desire to right a historical wrong.

Erected by Montana Historical Society

.

Arrival of the Milwaukee railroad and the masses of homesteaders who followed in its wake meant land-office business for Forsyth. As Rosebud County seat, Forsyth provided plenty of work for lawyers like Henry Beeman, who opened a title abstract company in 1911. The following year, he and his wife, Maude, erected this Craftsman style home a half block from the county courthouse where Henry conducted much of his business. The one-and- one-half-story residence boasts many classic Craftsman style features, including a front gable dormer, exposed rafter tails, and decorative roof brackets, while an inset front porch and polygonal side bay window enhance the façade. In the 1920s, the Beemans, who had two children, let rooms to unmarried schoolteachers. Before becoming a lawyer, Henry served as Forsyth’s first superintendent of schools. Both Henry and Maude were active in the community. Henry served as county attorney for eight years and city attorney and clerk for thirty years, while Maude was a charter member of the Forsyth Woman’s Club. After Maude’s death in 1958, Henry continued to live here until 1963.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

“The three Longley cottages in the eastern part of the city have been completed and are ready for occupancy,” announced the Forsyth Times in November 1901. Two of those cottages were almost certainly this hipped-roof residence and its twin next door, both owned by M. Longley. The homes are typical of Forsyth’s turn-of-the- century masonry residences, most of which have since been covered with stucco. Mass production of decorative details allowed even modest houses to partake of architectural fashion. In the case of these two homes, the fish scale shingles ornamenting their front gable ends and the turned wooden posts supporting the gabled porch roofs visually reference the popular Queen Anne style. In 1914, real estate salesman Arthur Bland lived here with his wife, Maude, and their daughter, Marvel. The public administrator for Rosebud County from 1913 to 1928, Bland had to scramble to make a living after the homestead boom dried up; by 1920, he was working for the railroad as a brakeman. In 1928, the Blands moved to Billings, where Arthur once again sold real estate.

Erected by Montana

Historical Society.

The Northern Pacific Railroad was the lifeblood of many small Montana towns like Forsyth, which was founded in 1882 to serve as an operations base for rail crews. Since unmarried men filled most railroad positions, towns like Forsyth had need of inexpensive, basic housing facilities. Originally the railroad provided housing for its Forsyth workers, but when the “section house” burned in 1902, the railroad did not replace it. Gustaf “Gus” Swanland built this rooming house in 1912 to fill a need for housing. He lived here himself along with his single tenants, many of whom were Northern Pacific employees. Although advertised as the Swanland Hotel, the building was commonly known as the “Blue Front” because of its bright blue paint. Boarding houses were usually residential in appearance but Swanland’s narrow lot and location in the business district dictated a more commercial look. A 1905 city ordinance required fire-resistant brick construction, and, like its neighbors, the vernacular Italianate style façade was enhanced with a layer of light-colored brick veneer. A bracketed wooden cornice and pediment soften the rather austere, utilitarian image. The Blue Front’s interior, which survives almost intact, provides a fascinating glimpse into turn-of-the-twentieth-century accommodations. Both stories reflect typical boardinghouse living arrangements with small, wall-papered rooms opening onto a central hallway. The Spartan sleeping room had little space, not even closets, but the Blue Front’s common kitchen, parlor, and dining room offered a more homelike atmosphere.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

On May 8, 1882, the first train rumbled through Forsyth, and the growing town soon became home to many Northern Pacific Railway workers. Among them were locomotive engineers, whose skills were in high demand, particularly in the West during the heady days of railroad expansion. The Forsyth engineers operated their steam- powered locomotives to the crew change point of Billings (and later Laurel). By September 1882, enough engineers had moved to Forsyth to form Division 195 of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), the United States’ first railroad union. Founded in Detroit in 1863, the BLE generally avoided strikes in favor of negotiations; it became a pioneer in collective bargaining and a strong lobby for railroad safety. BLE Division 195 built this meeting hall in 1886 with labor and funds donated by its members. Constructed of logs, the hall was later sided and eventually stuccoed. The building contains a small vestibule, a closet, and a single meeting room that still boasts its original wood floor, baseboards, and chair rails. From 1886 to 1899, the engineers leased the land on which the hall stands from the Northern Pacific Railway; in 1899 they purchased the lot when the railroad sold the land to a townsite company, creating Forsyth’s NP Addition. Many organizations used the BLE Hall for meetings, dances, and family gatherings, and one early Forsyth congregation worshipped here until it could build its own church. One of the best surviving examples of Forsyth’s early architecture, it is still occasionally used by the BLE.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Sunrays filtering through a window apparently ignited straw packing in the basement of the J. E. Choisser Wholesale Liquor Company in July 1917. Bottles of liquor burst in the flames, fueling a fire that ultimately gutted the two-story building. Self-made entrepreneur Joseph Choisser built the original business block in 1908 for approximately $30,000. The post office shared one of the storefronts with a newsstand from 1910 to 1968. A women’s clothing store was also a long-term tenant. The manager of the Alexander Hotel, Choisser used the second floor as a hotel annex. A pedestrian overpass connected the two buildings. After the fire, Choisser hired Billings architect Curtis Oehme to renovate and add a third story to the property. The original 1908 pediment, inscribed “J. E. Choisser,” tops the three-story building, one of only two in Forsyth. Oehme’s design included a central, open light well to draw sunlight and fresh air into each hotel guestroom. Today, the building—remodeled again in the 1980s—remains a hotel frequented primarily by railroad crews laying over in Forsyth.

Erected by Montana Historical

Society.

Decorative brickwork marks this impressive hotel designed by Montana architects Link and Haire. A vivid diamond pattern of light and dark brick provides a decorative band below the cornice, while raised brickwork divides the building vertically. A smooth belt line separates the street façade from the upper levels. In this, it mirrors traditional Renaissance Revival design, which organized large buildings into horizontal layers, with each floor becoming increasingly more refined. Rusticated stone was often used to make the first floor seem rougher than the upper levels, an effect simulated here through brickwork. Owned by pioneer entrepreneur Hiram Marcyes, the hotel was built in stages from 1903 to 1906. Marcyes, who owned a brickyard south of town, had earlier built Forsyth’s first brick business block as well as several other properties. A 1905 newspaper article gave Marcyes “credit for constructing not only the most [buildings], but the largest building in the city”—the new Commercial Hotel. The hotel, it said, was “the result of much personal effort,” Marcyes “having been carpenter, mason, and painter

. . . at different times.”

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

“E. A. Cornwell, the popular Forsyth merchant and banker, will move this week into the first cement block house ever built in Forsyth,” reported the Forsyth Times on October 3, 1907. “It is fitted with steam throughout, electric lighted, and modern in every convenience.” Relatively new technology in 1907, cement blocks cost less than wood or stone, came in a variety of finishes, and were easier to lay than brick. According to local mason and cement block manufacturer Carson Conn, the material was “the warmest in winter; the coolest in summer. Guaranteed against frost and dampness.” Nevertheless, in Forsyth the material was mainly used for foundations. In fact, Forsyth’s only other cement block home was that of prominent merchant E. A. Richardson, Cornwell’s uncle and employer. Clearly a fan of the new technology, Richardson owned the land on which this house was built and may have had some say in the home’s design. In 1909, Richardson transferred the title to Cornwell, who lived here with his wife, Edith, into the 1920s.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Cast concrete block was an exciting new technology in the 1900s. While critics labeled it “cheap and vulgar,” builders and homeowners embraced it as a “substantial and beautiful substitute for stone.” Durable, affordable, and simple to manufacture, the material—virtually unheard of in 1900—was widely used by 1906, when Forsyth mason Carson Conn began producing concrete blocks in a variety of finishes. Nationally, cast concrete brought architectural ornamentation within financial reach of the masses. In Forsyth, however, this elegant “free classic” Queen Anne house is one of the few to feature the decorative substitute. In typical Queen Anne style, the 1908 home boasts a variety of surface shapes and textures, while its classical front porch columns and hipped roof suggest a Colonial Revival influence. E. A. and Lillian Richardson, for whom the house was built, moved to Forsyth from Crow Agency in 1907 to take advantage of the booming homestead economy. Richardson first opened his Forsyth store in 1903; under his watchful eye, it grew into the city’s largest department store.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

Distinctive pointed-arched, Gothic style windows and a decorative three-story square tower, tucked in the L of the cross-gable, originally distinguished this unique residence, constructed between 1896 and 1903. In March 1903, John and Julia Edwards purchased the home, where they lived with their children into the 1920s. The Edwardses remodeled the residence, removing the tower and replacing the Gothic windows by 1910. The outline of the doorway to the cupola is still visible in an upstairs bedroom. By 1920, the Edwards had also expanded the living room and added an attached garage with a bedroom and sun porch above. John Edwards arrived in Montana in 1890 as foreman of a cross country cattle drive. He and his family moved to Forsyth in 1902, where he became president of the Bank of Commerce, vice president of Richardson Mercantile, and served as state senator. Despite remarkable business and political success, he ultimately lost his fortune. He died almost destitute in 1925. The house suffered neglect in later years but recent owners repaired the residence, including restoring the original hardwood floors.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

In 1901, prosperous rancher Thomas Hammond built “a fine residence in Forsyth ... one of the architectural adornments of the city.” He and his wife, Adelaide, and their four children used the home as a town house until 1905. That year they sold the two-story, four-square residence to Fred and Jemima Collins. A prominent lawyer and real estate developer, Fred later made a fortune in coal and oil near Roundup. By 1910, the Collinses had added a one-story back addition and remodeled the front porch to create a jutting, prominent entryway. They changed the porch a second time before 1920 to feature a screened second-floor sleeping room and balustrade atop the second story. Decorative leaded glass, original fixtures, and a secret room behind the second-floor bathroom add interest to the home’s interior, as does a fireplace lined with river rocks. Local sources say that Jemima Collins collected the rocks herself, and that before bringing them inside, she placed them in a fire in the backyard to make sure they could stand the heat of a fireplace.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

When an overheated furnace set fire to the First Presbyterian Church in December 1919, the congregation lost everything but the Prairie style manse built next door in 1910. While church members temporarily held services in the Masonic Hall, news of the fire and pleas for help rebuilding spread through the national Presbyterian press. Among those who responded was an unnamed benefactress from Illinois, a member of Chicago’s distinguished Fourth Presbyterian Church. Because she admired her own church building, the benefactress hired Howard Van Doren Shaw, a Chicago architect associated with Fourth Presbyterian, to design a new church for Forsyth. Shaw’s design, as adapted by Montana architects McIver and Cohagen, echoed on a much smaller scale the basic lines of the prestigious Chicago church. The result: this beautiful single-story yellow brick building with a tall gabled clerestory flanked by three small cross gables. Its simplified Gothic style details include buttressed walls and a prominent pointed-arch entranceway. Although church trustees originally estimated reconstruction would cost $30,000 to $35,000, Shaw’s design was more ambitious than they expected, and more than the small congregation, hit hard by the declining homesteading economy, could afford—even with substantial national support. Compromises were made; for example, many of the church’s rectangular windows lie beneath window arches originally intended to frame dramatic stained glass, and some of the interior detailing remained uncompleted until the 1970s. In 1950, Forsyth’s Presbyterians and Methodists joined together to form the Federated Church; the united congregation continues to meet in this downtown landmark.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Although heavy rain disrupted the celebrations, it couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm Forsyth residents felt for their new bridge, dedicated on July 4, 1905. Prior to the bridge’s construction, Rosebud County residents had to ford the Yellowstone River in low water or depend on an irregular ferry service; the nearest bridge was forty-five miles downstream at Miles City. Rosebud County commissioned William S. Hewett and Co. to construct this pin- connected Pennsylvania through-truss bridge for $53,200. One of Montana’s most prolific bridge builders, Hewett was responsible for the construction of at least fifteen Montana bridges in and around the Yellowstone Valley between 1897 and 1906. Construction began on December 22, 1904. The crew poured the massive concrete piers before assembling the large steel components, fabricated in the east and shipped to Forsyth by rail. Warming weather and spring flooding sometimes forced the bridge crew to work chest deep in cold water. Nevertheless, construction was completed ahead of schedule. Providing convenient access to the county seat and the Northern Pacific terminal, the bridge saw a marked increase in traffic after construction of the Milwaukee railroad brought homesteaders to north Rosebud County. Originally three spans in length, the southern span crossed the primary river channel; the two northern spans crossed the flood plains. When the bridge was closed in 1958, replaced by a concrete bridge several hundred yards upstream, two of its three spans were salvaged for scrap metal. The southernmost span remains, an example of the tremendous public investment in infrastructure that accompanied the homesteading boom.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Captain William Clark trekked through this area on his journey down the Yellowstone River in 1806. By the time General George Armstrong Custer passed by en route to the Little Bighorn in 1876, homesteads dotted the area. As the Northern Pacific Railroad pushed west in 1882, officials platted the town of Forsyth to serve its crews. They planned the town with a one-sided Main Street facing the railroad right-of-way. Growth at first was tentative with businesses clustered around the principal intersection at Main and Ninth Streets. Early urban development resulted from the efforts of Hiram Marcyes and Thomas Alexander, rival businessmen who controlled much of Forsyth’s early economy. As the railroad attracted a more diverse population that included doctors, lawyers, merchants, and service providers, Forsyth became a regional trade and social center. In 1901 Rosebud County was established with Forsyth as the county seat. Main Street expanded rapidly during the homestead boom of the 1910s. Although drought and depression in 1918 halted most development, Forsyth’s importance as a local trade center was undiminished. Today twenty-four buildings span the period 1888-1931, offering small-town ambiance. The Marcyes Building and the Alexander Hotel, built by the town’s two rivals, represent the early period. Several fine architect-designed blocks from the twentieth century also enrich the streetscape. The Renaissance Revival style Commercial Hotel (1903–6), the Beaux Arts style Wacholz Building (1917), and the Spanish Eclectic Roxy Theatre (1930) illustrate the vitality of this small but thriving community.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Founded for the railroad, Forsyth’s residential neighborhoods were platted in 1882 but much of the land lay undeveloped until the 1900s. Forsyth’s first-generation homes were simple dwellings rapidly constructed of wood or log to serve the immediate needs of the railroad workers who were Forsyth’s first residents. The historic district northeast of the commercial area was home to many of these. By the 1890s, however, the railroad crews had moved on, the population had become more diverse, and the town was more settled. The landmark vernacular Gothic style Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1890, represents this earliest period of permanent development. A few carpenter-built American foursquare and gable-front-and-wing cottages survive from the 1890s. These dwellings follow the national folk housing trends of the era. Builders and owners added distinctive details such as bay windows, small dormers, and porches, lending each home a distinct personality. As Forsyth residents prospered, fashionable Queen Anne style residences began to lend prestige to the neighborhood. After 1901, domestic building styles became more varied when pattern books made the latest architectural plans widely available. Forsyth enjoyed rapid growth and new prosperity in the first decades of the 1900s. Stylish Colonial Revival homes and Craftsman bungalows reflect the optimism of the homestead era. Today the historic district is a dynamic mix of these later elements interspersed with the earlier carpenter-built cottages. The quiet, inviting avenues personify the enthusiasm of hard-working citizens and early town boosters.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Recognizing that successful communities require infrastructure, Forsyth’s civic leaders proposed construction of a waterworks and sewerage system in 1906. As the town council asserted when it posted the bond issue, “We desire to improve the town.... If the people do not want the city to advance, they may signify their desire by their votes.” Approving $45,000 for a waterworks and $5,000 for sewerage, a majority of voters signaled their support for municipal progress. Construction of the waterworks fell to the Des Moines Bridge Building Co. The project included building a brick pumping station, settling ponds, and a concrete reservoir on the bluffs above town and installing a network of pipes through Forsyth’s developed streets. Forsyth’s frugal city council did not believe in architectural frills; the stark, industrial design of the pumping station reflects its utilitarian purpose. By February 1908, the waterworks was complete; city residents had only “to tap the mains” to “pipe the purest and clearest of water” into their homes and businesses, according to the Forsyth Times. The newspaper’s description of the water’s purity was somewhat exaggerated, as Forsyth’s 1917 typhoid scare and boil order attests. Nevertheless, the new water system did represent a considerable advance for the community, especially in the area of fire suppression. The amount of water needed to fight a fire in the business district determined the design specifications for Forsyth’s waterworks, and the community quickly took advantage of its new capacity, establishing a volunteer fire department within weeks of the waterworks’ completion.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

In 1918, rising flood waters on the Yellowstone River threatened the City of Forsyth, the Forsyth Times-Journal reported "Over 500 men worked for 36 hours to keep water out of the city as much as possible." But, in the early hours of June 16, a hastily constructed levee gave way and water rushed into the west end of Forsyth flooding the town north of the railroad tracks. Buildings on low foundations had 2 to 3 feet of water flowing through rooms at ground-floor level and every basement in Forsyth was flooded to the floor joists.

Citizens sought shelter in the hotels and spare rooms of the business district or with local ranchers and farmers. Forsyth remained flooded until the waters finally receded on July 5, leaving behind destruction and flooded basements.

Only a two-block section of Main Street remained relatively dry because temporary berms were quickly constructed to hold the flood waters at bay.

According to the Forsyth Times Journal, the telephone office was doing business at the old stand, but with about 8 inches of water covering the floor.

For Forsyth, no flood since has been as devastating as the 2 1/2 weeks in 1918. The City has avoided significant damages from flooding on the Yellowstone River since the Forsyth Levee was constructed in 1948.

In 1918, a rising Yellowstone River threatened the City of Forsyth. According to the Forsyth Times Journal, "Over 500 men worked for 36 hours to keep the flood water out of the city as much as possible." On this day in the early morning hours, the hastily constructed levee west of the bridge gave way and nothing more could be done. Water rushed into the west end of Forsyth flooding the entire town north of the railroad tracks.

Every basement was flooded to the floor joists. Homes had 2 to 3 feet of water flowing through their ground floors. The currents washed away streets, fences, and sidewalks. Boats became the only means of transportation. Downtown business remained open while customers and employees waded through 6 to 12 inches of water.

Within a week of the flood abatement, citizens convened a mass public meeting to discuss constructing a new water system, sewer system, a levee and sidewalks. Shortly thereafter, the people of Forsyth also began planning for a new hospital.

In 1944 the US Army Corps of Engineers began the process to construct a levee for the city of Forsyth. Construction was completed in 1948. The levee is about 2 1/2 miles long surrounding the city on the west and north sides separating it from the Yellowstone River. The city has avoided significant damage from Yellowstone River flooding since its construction.

Since 1878 when the first structures were built along the Yellowstone River at the future site of Forsyth, there have been concerns of high water flooding the town.

In the 30 years following development, Forsyth developed and grew, increasing the population. New homes were constructed, a power plant was installed, and telephone service was available.

The town however, was not prepared for the disastrous event which commenced in the early hours of Sunday, June 16, 1918. There was no levee to reduce the flood threat of the Yellowstone River, and when a hurriedly constructed levee west of the bridge gave way, nothing more could be done to hold back the water.

The water rushed into the west end of Forsyth continuing to rise and flood the entire town north of the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks.

There were several inches of water flooding the first floor of the newly constructed Rosebud County Courthouse, and the main sewer pipe under the flooded basement burst.

Buildings on low foundations had 2 to 3 feet of water flowing through rooms and all of the basements in town were completely flooded.

Silver Jackets bring together federal, state, and local agencies to collaborate in reducing flood risk. To learn more about Montana's flood history and how you can prepare your family visit: floodrisk.mt.gov/

Erected by Montana Silver Jackets.

Decorative half-timbering and an intricate roofline distinguish this elegant one-and-one-half-story home. Mary Philbrick had the residence built as a wedding present for her daughter Mary Frances and son-in-law Harry Cornwell, a hardware merchant. The Philbricks were a wealthy Rosebud County ranching family, and Mary reportedly gave “munificent gifts of property” to each of her three children on their marriages. Harry and Frances Cornwell married in Minneapolis in 1916, and the house was still under construction when they returned to Forsyth after a month’s honeymoon. One of Forsyth’s largest and most finely detailed Craftsman style residences, the home features many of that architectural style’s hallmarks, including large overhanging eaves, exposed rafter tails, wooden braces, and multi-pane windows. The Cornwells enclosed the front porch sometime after 1941. The couple raised two children in this home, and their son Howard, who later managed the Philbrick family ranch holdings, lived here into the 1990s.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Hiram Marcyes was born September 11, 1844 in Newberg, Maine. He served in the Civil War as a bugler in the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Company with the Union army. His service took him in battles from Vicksburg to Sherman's March to the sea. He married at war's end, he headed west to Montana, arriving in the town of Forsyth in 1882, where he planted his roots and built a new life for himself.

One of Hiram's first ventures was to open a general store. The expansion of the railroad created a great demand for food and supplies in the Forsyth area. Hiram also manufactured bricks, using local clay, and constructed an elementary school, built on land donated by him and named in his honor, on this site. His company supplied the bricks for building homes and businesses throughout Southeastern Montana. In 1905 he began construction of the Commercial Hotel, in which he took great pride.

Hiram and his wife, Louise, raised one sone and four daughters in the growing community of Forsyth. Hiram's interest in local government led him to serve as a constable and justice of the peace for the community. Later, he was elected to the state legislature where he eagerly supported the separation of Rosebud County from Custer County.

In his leisure time, he pursued his passion for music. The thrilling sound of brass bands playing for concerts, parades and celebrations inspired him to organize and play in several local bands. His talented children gave him great pride as they played in the Marcyes Family Band. A dedicated Methodist, Hiram seldom missed singing in the choir on Sunday.

Hiram studied horticulture and saw the need for shade trees and windbreaks in the community, especially with the hot Montana summers. Hiram decided to plant cottonwood trees because they were best suited to the environment. Today some of these giant trees can still be seen in the town of Forsyth and are a reminder of this pioneer pillar of the Forsyth community.

Hiram died March 11, 1913 at the age of 69 years. He was staying at the Old Soldiers Home, Presido (sic), San Francisco, California at the time.

Erected by Forsyth Women's Club.

One the morning of May 23, 1876, two cavalrymen and a citizen teamster, attached to Colonel John Gibbon's Montana Column, were ambushed by a war party of Lakota in the bluffs on the north side of the Yellowstone a few miles downriver from this location. All three men were surrounded by Indians and killed in a short, intense firefight.

These men had taken it upon themselves to go hunting without permission although at times Colonel Gibbon permitted the practice. According to the journal of Lieutenant James Bradley, Gibbon's chief of scouts, the Colonel allowed his men to hunt because he viewed the experience being good for his men in terms of relieving camp boredom. Hunting parties also served as an effective means of scouting in the immediate vicinity of the base camp. A successful hunt also provided fresh meat for the troops.

Another hunting party observed the attack and returned to the base camp to get help. Three companies of the Second Cavalry found the bodies of the men a few miles north of Gibbon's camp. Two of the companies followed the trail of the hostiles for a period of time but broke off the pursuit suspecting a trap. The third company assisted in bringing the bodies back to camp for burial.

The bodies were wrapped in blankets donated by Crow scouts and buried beneath one of the large cottonwood trees northwest of the camp. A burial service was conducted at 7:00 PM with military honors. The diary of Holmes O. Paulding, a doctor attached to the Montana Column, records that hostiles were in attendance during a portion of the funeral service. The Lakota watched the proceedings from the bluffs on the south side of the Yellowstone River.

Erected by Custer Circle Project 2017 and Visit Southeast Montana Tourism.

A pressed metal cornice, door surrounds made of cast iron, and an exposed steel I-beam distinguish the façade of the 1907 Kennedy-Fletcher block. Geo. L. Mesker and Co. of Bedford, Indiana, the largest architectural ironworks in the country, manufactured the decorative metal elements, which feature ornamented floral and leaf designs, simple swags, fleur-de-lis, and other classical motifs. Mass-produced metal detailing was a less expensive form of decoration than stone. By contrast, the steel I-beam separating the first and second floors has a primarily structural purpose. The I-beam transfers weight away from the large display windows used to beckon customers. Its defining decorative rosettes are actually a glorified plate-and-bolt assembly that holds structurally important tie rods. The largest commercial building in Forsyth at the time of its construction, the department store was also the first brick commercial block erected off Main Street. E. A. Richardson bought the business in 1908. In 1916, he sold an expanded operation to his department managers, who transformed the building into three separate stores that sold groceries, dry goods, and hardware and furniture.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Cattleman Lafayette H. Parker and his wife, Lida, purchased a small home on this lot in 1910. Lafayette died two years later of tuberculosis, but Lida continued to live here, and in 1917, she obtained a mortgage to replace her home with a two-story clapboard residence with a full basement, which she opened as a boarding house. Both Forsyth newspapers commented on the new construction. The Democrat called the building “among the best and most expensive residences being constructed in the city this year,” while the Times-Journal noted that “the house will be thoroughly modern in every respect” with steam heat and “hot and cold running water.” For the lodgers’ convenience the upstairs bathroom did not have a washstand; instead each bedroom had its own sink. In 1920 Parker lived here with her divorced daughter and two-year-old granddaughter, three single male lodgers (an engineer, railroad fireman, and bookkeeper), and a married couple and their ten-month-old baby. She sold the building in 1928, but it continued to serve as a boarding house until 1966, after which it became a private residence.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

Terra-cotta medallions sporting the Masonic emblem of square and compass and the words “Masonic Temple” centered beneath the cornice proudly announce this building’s primary purpose. Chartered in 1898, the Forsyth Masonic Lodge met in borrowed quarters until 1905, when enthusiastic Mason Hiram Marcyes included a lodge room in his new Commercial Hotel. Six years later, the Masons hired Miles City architect Brynjulf Rivenes to design this Beaux Arts style temple, constructed of local brick from Marcyes’ brickyard and finished with a façade of high-fire Hebron brick trimmed with Bedford limestone. Rent from the first-floor storefronts subsidized the building’s $21,000 price tag. The second floor boasted the lodge room as well as a cloakroom and clubroom designed for members of the short-lived Forsyth Club. During the 1918 flu epidemic, clubrooms were converted into a temporary hospital. In 1921 the public library, founded by the Forsyth Woman’s Club, occupied the space. While the library moved to the old courthouse in 1927 and into its current building in 1971, Masons continue to meet in this lodge, built by their predecessors in 1911.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

When the Milwaukee road arrived in 1907, Forsyth boomed, and carpenter Maurice S. Lord decided to open his own business. “It won’t cost you anything to talk to me,” he advertised, “and if I can’t suit you as to price and quality, then give the job to the other fellow and we will still be friends.” A few years earlier, he and his wife Mary built this two-story transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival home. Lord likely constructed the residence himself. Its unusual T-shaped floor plan was a good advertisement for his skills as a homebuilder, especially since the house doubled as his office. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that business was slower than he hoped. Plumbers who added a bathroom in 1909 sued the Lords for payment, and three years later Richardson Mercantile temporarily attached a lien to the property. The Lords sold the home in 1912 and left Forsyth to try their hand at farming. By 1914, however, the family had moved to Columbus, where Maurice once again worked as a carpenter.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Pioneer businessman Thomas Alexander founded Forsyth’s first bank in 1892. In 1898, he built this ashlar stone bank building with material quarried within a mile of Forsyth. Three small panels on the cornice commemorate the year of construction and the building’s original function. Although stone was widely used for foundations, Merchant’s Bank is one of the few Forsyth buildings built completely of stone. Large, plate-glass commercial windows and an inset entryway originally marked the street level façade. Inside, “commodious vaults of stone and steel” helped safeguard deposits from theft or fire. Capitalized at $12,000 in 1900, Merchant’s Bank was a small bank even for its day. Nevertheless, it remained Forsyth’s only bank until 1901. By 1903, the bank had moved, and two storefronts, occupied by a barbershop and a carpentry/tin shop, shared this space. Not long after, J. Z. Northway opened a butcher shop here, where he sold meat and fresh sausage, which he manufactured in the circa 1910 rear brick addition. A community institution, the Forsyth Meat Market operated on Main Street into the 1930s.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

Carpenter Gustav Hoff purchased this lot in 1900, and sometime before 1920 he built this one-story, hipped roof house, likely as an investment. Robert “Shorty” Meredith and his wife Mary bought the residence in 1920 for $2,500. The couple had moved to Forsyth four years earlier; shortly thereafter, Shorty found work at Sickler’s Garage as a mechanic. He is credited with assembling the first twenty-five Ford cars to enter Rosebud County. As was typical for the time, the Merediths paid half the cost of the house up front. Large down payments and five- year mortgages were standard before 1934. That year, the government created the Federal Housing Administration, a New Deal agency that tried to stimulate the economy by aiding potential homebuyers. In 1931, the Merediths hired two men to hand dig a basement and install a rock foundation for $500. Sometime after 1941, they enclosed the front porch to provide much needed room for their large family. Mary raised eight children before her death in 1967. Shorty lived here into the 1980s.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Emmett and Anna Meyerhoff arrived in Forsyth in 1902 and quickly became prominent in Forsyth society. The assistant cashier of the newly organized Forsyth State Bank (later First National Bank), Meyerhoff was bank president by 1913. Anna was active in the Forsyth Woman’s Club, whose meetings she sometimes hosted here, while Emmett was a committed Mason and a founding member of the Chamber of Commerce. He also served a term as mayor. The Meyerhoffs purchased this plot in 1907, and sometime before 1910 constructed an elegant, hipped-roof bungalow. The home boasts an interesting combination of decorative features including Craftsman style exposed rafter tails and multi-paned windows. After the agricultural depression forced the closure of all of Forsyth’s banks in 1923, the Meyerhoffs moved to Los Angeles, where Emmett found work as an accountant. Forsyth businessman Walter Dean purchased the home in 1945 for his son, Walter, and daughter-in-law, Esther. In the early 1960s, during the Cold War, the Deans installed a bomb shelter in the basement. Although Walter died in 1998, Esther still lived here in 2004.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

A truncated hipped roof reflects this circa 1895 home’s modest beginnings. Carpenters used shorter, less expensive pieces of lumber for hipped roofs than for triangular-shaped gable roofs. Owners added a full-length front porch (since removed) and a rear addition before 1903. That year Ida Northway purchased the residence, where she lived with her husband Joseph and their son Glen. Women like Ida often owned their family homes because in some circumstances their property could be protected from their husbands’ creditors. Montana’s boom-and-bust economy made any such protection welcome. An open range cowboy in the 1880s, Ida’s husband Joseph tried several businesses before his election as Rosebud County sheriff in 1902. He later owned a successful meat market at Tenth and Main, an easy walk from here. Ida, for her part, was a renowned homemaker. “Home was the dearest place of all to her,” according to her 1927 obituary. “...As a consequence, she kept it so that not only her own family delighted to be there, but her many friends to drop in for a little time of its fellowship.”

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

The Northern Pacific Railroad surveyed along the north side of the Yellowstone River during the summers of 1871 and 1873, a time when the still-powerful Lakota controlled the unceded land south of the river. As a result, the survey crews required military protection each summer.

Colonel David S. Stanley's 1873 command was large - 18 companies of infantry, 275 wagons, 3 artillery pieces, along with 10 companies of Lt. Colonel Custer's Seventh Cavalry, all leaving a significant trail as the column passed up the valley. Portions of today's roads on the north side are built over Colonel Stanley's route.

A couple of weeks into the march, Colonel Stanley began to have difficulties with the headstrong Custer, something he anticipated given Custer's reputation. Eventually, an angry confrontation occurred leading to disciplinary action with Custer ordered to the rear of the command. Stanley's authority was compromised by his bouts of binge drinking, something that Custer, a teetotaler (sic), had a history of using against rivals. Even though the issues between the two officers were relatively minor, some officers recognized that Stanley's drunkenness contributed to the problems so they disposed of the liquor supply. Stanley backed off his punishment about a day later and there were no further incidents.

There were also two skirmishes with the Lakota during the summer of 1873. Even though both fights were minor, the tactics of the Lakota led Custer and most in the officer corps to believe that the enemy would scatter at any show of strength by the military, an assumption with fatal consequences three years later.

Railroad construction stopped for almost a decade when the stock market crashed leading to the Panic of 1873. A decade later, with the economy recovered and the Indian threat over, the Northern Pacific built its line - south of the Yellowstone River.

Erected by Custer Circle Project 2017 and Community Foundation of Northern Rosebud County.

Scandal and intrigue surrounded the construction of Rosebud County Courthouse in 1914. Rosebud County citizens recognized the need for a new courthouse when they passed a $125,000 bond issue in 1911 to fund the building. To design a suitable replacement for the original courthouse—a wood-frame former schoolhouse— county commissioners hired Montana architects Link and Haire. That highly respected firm ultimately designed courthouses for eighteen of Montana’s fifty-six counties. Featuring a colossal portico and an octagonal tower topped by a copper dome, Link and Haire’s design was well received, and Gray’s Construction Company of South Dakota began excavation amid high praise in 1912. Trouble commenced when it became clear that the project was more than $40,000 over budget. In September 1913, the editor of the Forsyth Times-Journal lambasted the county commissioners for the cost overrun and brought suit to restrain them from further expenditure. Apparently worried that his company would not be paid in full, Gray’s foreman refused to turn over the keys to the completed building, despite a court order. The clash had moments of high comedy: at one point, the foreman locked himself inside the building and secreted himself between the ceiling and the roof. Ultimately, a grand jury vindicated the commissioners. Ruling that the building’s design was “imposing and attractive” and its interior “very harmoniously and artistically decorated,” the grand jury declared that the county received “full value for the money expended.” Their judgment still stands. The elegant Neoclassical building remains one of Rosebud County’s architectural jewels.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

“Remember the Flu epidemic” declared a notice advocating support for Rosebud County Hospital. In 1918 and 1919 influenza killed over 5,000 Montanans. Flu victims in Forsyth received care at the Masonic Hall, temporarily converted into an emergency hospital, but the epidemic underscored the need for a well-equipped hospital close to home. Despite drought and declining crop prices, Rosebud County voters responded to the call, passing a $70,000 bond issue in November 1919 and a second $20,000 bond issue in 1920. Billings architects McIver, Cohagen, and Marshall designed the hospital and then modified the plan when post–World War I inflation placed the original design out of financial reach. The thirty-two-room hospital, constructed by Billings contractor Alfred Lyle, included a lobby, kitchen, patient rooms, and solarium on the main floor; operating theaters and additional patient rooms on the second floor; and laundry and storage areas in the daylight basement. The hipped-roof building, ornamented with a row of stone medallions, exhibits Georgian Revival style features in its symmetrical composition and classical detailing.

To manage the hospital and nurses’ training school, the county contracted with the Deaconess organization, a Methodist women’s order that opened its first Montana hospital in 1896 in Great Falls. On April 22, 1921, Rosebud County Deaconess Hospital held an open house and “shower day”; Approximately 1,000 visitors, many bearing donations for the hospital’s food pantry, came to admire the new facility. Three days later, under direction of Deaconess superintendent Lyra Sanborn, the hospital admitted its first patient.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

“May You Prosper Well in Your New Theatre with Your Steadfast Faith in Forsyth,” read one of the many ads that filled the August 28, 1930, Forsyth Times. Car and clothing merchants joined building contractors and suppliers in congratulating Anthony Wolke and Frank Faust on the construction of their new theatre. Movies had played in Forsyth since the turn of the century, first in the Commercial Hotel, then in a converted Main Street storefront. The Roxy, however, was the first building in Forsyth constructed specifically as a theatre; it was also one of the few buildings constructed in Forsyth during the Great Depression. Equipped with RCA sound-producing equipment, the new theatre boasted red velour curtains, spring cushion seats, Spanish lanterns in the foyer, and six small Spanish balconies in the auditorium itself. The Spanish décor carried to the exterior, where stucco walls and exotic-looking Spanish roof tiles tempted passersby to escape the sometimes grim reality of the Depression. Entrance into the realm of romance and entertainment cost only fifty cents (sixty cents for balcony seats).

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.

Northern Pacific Railroad engineer Thomas Sorenson and his wife Hannah built this one-and-one-half-story residence circa 1910. That year the Norwegian immigrant couple lived here with their five children and two boarders, both of whom also worked for the railroad. The large gambrel roof dormer distinguishes this home from its neighbors. That distinctive shape—often associated with barns—characterizes Dutch Colonial Revival architecture. However, other elements—including the first floor octagonal bay, pedimented dormer, inset porch, and asymmetrical massing—reflect a number of different styles. The stylistic mix suggests that the design came from a pattern book, a book of mass-produced architectural plans. Such plans sometimes came with precut lumber for easy assembly on site; other times, the popular plans simply provided local builders with specifications for complex structures that may otherwise have been beyond their skill. In either case, pattern books expanded housing options for families like the Sorensons who wanted more than what local builders could easily offer, but who could not afford to hire an architect to design a home exclusively for them.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Civil engineer Charles Taber helped survey the original Northern Pacific line through Forsyth in 1881. He must have liked what he saw because he soon returned to Forsyth, becoming the town’s first mayor after it incorporated in 1904. Taber purchased this two-story Queen Anne style home in 1906, living here with his family into the 1930s. The cross-gable residence, built circa 1892, features bay windows, turned porch supports, carved porch brackets, and a small spindlework frieze. Railroads brought such precut architectural elements to towns along their tracks, allowing builders to personalize homes for their clients. The interior boasts a narrow, sharply curved wooden staircase that, according to local legend, came from a steamboat that wrecked on the Yellowstone River. Very few boats traveled the Yellowstone after the Northern Pacific completed its railroad line in 1883, but the staircase does, in fact, look like those found in nineteenth-century steamboats. The 1870s saw at least two steamboat wrecks on the Yellowstone, and thrifty Montanans always salvaged what they could from the wreckage, from freight and machinery to building materials.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

When General Terry, Custer and Gibbon met on the steamer Far West to coordinate the final plan of action against the hostiles, it was decided that the Indians were probably camped along the Little Bighorn. Custer was to lead the Seventh Cavalry to the upper reaches of Rosebud Creek before crossing west to the Little Bighorn. Terry and Gibbon's command was to establish a blocking position near the confluence of the Little Big Horn.

The Montana Column began its march up the Yellowstone River on June 21, 1876. Three days later, the command was just below the mouth of the Bighorn River where the steamer Far West ferried the troops across the Yellowstone.

Sunday, June 25th, 1876 was a difficult day's march for the Montana Column. The command marched a couple of miles up Tullock's Creek and then veered right expecting to cross bench land for an easy route to the south. Finding only rough country, the command continued on to the Bighorn River where the breaks and coulees along the east side of the river continued to make for a difficult march.

About mid-day on June 26th, an advance unit of the Montana Column first learned of Custer's defeat from the Crow scouts who, released from duty by Custer prior to the battle, witnessed the defeat of the Seventh from a safe distance. At the approach of Terry and Gibbon's command, the big Indian village began to disperse in the late afternoon and move south toward the Bighorn Mountains.

At 6:00 AM on the following day, the Montana Column reached the battlefield site, confirming its worst fears as to what happened to the Seventh. The command relieved the beleaguered companies of Major Reno and Captain Benteen who had been under siege on a hilltop four miles up the valley since the afternoon of June 25th. Over the next few days, the survivors of the Seventh buried the dead in shallow graves. The Montana Column then transported over forty wounded troops to the confluence of the Little Bighorn where the Far West was moored. The command then returned to Fort Pease just below the confluence of the Bighorn River waiting for resupply.

Erected by Custer Circle Project - 2017 and Forsyth Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.

The history of Forsyth depends heavily on two men - Thomas Alexander and Hiram Marcyes - very different individuals yet both dedicated to creative and aggressive growth. Thomas Alexander began as a pioneer sheep, cattle and horse rancher and prospector who also clerked at Fort Keogh and fought with General Howard. Alexander became a County Commissioner of the newly founded Rosebud County in 1901.

By theat time he was operating a general store and organized the first bank here, Merchants National Bank, and housed it in a unique stone building from stone quarried near Forsyth. He built the American Hotel, erected a town hall and built several large homes in addition to providing the land for the Northern Pacific Railroad Station. Meanwhile, he developed prosperous ranches.

Thomas Alexander was part of the Odd Fellows, the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He served on the early School Board, and Alexander School was named for him.

To quote Progressive Men of Montana, "He has borne himself with conspicuous uprightness and manliness, and is everywhere regarded as one of Rosebud County's leading and most representative citizens."

Small touches add elegance to this one-and-one-half-story Colonial Revival residence and matching garage. Particularly noteworthy are its overall symmetry, prominent eave returns, shingled gabled ends, and classical pillars supporting the hipped roof of the front porch. The home’s relative lack of adornment owes much to the early twentieth century’s emphasis on simplicity and clean lines. Its longest-term residents were Andrew and Ellen Thurston and their four daughters. Andrew managed the Yellowstone Elevator Company before becoming a car salesman while Ellen was locally known for her hospitality. The popular Forsyth couple may have built the home after purchasing the lot from prominent businessman and banker Emmett Meyerhoff in 1919. They owned the residence until 1937. The wooden home with clapboard siding has changed little since it was first built. Except for the modern porch screens, storm windows, and metal roof, the exterior looks much as it did in 1920. The interior still boasts hardwood floors, wood trim, crown molding, and even some of the original light fixtures.

Erected by Montana Historical

Society.

Symmetrical facades, conservative design, and the use of durable material, particularly stone and brick, typified small-town Montana bank buildings like this one, originally constructed in Vananda, seventeen miles northwest of Forsyth. In the days before Federal Deposit Insurance, such designs conveyed a sense of permanence and stability. These solid buildings promised a prosperous future for the young communities they served. Vananda was born in 1915 of the homesteading boom and the Milwaukee railroad. In 1917, the bank hired Forsyth builder Louie Wahl to construct the first "semi-fireproof" building in town for $6,000. The stately little bank was open only five years before it failed in 1923, a victim of ongoing drought and depressed commodity prices. The building then served as a post office and home to the postmaster's family to twelve until 1959. By that time Vananda was practically a ghost town. In 2002, the building was carefully separated and lived from its foundation. Then in 2003, this 100-ton structure was move across sixteen bridges to its present location in downtown Forsyth.

Dr. Arthur C. Wilson moved to Forsyth after graduating medical school in 1891. He worked as a surgeon for the Northern Pacific Railroad, as a medical examiner for insurance companies, and as the county health officer. Forsyth’s first resident physician, he also maintained an active general practice and is said to have covered “the territory between Miles City and Musselshell and to the Wyoming line.” He and his wife Ida had this home built in 1903 either replacing or substantially enlarging the small wooden home that occupied this lot by 1897. The two- and-one-half-story residence on a double corner lot reflected the prominence of its owners, who lived here until Dr. Wilson’s death in 1929. Popular Queen Anne elements ornament the home: a wraparound porch, two-story octagonal bay, and decorative leaded glass. Although it looks like an addition, the one-story room behind the house was part of the original design. Placing the kitchen under separate roof minimized fire risk. Bucket brigades could more easily reach a one-story roof, perhaps saving the main house in case of a kitchen fire.

Erected by

Montana Historical Society.