Six Historic Montana Properties, Including Century-Old Businesses and Bridges, Seek National Register Status

BIG TIMBER — Montana’s Historic Preservation Review Board will consider six properties across the state for National Register of Historic Places designation during its September 18 meeting at the Big Timber Carnegie Library.

The nominations span more than a century of Montana history, from frontier churches to Depression-era warehouses, representing the state’s evolution from territorial settlement to modern development.

Commercial Heritage Takes Center Stage

Three of the nominations highlight Montana’s commercial development during the early 1900s boom period.

The Shy Brothers Mercantile in Ashland, built in 1910, represents the longest-operating business in the community, serving residents for over a century during the homesteading boom and continued commercial growth.

In Billings, the Carpenter Paper Company warehouse, designed by prominent architect Curtis Oehme in 1917, housed operations that supplied paper products throughout Montana, northern Wyoming, and western North Dakota until 1994. The massive warehouse initially served the Western Newspaper Union before becoming home to Carpenter Paper Company.

Also in Billings, the Goughnour Lumber Company Office from 1891 receives reconsideration after being incorrectly deemed ineligible in 1979. Built by lumber businessman Emanuel Goughnour, the Western Commercial style brick building now has new documentation supporting its historical significance.

Religious and Transportation History

The First Congregational Church in Billings, founded in 1882 as the city’s first house of worship, played a pivotal role in transforming the frontier railroad town into a thriving community through social action and community solidarity.

Two historic bridges round out the nominations, representing Montana’s early highway development.

The Musselshell River Bridge in Golden Valley County, built in 1916, exemplifies the state’s transition to standardized highway bridge design, marking a shift from county-managed systems to organized state oversight.

The Milk River Bridge in Phillips County, constructed in 1911 by Illinois Steel Bridge Company, served the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway, later designated U.S. Highway 2. The Parker through truss bridge facilitated critical access to Malta during Montana’s homestead boom.

Big Timber Hosts Tri-Annual Meeting

The Historic Preservation Review Board selected Big Timber to host this year’s tri-annual public meeting due to the city’s strong community support for establishing a downtown National Register Historic District.

The board will review each nomination and forward approved properties to the Keeper of the National Register at the U.S. Department of the Interior for final designation.

Properties listed on the National Register receive recognition for their historical, architectural, or cultural significance and may qualify for preservation tax incentives and grants.

For more information about the September 18 meeting, contact Melissa Munson at (406) 444-7715 or [email protected].