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HomeMy WebLinkAbout33336 E Frontage Rd. 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD For the Montana National Register of Historic Places Program and State Antiquities Database Montana State Historic Preservation Office Montana Historical Society PO Box 201202,1410 81h Ave Helena,MT 59620-1202 Property Address: 33336 East Frontage Road Site Number: 24GA1894 Bozeman, MT 59718 (An historic district number may also apply.) Historic Address(if applicable): NA City/Town: Bozeman vicinity County: Gallatin Historic Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Legal Location Original Owner(s): Montana State College PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E Current Ownership ❑ Private ® Public '/a NE '/a NW '/a of Section: 15 Current Property Name: Fort Ellis Research &Teaching Lot(s): Farm Block(s): Owner(s): Montana State University--Administration Addition: Year of Addition: Owner Address: 201 Main Hall/ PO Box 172440 Bozeman, MT 59717-2440 USGS Quad Name: Kelly Creek Year: 1987 Phone: 406-994-2001 ----------------- Historic Use: Sheep Experiment Station UTM Reference www.nris.mt.&ov/tonofmder2 Current Use: Same ❑NAD 27 or ®NAD 83(preferred) Construction Date: 1925, 1931-1933, 1976, 1986 ❑ Zone: 12 Easting: 502086 Northing: 5093986 Estimated ®Actual ®Original Location ❑Moved Date Moved: National Register of Historic Places Date of this document: December 1, 2013 NRHP Listing Date: Form Prepared by: Jessie Nunn/Consultant Historic District: Address: 600 Meadowlark Lane, Livingston, MT 59047 NRHP Eligible: ®Yes ❑No Daytime Phone: 406-208-8727 MT SHPO USE ONLY Comments: Eligible for NRHP: ❑yes ❑ no Criteria: ❑A ❑B ❑C ❑D Date: Evaluator: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE a Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other,specify: Venaculuar Crafstman; Venacular Agricultural: Grambrel-roofed Barn, Machine Shed,Animal Shelters Property Type: Agriculture Specific Property Type: Architect: William R. Plew/ MSU Supervising Architect Architectural Firm/City/State: Shanley,Willson& Hugenin /Bozeman, MT Builder/Contractor: MSU Physical Plant/Bozeman, MT Company/City/State: Source of Information: University Records, MSU Physical Plant Introduction The farmstead of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station's Fort Ellis Research and Teaching Farm (Fort Ellis Farmstead) is comprised of an approximately 28-acre, parallelogram-shaped parcel of land located 3.5 miles west of the main Montana State University (MSU) campus. It is centered in the northern half of the approximately 640-acre Fort Ellis Farm, which includes all of Section 15, T2S-R6E (except the NE% of the NE%) and the NE'/ of Section 10, T2S-R6E. Acquired by MSU in 1909, the Fort Ellis Farm has been used primarily for sheep operations since about 1920 (MAES, 17th and 26°i Annual Reports). Interstate 90 (1-90) serves as the property's south boundary while the Frontage Road (old U.S. Highway 10) is the north boundary. Fences serve as the east and west boundaries. The property has 27 buildings and structures ranging in size and significance from two residences, a gambrel-roofed horse barn and two large sheep sheds to small-scale sheep shelters. Shelterbelts on the east and west sides of the farmstead, ornamental plantings around the residences and circulation systems are all significant landscape features. Setting &Location The Fort Ellis Farm is located at the western foot of the Bridger Mountain Range, with the Gallatin Range to the east. Two streams with their source in these mountains, Kelly Creek and Rocky Creek, converge approximately one-half mile north of the farmstead to create the East Gallatin River. The vast Gallatin Valley extends to the west with the city of Bozeman, home to MSU, at its eastern end. Immediately to the west is Bozeman Pass, the historic transportation corridor between the Bridger and Gallatin Mountain Ranges. First used by Euro-Americans when Sacajawea led Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition over the pass on his return trip in 1806, it was later pioneered by John Bozeman in 1863 as a route from Ft. Laramie in Wyoming (on the Oregon Trail) to the gold fields of southwestern Montana (NPS). The routes of the Northern Pacific Railroad (1884), the Yellowstone Trail Highway (1912), U.S. Highway 10 (1926) and 1-90 (1956) would eventually follow. The route's significance was the primary reason for the establishment of Fort Ellis in 1867, which created the military reservation that would eventually become the Fort Ellis Farm. More immediately, the farmstead is surrounded on the east and west by agricultural fields of the Fort Ellis Farm. Experimental strip fields, which also hold elongated sheep pens, are found to the west, while more typical pasture is located to the east. Warehouses, distributing centers and businesses are found on either side of the farm between 1-90 and the Frontage Road. Across the Frontage Road to the north are more fields, the former Northern Pacific Railroad tracks and the East Gallatin River. A few residential properties line Kelly Canyon Road, which crosses the river immediately north of the farmstead before following Kelly Creek to the northeast. A group of storage buildings, more experiment fields and a gravel pile are found at the northeast edge of the farm in Section 10. A concrete underpass connects the farmstead to the farm's southern pastures located across 1-90,which bisected the farm in the 1966 (Axline). The Cultural Landscape While most agricultural properties are considered historic vernacular landscapes, meaning they evolved over time through land use, the farmstead at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm was designed in accordance with academic and bureaucratic guidelines on farmstead development in first half of the 20th century. Its pastures and penning systems were also designed to accommodate scientific experiments on feeding, breeding and caring for sheep. On the other hand, the materials and forms of a few of the farmstead's buildings were dictated by the design of abandoned military buildings already onsite when the Experiment Station took possession of the property in 1909. In this regard, the Fort Ellis Experiment Farm farmstead is both unique (for its location on an abandon military fort) and typical of farmsteads across the nation, which often depended on repurposed buildings and materials. Of course, the farmstead is the most purposefully-designed component of any farm,whether it is a private or public enterprise. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Like all cultural landscapes, the Fort Ellis Farmstead reflects responses to the natural environment, land use and activities, patterns of spatial organization and cultural traditions. Its location was dictated by its predecessor, Fort Ellis, a frontier-era U.S. Cavalry post established in 1867 to protect the burgeoning agricultural communities of the Gallatin Valley from the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, who were still combating Euro-American settlement on the Great Plains. The fort's location was ideal because it sat at the bottom of Bozeman Pass,the best route through the divide separating the Yellowstone and Gallatin Valleys. The farm's former land use as a military reserve made the approximately 600-acre property available for public use in the agriculturally-rich Gallatin Valley, where large tracts of land were becoming difficult to come by. Activities at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm were largely concerned with issue's facing the State's farmers and ranchers, and in the early 20th century vast sections of Montana were turned over to some six million sheep (Malone, 167). As such, the farm focused on improving Montana's flocks after about 1920. Sheep, with their wool fleeces, are typically better able to withstand cold weather than other livestock, and on the whole, are also less valuable. This is reflected by the prevalence of open sheds at the Fort Ellis Farm, rather than enclosed barns—the Horse Barn being the sole exception. Spatial arrangements and circulation systems at the farmstead were designed to provide the most efficient use of labor. Finally, cultural traditions also dictated the spatial arrangement. The farm house, for instance, is located at the front of the property, where it is closest to the highway and can be set apart from the agricultural buildings through ornamental plantings. (Suggestions for Rural Housing, 4). Natural Systems and Features, Views and Vistas, and Topography Beyond the favorable agricultural climate of the Gallatin Valley, significant natural systems and features at the Fort Ellis Farmstead are limited. In general, the landscape slopes from north to south from an elevation of 5,000 feet in the farm's southern pastures (located across 1-90) to 4,860 near the confluence of Kelly Creek and Rocky Creek. Of course, the landscape rises dramatically across these streams to the north and east with the emergence of the Bridger and Gallatin Ranges, respectively. These mountains provide the farmstead with sweeping views to the north, east and south, with the more distant Madison Range also visible to the southwest. On a smaller scale, the farmstead is located on a slight swell at about 4,945 feet with the elevation falling gradually to west and more quickly toward a small tributary of Kelley Creek located immediately to the east. Circulation Networks The Fort Ellis Experiment Station has always possessed excellent transportation connections, with the main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 10 (now the Frontage Road) running northwest through the northern portion of Section 15. Since 1966, 1-90 has bisected the farm immediately to south of the farmstead with exits at Bear Canyon (2 miles to the east) and Bozeman's East Main Street (2 miles to the west). These connections have allowed the farm to easily transport livestock. An approximately 560-foot long graveled main drive connects the farmstead to the Frontage Road. From the highway, the iconic gambrel-roofed Horse Barn at the south end of the drive and the flanking residences in the foreground are presented as the farmstead's primary buildings. Not surprisingly, the circulation networks at the Fort Ellis Farmstead follow the recommendations of the Montana Agricultural Extension Service, including the guidance that the main drive should never lead directly to the farm residence and that loops should be utilized to prevent unnecessary turnarounds. While perhaps not purposefully, the arrow-strait main drive also reflects the Extension Service's assertion that, "The entrance from the highway should suggest the character of the farmstead. The less formality there is in the farmstead the less there should be at the entrance," (Beautifying the Farm Home, 8). As an academic and bureaucratic "experimental"farm, the precisely-arranged Fort Ellis Farmstead falls easily on the formal end of the spectrum. Human circulation networks within the Fort Ellis Farmstead fall into three categories: primary graveled drives, secondary dirt roads and walking trails. Primary drives are typically designed in a loop, to allow for the most efficient movement of vehicles, while secondary drives connect the main farmstead with more distant fields and buildings. Some drives at the Fort Ellis Farm were probably graveled in 1933-1934 with Civil Works Administration labor (AH Annual Report, 1933- 1934). Upon reaching the Horse Barn (1305) the farmstead's main drive branches off the west, south and southeast. The west branch runs past the Bunkhouse (1302) and through the West Shelterbelt before branching off to the Hay Shelter (S13) and Confinement Shed (1313). The south branch runs between the Research Sheep Shed & Shop (1311) and the Ram Test Shed (1310), while the southeast branch runs past the Implement & Cow Shed (1307) before jogging east and then south around the Research Sheep Shed & Shop. These two branches continue south, meeting to create a loop around the feeding/holding pens that extend to the south of the Research Sheep Shed & Shop. The inner farmyard— bound by the Granary (1306) to the west, the Implement Shed to east and the rear elevation of the Research Sheep Shed & Shop to the south—is served by a secondary loop added sometime after 1935. Secondary dirt roads extending off the main south loop include: a southwest branch that runs to the concrete 1-90 underpass, an eastern branch that runs past the Scale House/Shearing Shed (1312) and a south loop around a pasture to the south of the holding pens. A road to the farm's eastern fields extends off the southeast corner of this loop. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Dirt walking trails exist where there is heavy pedestrian traffic; however, they are relatively limited on the farmstead. The best example is a short trail leading from the west branch of the main drive to the front door of the Bunkhouse. Paved walks are also limited on the farmstead, but their presence indicates a public and/or residential function. There is a sidewalk leading to the restroom addition on the west side of the Horse Barn (1305), which is home to a teaching laboratory. The farmstead's other paved walk leads from the main drive to the south entrance of the farmstead's primary residence, the 1931 Ranch House (B01). It is noteworthy that this residence, which was most likely occupied by the farm manager, has a sidewalk, while the Bunkhouse(1302) for farm laborers/students does not. Vegetation Vegetation plays a significant role at the Fort Ellis Farm. The fields surrounding the farmstead have been used to feed the farm's livestock, both as pasture for crops production, and for agricultural experiments. Within the farmstead, the most significant vegetation includes ornamental plantings around the Ranch House (1301) and the "experimental" West Shelterbelt planted in 1931. Ornamental plantings around the farmhouse were highly recommended by the Montana Extension Service, who published Beautifying the Farm Home in 1938. The plantings around the Ranch House at Fort Ellis reflect suggestions made in the Bulletin, including the avoidance of large trees in a small yard, keeping "favorite views" open and using taller shrubs for"screening unsightly views," (12, 13 and 16). Ornamental trees are limited to the west side of the house (there is a shelterbelt to the east), with small deciduous trees in the foreground and against the center of the west elevation and a pine tree at the northwest corner of the house. This configuration leaves an open view of the Bridger Mountains to the north. A row of shrubs running between the Garage (B04) and the shelterbelt eliminates a view of the"unsightly"farmyard to the south. The planting of windbreaks or shelterbelts on farmsteads received a boost with the passage of the Clark-McNary Act in 1924, which directed the federal government to assist the States in cultivating non-forest trees. In Montana, the act prompted the establishment of a tree nursery at the University in Missoula (home of the University System's Forestry Department), with Montana State College (now MSU) in charge of distributing the trees to qualifying farmers and ranchers. (Shelterbelts for Montana, 2). At the Fort Ellis Farm, an "experimental shelter belt"was planted along the west boundary of the farmstead in 1931 in an effort to prove, "trees and shrubs in shelter belt planting in Montana have the ability to establish themselves and make growth under adverse conditions," (MAES, 42"d Annual Report). From outside (west) to inside (east) the shelterbelt included rows of Caragana, Chinese Elm, Colorado Blue Spruce and Scotch Pine. By 1935, all but the Scotch Pine were well established and these were replaced with Colorado Blue Spruce. Today, the mature 100-foot wide West Shelterbelt extends approximately 1,130 feet along the west boundary of the main farmstead. A similar, approximately 300-foot long shelterbelt was added later(the exact date is currently unknown)to the east side of the farmstead to protect the Ranch House. A smaller shelterbelt (planting date unknown), comprised solely of shrubs and/or shorter deciduous trees, protects the Shearing Shed/Scale House(1312)at the eastern edge of the farmstead. Clusters The farmstead includes four significant clusters: the residential cluster at the north end, the farmyard in the center, the sheep facilities cluster to the south of the farmyard and the auxiliary cluster west of the West Shelterbelt. A secondary cluster of sheep shelters is located at the south end of the farmstead, behind the sheep sheds/pens. The residential cluster, which covers approximately 1.2 acres, includes the Ranch House (1301), the Bunkhouse and its associated outhouse (B02 and B03) the Garage (1304) and two wells (S01 and S02). It is bisected by the main drive, with the smaller Bunkhouse and outhouse to the west and the Ranch House, with its more elaborate landscaping, and the other resources to the east. Reflecting its more utilitarian nature, the Bunkhouse, which was built to house farm laborers and students, is located farther south than the Ranch House and is not screened-off from the farmyard with vegetation. The farmyard is a roughly square 1-acre area that is bound on the west by the Horse Barn (1305) and Granary (1306), on the east by the Implement & Cow Shed (1307) and on the south by the Research Sheep Shed & Shop (1311). These buildings were constructed between 1931 and 1933 and were arranged to create an orderly and efficient farmyard. The Horse Barn, Granary and Implement Shed all open to the farmyard, while the Sheep Shed has a series of entrances on its rear(north) elevation that allow access to the livestock without walking around the 225'-foot long building. The sheep facilities cluster covers approximately 2.5 acres and includes (from east to west), the Scale House/Shearing Shed (612), Research Sheep Shed & Shop (1311) and the Ram Test Shed (B10). The two sheep sheds create an approximately 390-foot long northern boundary—broken only by the south branch of the main drive—for the farmstead's holding and feeding pens. A relative large feeding pen is located south of the Ram Test Shed, while five long pens (50' x 170') extend between the Sheep Shed and the main drive's southern loop. Smaller, metal panel holding pens are currently located immediately against and inside the east end of the Sheep Shed. These five long pens, which are no longer completely fenced but still visible in aerial photographs, facilitated feeding and breeding experiments at the Fort MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Ellis Station. A series of larger feeding pens/pastures with various sheep shelters are found between the sheep facilities cluster and 1-90, the southern boundary of the farmstead. The auxiliary cluster to the west of the West Shelterbelt includes the Confinement Shed (B13), a large Sheep Shelter(S13) and the Hay Shelter (S14). Outside of these resource clusters, the 28-acre farmstead is divided into sheep pens and pastures. Boundary Demarcations, Small Scale Elements and Constructed Water Features Fencing is the most commonly-employed boundary demarcation at the Fort Ellis Farm. It is found at all of the property's boundaries and is used to create the farmstead's sheep pens and pastures. Most exterior fencing is woven wire, which distinguishes Fort Ellis as a sheep operation rather than a cattle ranch, where barbed wire would be sufficient. Metal panels are also used to create pens, reinforce woven wire fencing and as gates. Vegetation is the other significant boundary demarcation on the Fort Ellis Farmstead. Shelterbelts define the east and west boundary of the building area and a shrub hedge screens the Ranch House lawn from the farmyard. The property includes two historic wells and a pump house, which allowed for the efficient distribution of water to the farmstead's residences and livestock. Perhaps the most significant small scale feature on the farmstead is the clothesline located off the southeast corner of the Ranch House,where it stands an iconic symbol of domesticity. Individual Resource Descriptions Twenty-seven individual resources have been identified within the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead Cultural Landscape. There are thirteen buildings and fourteen structures. Sheep shelters have been classified as structures, because they do not provide shelter for human activities. Resources have also been classified as "contributing" or"non- contributing" to a potential historic district. Building dates are based on a 1961 Physical Plant Inventory on file at MSU's University Records. At present twelve buildings and five structures would contribute, with the majority of non-contributing resources being small (and somewhat temporary) sheep shelters. Should the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead be determined eligible and officially nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the contributing/non- contributing status of each resource should be reassessed. Residence#1 /Fort Ellis Ranch House, 1931 (MSU No. 721 /Map No. 1301) Designed in the vernacular Craftsman style common for farmhouses in the 1920s through 1940s,this small residence was originally called the Fort Ellis Ranch House. A brief partnership of George Shanley, R. C. Hugenin and Fred F. Willson, which existed from 1928-1932, was responsible for the design of the house. The gable-roofed house has an approximately 25' x 34' footprint with enclosed porches on the west sides of its north and south ends. Both porches have lower gable roofs and their outer elevations are flush with the west elevation of the main house. The one-story house sits on a raised concrete foundation with a full basement. Exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding with corner boards. North and south gable ends on both the main house and the porches are covered in vergeboards with decorative flourishes at their ends and are supported by knee braces. The eaves have a definite overhang, but in a deviation from the style and the original architectural drawings, there are no exposed rafter tails. Windows and doors have simple board heads and jambs, and windows have a slender wood lug sill. All windows are original unless otherwise specified. Small scale features including ornamental plantings and a clothesline add to the domestic feel of the Ranch House. With access to the living room, the north enclosed porch was likely designed as the public entrance, but the "back" porch, which faces the farmyard to the south and accesses the kitchen, serves as the house's true main entrance. This is indicated by a concrete walk leading from the farmstead's main drive to the south entrance. At 7' x 17', the south entry porch is also two feet longer than the north porch. The main entrance is situated at the west end of the porch's south elevation. It contains a solid replacement door and a modern screen door and is surmounted by a six-light transom. A ribbon of four double-hung six-over-six light wood windows divided by wide wood mullions is located to the east of the entrance. The lights in the lower sash are longer than those in the upper sash. Each side (east and west) elevation of the porch holds two identical windows. A single double-hung six-over-six window is situated in the main wall to the east of the enclosed porch. Directly underneath this window is a three-light basement window, which is currently boarded over. Three knee braces support the overhanging gable end on the porch at its center and ends, while three knee braces support the east slope of the gable on the main portion of the house. The west elevation is almost identical except the porch is two feet slimmer and the entrance is located in the south half of its west elevation. This elevated entrance was originally reached by stairs, but it now has small wood deck. An early, possibly original, wood panel and glass door is protected by a modern screen door in this entrance. Because the north porch is shorter, there are only four windows in its gable end. Side elevations of the main portion of the house are also similar, with slight fenestration variations that reflect interior functions. On the west elevation, two six-over-six light windows provide light for the living room to the north, while paired MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 four-light windows are found above the kitchen sink to the south. Two three-light basement windows are recessed in concrete foundation on this elevation. There is also a wood coal door near the elevation's north end that opens to the"fuel room," in the basement. The house's lone chimney extends up from the fuel room and passes between the kitchen and living room before rising through the western slope of the gable roof. On the east elevation individual six-over-six light wood windows light two bedrooms flanking a bathroom, which is indicated by a raised four-light window. Two three-light basement windows are located in the foundation directly below the bedroom windows. Contributing Building Residence#2/Bunkhouse, 1933(MSU No. 732/Map No. B02) This one-story vernacular Craftsman residence has an approximately 28'x34'footprint with a centered cross gable extending another four feet over the entrance porch on the east fagade. It sits on a concrete foundation with a basement. Exposed rafter tails extends under the eaves of the side-gable roof, as well as the side elevations of the porch, and a simple vergeboard extends along the overhanging gable ends. The roof is covered in corrugated metal paneling. Exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding with vertical corner boards. The entire house is painted white except for the window sashes,which are black. Windows and doors have simple heads and jambs, and windows have slender wood lug sills. The approximately 12'wide entry porch dominates the east fagade. It includes paired windows to the south and the door and a third window to the north. Single window openings on the side elevations of the porch have been enclosed and filled with wide horizontal siding. The remaining window openings on the front elevation of the porch contain two-light wood units with a large lower light and a slender, transom style, upper light. These windows do not match the four-over-four wood windows found elsewhere and are probably later, but still historic, replacements. It is also possible the porch was originally screened and then enclosed with windows and siding. The doorway contains a solid wood door and a modern dark screen door. Flanking the gable-roofed entrance porch are two slender windows with four-over-four light wood units. A lean-to addition containing a side entrance extends across the west half of the gable-end south elevation. The side entrance is located on the south elevation of the addition and contains a historic wood and glass door protected by a wood screen door. A four-over-four light wood window is located to the west of the door and a six-light stationary window is found in the south-facing wall of the addition. The lean-to is clad in the same drop siding as the main house and its roof is covered with corrugated metal paneling. It is unclear when the lean-to was added, but it is not visible in c. 1935 photo (MAES, 42"d Annual Report, 49). A single four-over-four light window is situated in the east half the main house's south elevation. The north gable end elevation and the rear elevation are relatively simple. The former contains two evenly- spaced, four-over-four light windows,while the latter contains four four-over-four windows. A brick chimney, slightly offset to the north, rises from the rear slope of the roof. There is a dog run and dog house behind this residence, which is still used to house student workers. Contributing Building Outhouse, c. 1933(Unnumbered Building/Map No. B03) The outhouse stands about 20 feet from the southwest corner of the Bunkhouse. It is an approximately 3'x6' frame building with a side gable roof covered in corrugated metal paneling. Exposed rafter tails extend under the eave on the east-facing fagade and rear elevation. The exterior walls are comprised of different types of horizontal wood siding, including drop and plank, and vertical corner boards are found on all corners. The batten door, which is centered on the fagade, is made of flush vertical planks and is secured by a wood block that turns on a nail. It is unclear when the outhouse was constructed or if it stands in its original location, however, it most likely served the Bunkhouse or non-extant workers housing. Contributing Building Garage, 1933 (MSU No. 728/Map No. B04) This frame two-car garage is clad in drop cedar siding and its gable roof is covered with cedar shingles. Exposed rafter tails are visible under the overhanging eave and a simple vergeboard covers the gable ends. The gable-end fagade faces north and contains two hanging batten doors with diagonal bracing arranged in an "X". Both side elevations (north and south) contain eight-light windows with two rows of four lights, while the rear elevation is unfenestrated. The garage is painted white with black windows sashes to match the farmstead's other residential structures. Contributing Building North Well and Water Storage Tank, c. 1931 (Unnumbered Structure/Map No. S01) Pressurized water was added to the farmstead along with the Ranch House and Horse Barn in 1931. This 60' well is currently covered with wood and corrugated metal paneling. The convex top of the well's submerged concrete water storage tank, which is approximately 10' long and 5' wide, is visible to the north of the well. This well worked in conjunction with a second well between the Ranch House and the Implement Shed, with a pump house for watering livestock at the south end of the farmstead. Contributing Structure MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 East Well, c. 1950(Unnumbered Structure/Map No. S02) This 110'-deep well was in place by 1961. It is surrounded by a wooden box structure and metal cylinder. The well continues to represent the spatial arrangement of the farmstead and the importance of water to the farm's operations. Contributing Structure Horse Barn, 1931 (MSU No. 722/Map No. B05) The approximately 40'x 32' gambrel-roof Horse Barn is one of the farmstead's primary structures. This is evidenced by its location at the end of the farmstead's main drive, which branches to the west, south and southeast in front (north) of the barn. The 2,232 square-foot barn's ridgeline is oriented east-west with the gambrel-end facade facing east into the farmyard. Exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding with corner boards and the roof is covered with asphalt shingles dating from 2005. A simple vergeboard covers the projecting gambrel ends and exposed rafter tails are visible under the overhanging eaves on side elevations. The barn is currently painted grey, like all of the farmstead's agricultural buildings; however, historic photographs indicate it was originally painted red with white trim. The facade contains a centered vehicle entrance, which is protected with paired sliding batten doors with stacked "X" bracing. Above the entrance is a small square opening filled with a batten panel with "X" bracing. The large batten hay door is centered in the gambrel end. It features horizontal and diagonal bracing, which creates a diamond and cross motif capped by two triangles at the door's slanted top. The pulley mechanism for loading hay extends outward at the top of the hay door. There is no hay hood. The north side elevation has a small, square side-hinged batten window with "X" bracing near it east end. Five windows openings puncture the remaining two-thirds of the building. All but the westernmost window, which is boarded up, contain six-light wood windows. A lean-to addition with restrooms is located toward the west end of the south elevation. The lean- to is covered in wide smooth asbestos siding and has a solid wood door on its east elevation reached by a paved walk. A small one-over-one wood window is located in the south elevation of the lean-to. To the east of the lean-to on the main wall of the barn are two double-hung one-over-one wood windows, which likely replaced the original six-light units, flanked by openings filled by wood paneling. A third paneled opening is located to the west of the lean-to. Prior to being paneled up, these openings either contained six-light wood windows or side-hinged batten windows. Alterations to the south elevation probably occurred when a laboratory was installed on this side of the building. The lean-to addition is obviously not original, but its small size and complementary design do little to detract from the barn's overall historic integrity. The vehicle entrance on the rear(west) elevation has been converted into a walk-in entrance with a solid wood door. Drop cedar siding, which does not line up with the siding found on the main wall face, fills the enclosed space around the door. A small, square opening for ventilation is slightly offset to the north above the entrance at about mid-wall. Two openings, which are now boarded up, are located in the gambrel ends. Considering their square shape, these either contained hinged batten windows or were completely open for ventilation. Contributing Building Granary, rebuilt c. 1910 (MSU No. 723/Map No. B06) This long building was repurposed from the abandoned military fort shortly after the Experiment Station took possession of the property in 1909. It originally served as a granary and then a garage, but now is used primarily for storage. The building sits on a concrete foundation, which becomes increasingly visible on the west elevation due to the slope of the site. It covers 4,186 square feet and has an approximately 110' x 32' footprint. The ridgeline of its long, steeply-pitched gable roof orientated north-south. There are two gabled wall dormers on the north half of the west elevation. Exposed rafter tails are visible under the overhanging eave on the east elevation and on the south half of the west elevation. Gable ends and wall dormers are raked and have simple vergeboards on their overhangs. The roof is covered with newer corrugated metal paneling and exterior walls are covered in various forms of drop cedar siding. Additional corrugated metal siding has been added to the lower one-third of the west elevation. The former granary is bisected by central drive, which would have historically been used for unloading grain. On the east elevation, which faces the farmyard, there are a series of entrances to the south the drive, including from south to north: a hanging batten door, an overhead batten door and a two-panel wood walk-in door flanked by small wood windows with three stacked lights. West of the drive, there is a long expanse of solid wall—likely indicating the crib where grain was stored—followed by two four-light barn-style windows and a hanging batten door with horizontal bracing. On the east elevation the drive has been filled with vertical wood siding and a walk-in entrance containing a batten door is situated near its center. To the south of the former drive is a walk-in entrance (half of which is covered with metal siding) flanked by windows with three stacked lights. This entrance is identical to the one found directly across on the east MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 elevation. Two square windows are located to the south of the walk-in entrance. The inner opening retains its nine-light wood window, but the outer opening is currently boarded up. A small gable-roofed addition with an east-west ridgeline is attached to the south end of this elevation. Cedar shingles cover the addition's roof and its exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding. The addition's only fenestration (a walk-in doorway on its south elevation) has been filled with drop siding except at the very top where there is a small tight. While probably not original to the repurposed granary, the addition surely dates from an early period. The gabled wall dormers on the north side of the west elevation each contain two pairs of stacked openings. The upper openings hold four-light barn-style windows; however, the windows in the north wall dormer are missing and the windows in the south wall dormer are in disrepair with lights broken out. Side-hinged batten doors cover the lower openings (the door is missing on the inner opening of the north wall dormer). A single square opening with a side-hinged batten door is located under the eave between the wall dormers. The north and south gable ends of the former granary vary greatly. The south elevation contains two paired nine-light wood windows and an elongated opening in the gable end, the latter of which is currently filled with vertical siding. On the north elevation, two four-light barn-style windows are situated immediately above two square openings with side-hinged batten doors. In the gable-end makeshift panels cover offset openings. The small, square upper opening is probably original, and is currently covered with metal siding. Below this to the east is a top-hinged wood panel hanging from a board that appears to cover a hole in the wall. Contributing Building Sheep Shelter, c. 1990(MSU No. 747/Map No. S03) This small (128 square foot) sheep shelter has a shed roof that slopes downward from its open east elevation. Rear and side elevations are made of particleboard with the inner (west) sections of the side elevations open to allow livestock to circulate. The roof is covered in corrugated metal paneling. This sheep shelter currently provides shelter for sheep held in an approximately half-acre fenced pen behind (west of)the Horse Barn and Granary. Non-contributing Structure Implement and Cow Shed, 1933(MSU No. 739/Map No. B07) The Implement and Cow Shed is a long (approximately 100' x 30'), low building that covers 2,592 square feet. It has medium-pitched gable roof with its north-south ridgeline offset to the west. This roof shape might also be described as "saltbox," although it lacks the characteristic steep pitch. The roof is covered in older corrugated metal paneling with decorative balls at the end of the ridge cap. Exposed rafter tails are present under the overhanging eaves of the front (west) and rear(east) elevations and exterior walls are clad in drop siding. The building sits on a concrete foundation. The west elevation faces the farmyard and has five open bays to the north for implement/vehicle storage. Here the roof is supported by king posts, although the diagonal bracing is missing on some posts. The south end is enclosed except for two square openings. The inner opening retains its side-hinged batten door, but the outer opening is boarded up. It does, however, retain the sash for a two-light wood window. Batten doors on the south elevation and the south end of the rear (east)elevation provide access to the enclosed section of the building. A ribbon of four two-light wood windows east of the south door and a pair of similar windows north of the back door provide ample light, suggesting the enclosed section may have been used as a shop or work area, as does a small metal chimney at the southeast corner of the building. The remainder of the rear elevation and the north end of the building lack fenestration. Contributing Building Post and Beam Pulley Structure,c. 1950(Unnumbered Structure/Map No. SO4) There is a tall post and beam structure immediately to the south of the Implement and Cow Shed. It is comprised of three tall round posts supporting a square beam. A pulley and chain mechanism is attached to the beam between the north and central posts. Three shorter posts are located behind these. The posts create a "lane" toward the door on the south elevation. This structure may be used for dressing and examining livestock carcasses and/or working on machine engines. While its precise construction date is unknown, the structure's materials (especially the pulley and chain) indicated it dates from the period of historical significance. Contributing Structure Store House, 1933 (MSU No. 731 /Map No. BOB) Along with the Oil Shed this small (120-square foot) building was moved to its current location in the middle of the farmyard. Its original location is currently unknown. The Store House is a front gable building with its fagade facing west. It has an open overhanging eave on side elevations. The roof is covered in corrugated metal siding and exterior walls are covered with drop cedar siding. The fagade contains a five-panel wood door offset to the north and a modern louver vent in the gable end. A four-light window is centered in the north elevation. Outside of a louvered vent that has been recently installed,the rear(east) and south elevations lack fenestration. The building currently sits on a wood block foundation and is supported on its side elevations by diagonal bracing. Contributing Building MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Architectural Description Prolicay Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Oil Shed, 1933(MSU No. 740/Map No. B09) Along with the Store House, the Oil Shed was moved to its present location in the center of the farmyard. Its original location is currently unknown. The Oil Shed is a small (100-square foot) front gable building with its facade facing west. The roof is covered in older corrugated metal panels with decorative balls at the ends of its ridge cap. Exposed rafter tails are present under the overhanging eaves and exterior walls are covered in drop cedar siding. The facade has a five-panel wood door to the west and a four-light wood window to the east. All other elevations lack fenestration. The building currently sits on a wood foundation. Contributing Building Grain Bins, 1986(MSU No. 741, Map No. S05—S06), This pair of metal GSI (Grain Systems, Inc.) grain bins was added to the property in the 1980s. The cylindrical grain bins have conical tops and their bottoms taper to a mechanical chute that pulls grain upward for loading. 2 Non-contributing Structures Ram Test Shed, 1933 (MSU No. 737/Map No. B10) This 5,220-square foot sheep shed is a long (approximately 150' x 40') building with a medium-pitched gable roof, which has an east-west ridgeline. The roof is covered in corrugated metal siding and exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding. Exposed rafter tails are visible under the overhanging eave. Due to the slope of the site from east to west, the western end of the building is slightly banked and the poured concrete foundation is highly visible. The south elevation faces the sheep pens found behind (south of) the main farmyard. Its eastern section is comprised of five open bays that currently provide shelter of for rams held in a large (approximately 1 acre) pen that extends from the south facade of this building to the beginning of the grade for 1-90. King posts support the roof and define the open bays. The western quarter of the building is enclosed. A ribbon of twelve elongated one-over-one screens dominates the enclosed portion of the south elevation. A batten walk-in door with diagonal bracing is found to the east of this series of windows and a short side-hinged batten door is located under sixth window from the west. A banked vehicle entrance, which cuts through the concrete foundation, is centered in the gable-end west elevation. It is protected by double sliding batten doors with "X" bracing. The long rear(north) elevation has three evenly-spaced walk-in entrances into the open eastern section of the shed. The westernmost of these contains a batten door with diagonal bracing, but the other two appear to be boarded up. A single walk-in entrance in the east gable end is currently closed by a wood gate. Contributing Building Research Sheep Shed &Shop, 1931 (MSU No. 730, Map No. B11) This long (approximately 225' x 40') building has the east-west ridgeline of its gable roof lined up with the Ram Test Shed immediately to the west. It is the farmstead's largest building and currently covers 8,249 square feet. The roof of the Sheep Shed is covered in older corrugated metal paneling with decorative balls at the ends of its ridge cap. Exposed rafter tails are visible under the overhanging eaves and exterior walls are clad in drop cedar siding. In a photograph published in the Experiment Station's 1934-1935 Annual Report, the Sheep Shed had sixteen open bays and a small frame gable-roofed building connected to its western end by a frame hyphen. However, at some point the west two bays were enclosed and an approximately 34' long addition matching the width and height of the original shed was built on its west end. Considering the materials used (wood doors, four-light wood windows) and the craftsmanship, this alteration probably dates from the period of significance. The fourteen bays that remain open are defined by king posts supporting the roof structure. They provide shelter to sheep held in small metal panel pens located against the shed or in one of the long pens that extend approximately 175' to the farmstead's southern graveled drive. The enclosed west end has five bays with the following fenestration patterns (from east to west): a solid wall, a six-light wood window slightly offset to the west, a two panel wood door (the bottom is covered with plywood) flanked by six-light wood windows, a six- panel wood overhead garage door and a large rectangular window opening currently covered with plywood. A modern sliding metal door has been installed on the north end of the Sheep Shed's east end, which originally lacked fenestration. The west end of the building has a centered five panel wood door with a single six-light window to the north and paired six-light widows to the south. The latter opening is partially covered with plywood. The west end of the rear (north elevation) faces the farmyard and contains paired four-light widows and a garage door. Three evenly-spaced walk- in entrances are located in the main section of the rear elevation, with the west entrance containing a batten door with "X" bracing. Contributing Building MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE io Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Scale House/Shearing Shed, 1933(MSU No. 729/Map No. B12) This is a 2,988-square foot frame building. The approximately 95' long ridgeline of its gable roof is oriented east-west. A central drive bisects the building, with the section to the west being approximately 30'wide and the drive and east section extending another 8'to the north. The Scale House/Shearing Shed is clad in a simple flush horizontal wood siding, rather than the more decorative drop siding found on most of the farmstead's other buildings. The roof is covered in older corrugated metal paneling with decorative balls at the ends of its ridge cap. Exposed rafter tails are present under the overhanging eaves. The south elevation faces two small holding pens, while the rear(north) elevation opens to the farmstead's large eastern pasture. On both these long elevations, the area east of the drive was designed to be largely open to permit the easy movement of livestock. Currently, both areas, excepting the doors, are filled with plywood paneling. The east section of the south elevation has a sliding door comprised of two stacked plywood panels on its west end and a two-panel wide sliding door on its east end. A similar configuration is found in the east segment of the north elevation, except here the wider door is covered in corrugated metal siding. The drive remains open on the south elevation, but on the north elevation all but the very bottom is closed off with paneling covered in corrugated metal siding. The slimmer western section of the building is less open with single batten walk-in doors on both the north and south elevations. A large window opening with paired two-light sashes (the glass appears to be gone) is also situated at the west end of the south elevation. The building's west end contains a long falling door covered in horizontal siding on its upper wall. Both gable ends are filled with vertical siding. Contributing Building Pump House,c. 1931 (MSU No. 743, Map No. S07) This is 75-square foot pump house, which has poured concrete walls and a wood gable roof structure. The front gable fagade faces south with its open entrance protected from livestock by a metal panel gate. Older corrugated metal currently covers the roof, which has a square opening near the back of its northern slope to allow plumbing connections. Contributing Structure Sheep Shelter,c. 1990 (MSU No. 744, Map No. S08) This simple 160-square foot sheep shelter consists of riveted corrugated metal panels that create an arch with an open north end. The metal panels are secured to a wood foundation. Non-contributing Structure Sheep Shelters, 2013 (MSU Nos. 755-757, Map Nos. S09—S11) This trio of small (96-square foot) prefabricated sheep shelters was added to the property in 2013. They are clustered around a metal sheep feeder, with the central shelter's open end facing north and the flanking shelters facing northeast and northwest. The shelters have a wood frame covered on three sides and at the roof by corrugated metal panels. A single wood king post supports the roof on their open ends. 3 Non-contributing Structures Loading Ramp,c. 1950(Unnumbered Structure, Map No.S12) The loading ramp is located just off the branch of the main drive to the south of the Ram Test Shed and Sheep Shed. It consists of a dirt ramp that slopes up to the south. The dirt ramp, which is now overgrown with grass, is supported on its east, west and south sides by wood planks held in place by fence posts. The construction date of this ramp is unknown, but it likely dates from the mid-20`h century when trucks became the common means of transporting livestock. Contributing Structure Confinement Shed, c. 1978 (MSU No. 746, Map No. B13) This approximately 50'x 32' (3,553-square foot)frame building has a shed roof that slants downward from north to south and a banked entrance on its west elevation. The roof is covered in corrugated metal paneling and exterior walls are clad in unpainted board and batten siding. Exposed rafter tails are found under the overhanging eave on the building's longer north and south elevations. The building's north elevation contains a centered solid wood door decorated in"X"bracing. A small rectangular opening is cut into the wall to the east. The east elevation has a grade entrance on its north side with double doors identical to the door on the north elevation. There is a below grade vehicle entrance into"banked"west elevation. It is currently covered with wide horizontal planks. Two elevated openings of the south elevation have lost their hinged doors and are now only partially closed by boards. Current records indicate this building dates from 1978. While it may have been constructed earlier, no evidence of such as claim was uncovered during research for the completion of this form. Non-contributing Building MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE n Architectural Description Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Sheep Shelter, c. 1978 (MSU No. 734/Map No. S13) The shed roof of this relative large (768-square foot) sheep shelter slants upward towards its open east end. The wood frame is covered on its other three sides by plywood paneling. Three posts support the roof structure across its open end. Short rafter tails are exposed underneath the roof on the open east end. Corrugated metal paneling covers the roof. Non- contributing Structure Hay Shelter, 1933(MSU No. 736/Map No. S14) The Hay Shelter has a long, steeply-pitched gable roof supported by eight king posts on its north and south elevations. Its W-shaped frame Fink truss system is visible in the open east and west gable ends. The roof,which is approximately 86' x 34', is covered in newer corrugated metal paneling. Contributing Structure MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 History of Property Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 HISTORY OF PROPERTY Development of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) The Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and the Agricultural State College of Montana (MSU) were authorized alongside each other by the State Legislature on February 16, 1893. As a land grant institution, the new College had access to $15,000 in annual federal funding available through the 1887 Hatch Act for the creation of an agricultural experiment station. Agricultural education and extension in Montana would develop quickly over the next few decades from its base in Bozeman, as explained by historian Merrill G. Burlingame in 1968: When Montana State opened in 1893, the teaching mission was only one of its interests. Another was that of agricultural research, and the Experiment Station began operations at the same time. The desire of people to share in the results of the research grew quickly. The influence of the nationwide Farmer's Institutes soon led the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which established the Extension Service, and the land-grant educational pattern was complete. (128). Of course, there was much work to be done before reaching that point of relative maturity. Montana stood to benefit greatly from the work of its Agricultural Experiment Station, but beyond authorizing its creation, it did little to support the institution during its formative years. The Experiment Station began operations on a donated 160-acre farm immediately west of the MSU campus, which included 80 acres from the City of Bozeman and what had been the Gallatin County Poor Farm. It depended upon its $15,000 Hatch Act appropriation for survival; however, very little was provided for permanent improvements,just $3,750 for the first year of operation and $750 annually thereafter. This funding was used to build the Experiment Station Building (now Taylor Hall) on the MSU campus and a poultry house/machine shed on the adjacent Home Station (or College Farm) in 1894. The former would house all of the Experiment Station's departments except Chemistry, in addition to many classes for the space-starved College, until completion of the Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) in 1908. After its second year, the Experiment Station could also use its own income for improvements and over the next nine years just over$5,000 was spent on the Home Station, including the construction of a granary, barn, farmhouse and two greenhouses. During this time (1893-1903) the Experiment Station staff grew from four (Director/Horticulturalist, S.M. Emery and an Agriculturalist, Chemist and Veterinarian)to seven, and the new departments were added in irrigation, botany and entomology. Experiment Station staff members also published 54 bulletins and circulars on subjects ranging from pig feeding and potatoes to drinking water and cheese making. Montana's Agricultural Experiment Station expanded quickly over the next fifteen years, both in the breadth of its studies and in its physical presence across the State. This was largely due to more funding, which came from increasing State support beginning in 1903 and the passage of the Adams Act in 1906. The Adams Act offered an addition $15,000 annually in federal monies for original research. Money also came in from private donors, especially the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroads, who had a substantial financial interest in agricultural development along their routes through Montana. Some of those funds went toward the creation of more staff positions and departments. By 1918, twenty-six Experiment Station staff members were working in ten departments: agronomy, horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry, agricultural engineering, farm management, chemistry, botany and bacteriology, entomology and veterinary science. Other appropriations allowed for the establishment of branch stations at Moccasin (1907), Corvallis (1907), Huntley (1911) and on the former Fort Assiniboine Military Reservation near Havre (1913). The Experiment Station also took on special projects during this period, including the study of hog cholera, the promotion of the State's "pure seed law," and participation in the popular Farmers' Institutes, which took agricultural education on the road across Montana. Finally, the Experiment Station also improved and expanded its Home Station in Bozeman, with the acquisition of 160 acres and two city blocks for the College Farm (1909), the addition of 600 acres at the former Fort Ellis Military Reservation located 3 miles east of the main campus (also in 1909) and the creation of the Montana Grain Laboratory(1913). (MAES, 251h Annual Report, in passim). Agricultural development in Montana surged during the Experiment Station's first twenty-five years, but the crash in agricultural prices that followed WWI marked the beginning of a tumultuous period that would not end until the close of the Second World War. The Experiment Station continued to grow during the interwar period as it worked to meet the challenges of agricultural depression and wartime production. Beginning in 1924, for instance, the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station partnered with the United States Department of Agriculture at the U.S. Range Livestock Branch Station at Miles City. By 1928, there were thirty-nine staff members based at the Home Station in Bozeman, some of them working in the new"social science" departments of agricultural economics, home economics and rural life, in addition to fifteen staff members at the five branch stations. (MAES, 35th Annual Report). During the Great Depression, the Experiment Station partnered with many of Roosevelt's New Deal agencies, including the Agricultural Adjustment MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 History of Property Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Administration and the Resettlement Administration to reach Montana's struggling rural populations, while also taking advantage of the labor provided by the Works Progress Administration and the Civil Works Administration. (MAES, 43`d Annual Report). World War II brought a rebound in agriculture prices, but also necessitated increased production. The Montana Agricultural Experiment Station highlighted their contribution to the war effort in their 481h and 49`h Annual Report, Value of Agricultural Research during War Time. After World War II, the Experiment Station experienced another period of growth. "The splendid record of financial support of agricultural research by the residents of Montana," explained the 1951-1952 Annual Report, "is encouraging to the administration and the research staff." These monies provided for the addition of the Montana Wool Laboratory (1945), new branch stations at Sidney and Creston (1947) and the 13,000 acre Red Bluff Research Ranch, located near Norris (1954). By 1952, the Experiment Station staff had increased to 103, with 85 living in Bozeman and 18 at the branch stations. Staff members also continued to produce bulletins and circulars in impressive numbers throughout this period. Between 1942 and 1952, for instance, 77 bulletins and 31 circulars were published by the Experiment Station, offering guidance on everything from "Fattening Lambs in Montana," to "Sugar Substitutes and Their Use in Canning and Baking." (MAES, 50-59th Annual Report). With the onset of the 1960s, however, Montana's political climate shifted with the election of conservative Governor Donald Nutter. Under the Nutter Administration (1961-1962), the budgets of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and its companion organization, the Montana Agricultural Extension Service, were cut by 34% and 51%, respectively. (Burlingame, 194). A new administration following Nutter's tragic death in a plane crash brought less severe cuts, but the 1960s would remain a difficult period for all of higher education in Montana. Despite occasional funding setbacks, the Experiment Station was able to thrive during the latter decades of the 20`h century and into the 215t century. All of the branch stations remain open, and the Experiment Station continues to coordinate research with the USDA at the Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Lab in Miles City and the Northern Plains Agricultural Research Lab near Sidney. In partnership with the MSU College of Agriculture, the Station now included six departments: agricultural economics, agricultural education, animal and range sciences, immunology and infectious diseases, land resources and environmental sciences, and plant sciences and pathology. It is also affiliated with seven Institutes, including the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center and the Center for Invasive Plant Management. Finally, the Home Station in Bozeman has also expanded to include the Lutz and Post Farms. The current mission of the Experiment Station reflects is long history of service: "[to]generate and disseminate superior knowledge and technological solutions to increase the competitiveness of communities capturing value from Montana's agricultural and natural resources, preserve environmental quality, and improve the quality of life for all our citizens." (MAES Website). The Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm "In a state which has more sheep that any other state in the union,"wrote Experiment Station Director, F. B. Linfield, in his 1905-1906 Report to MSU President James Hamilton, "I believe all will admit the need for careful and systematic work in breeding and feeding sheep." Linfield went on to admonish the Station's "crude" facilities, which led to the sale of the few sheep previously kept there, and ask for $15,000 toward the purchase of livestock and the construction of suitable steer and sheep barns. (Report of the Director, 1905-1906). Certainly, Linfield was correct in the need for sheep research in Montana. By 1886, there were 986,000 sheep and 664,000 cattle recorded in Montana, and in 1900 Montana led the nation in wool production with approximately 6 million sheep, as opposed to just under 1 million cattle. (Malone, 157,167; US Agricultural Census, 1900). The fantastic growth in sheep numbers can be partially attributed to the disastrous winter of 1886-1887, which proved sheep were better suited to Montana's tough winters than cattle. Sheep ranchers were also organized politically, with the formation of the Montana Wool Growers Association in 1883. (Wool Laboratory, MHPR Form). In addition to better livestock and livestock facilities, Linfield also requested $20,000 for additional "land with water and improvements," for the Experiment Station in his 1905-1906 Report. That figure, however, was contingent on a footnote added by Linfield suggesting, "If Ft. Ellis Military Reservation can be turned over to College, the land expense can be eliminated, except $4,000 to $5,000 for repairs." The main components of the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm were, therefore, on the Experiment Station's wish list at an early date, but it would take another few decades before the farm would reflect Linfield's vision of a well-organized sheep research facility. The roughly 600-acres Fort Ellis Military Reservation, which had languished since abandonment by the Army in 1886, was officially turned over to the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station in the spring of 1909. What remained of the former fort was, according to the Experiment Station staff, "a large number of old buildings with worn-out shingles and rotten foundations," completely unsuitable for human or animal habitation. (MAES, 171h Annual Report, 241). Most of the military buildings were torn down, with their usable materials going toward the renovation of three buildings into a farmhouse, horse stable and granary/livestock shed. The only one of these early buildings to survive is the granary (1306). During its MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 History of Property Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 first decade, Fort Ellis was used primarily for studies with cattle; however, plans were in place to make it a sheep experiment station by early 1921 and a foundation flock of 380 Rambouillet ewe Iambs was purchased and brought to the farm in the fall of that year. (MAES, 27th Annual Report, 11; MAES, 32"d Annual Report, 16). Early work in sheep research at the Fort Ellis was overseen by the Director of the Animal Husbandry Department at MSU, including C. N. Arnett (1915-1927) and H. W. Vaughn (1927-1930). Studies focused on nutrition, Iamb production and wool production. Just four years after the foundation flock was purchased, the Experiment Station staff had created over 12,000 records detailing "live weights, fleece weights and characteristics, Iamb birth weights, fall weight of Iambs, body scores, and so on," for each individual sheep. In addition to the foundation flock of Rambouillets, the Experiment Station also kept a small flock of other purebred breeds on hand, which facilitated crossbreeding and comparison experiments. In 1928, for instance, the Experiment Station purchased two Ramboluillet rams, one Hampshire ram, one Southdown ram and four ewes, one Shropshire ram Iamb and four Lincoln ewes. (AH Annual Report, 1928-1929). While research progressed significantly, facilities at Fort Ellis during the 1920s were still found wanting. A c. 1924 photograph of the early sheep sheds at the farm in the Experiment Station's Thirty-First Annual Report depicted a rather primitive structure with a caption explaining, "Very ordinary equipment was available for handling the sheep of the experimental band. About one- half of the ewes were housed in this straw shed during the winter feeding trials." (MAES, 31 st Annual Report, 24). While the buildings at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm could still be described as "ordinary" in 1924, by the end of the decade they were, "intolerable...both for those in immediate charge of the farm and livestock and for the proper carrying on of experimental work." (MAES, 38th Annual Report, 109). Fortunately, vast improvements would soon be underway. In 1931, with funding from livestock sales and good crops, the Experiment Station was able to add the Ranch House (1301), Horse Barn (1305) and Research Sheep Shed & Shop (1311) to the Fort Ellis Farmstead. According to the Experiment Station's 38th Annual Report, "These improvements have helped very much to facilitate our research with sheep, and will permit enlargement of the flock to a size better suited to solving the sheep and wool problems of the State." A whole host of other buildings would be erected over the next few years, so that by 1935 the farmstead appeared very much as it does today, excepting a few minor additions and the movement/removal of some small buildings. (1961 Inventory; MAES, 42"d Annual Report, 12). In addition to the new buildings, a large experimental shelterbelt was planted along the west boundary of the farmstead in 1931 and labor from the New Deal's Civil Works Administration was used to gravel roads and repair fences at the Home Station (the College Farm and Fort Ellis) between 1933 and 1934. (MAES, 42"d Annual Report, 48; AH Annual Report, 1933-1934). Two years later, Frank Price, who had been employed at the farm for years, became the first recorded full-time manager at Fort Ellis. (AH Annual Report, 1935-1936). The Experiment Station added a range component to its sheep experiments in the 1930s, leasing approximately 5,000 acres of summer range in the nearby Gallatin National Forest and winter range near Manhattan in the Gallatin Valley east of Bozeman. This allowed the growth of the Experiments Station's grade Rambouillet flock to 1,200 ewes, alongside its smaller flocks of purebred Rambouillets, Hampshires and Southdowns. (MAES, 42"d Annual Report, 13). Important ongoing sheep research projects approved by F. B. Linfield—the same Director who called for increased sheep research in 1906—during the late 1930s included "Length of Gestation Period of Range Ewes and Influence of Breed of Sire on Rate of Breeding and Length of Gestation Period," and, "Improvement of the Mutton Type and Wool Characteristics of Rambouillets through Selection and Breeding." (University Records). Improvements also continued at the Fort Ellis Farm during the late 1930s and 1940s. A procedure for managing the farm's crop lands was developed for the first time between 1938 and 1939 and by 1944, there were approximately 220 acres under cultivations, with 60 acres in barley, 60 acres in oats, 80 acres in alfalfa and 20 acres in timothy. (AH Annual Reports, 1938-1939 and 1943-1944). The newly- dubbed Department of Animal Industry and Range Management (formerly Animal Husbandry) also put department funds toward painting the buildings, which had fallen into disrepair, and lobbied for a tractor to use in taming the "weeding condition," at Fort Ellis. (AH Annual Reports, 1940-1941 and 1941-1942). One improvement, however, failed to materialize. Excavation for the new Montana Wool Laboratory at Fort Ellis was started in 1947, but when it was decided to locate the building on the main MSU campus instead, Bozeman contractor Roy Malsor was authorized to fill the three holes he had only recently dug. (University Records, "Montana Wool Laboratory"). Sheep numbers declined significantly during and after the Second World War, falling to just under 2 million by 1947. Even so, sheep research based at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station continued to evolve and grow. By 1948, the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station had built up one of the largest herds of experimental sheep in the nation, second only the United States Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho. (Van Horn, Memo, 8/6/1948). As explained in 1952, "Three thousand head of sheep are used...to provide answers to some of the problems being encountered by Montana sheep producers. These sheep are handled as nearly as possible under ranch conditions except for the extra handling MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 History of Property Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 necessitated because of the experiments." The improvement of the Rambouillet, Targee and Columbia breeds though selective culling and breeding was one problem the Experiment Station took on during this period, with attempts to improve body conformation, eliminate body wrinkles, remove wool from the face and increase clean wool production. In 1949-1950 they also found, perhaps not surprisingly, that "ewes placed on a higher plane of nutrition after breeding gave birth to more Iambs than ewes on a lower level of feed." (MEAS, 501h—591h Annual Reports, 18-19). The Experiment Station also continued to work in partnership with other organizations, including the Montana Agricultural Extension Service, the Montana Wool Laboratory, the Montana Wool Growers Association and the United States Sheep Experiment Station. For instance, in a request for assistance from the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station with "scoring" the 1946 Iamb crop, Fred S. Willson, head of the Department of Animal Industry, wrote, "I hope that the close cooperation which has existed between our stations in the past few years will be maintained." (University Records, "Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Dubois, Idaho"). Another example of cooperative work was the publication of a short article, "Culling for Wool and Lamb Production," in a c. 1945 issue of the Extension Service's The Montana Stockhand, which offered assistance from both agencies to sheep ranchers "launching a systematic culling program for their ewe band." (University Records). The Montana Wool Growers Association depended heavily on the Experiment Station for information, as evidenced by a 1950 letter to Director Willson from the organization's Secretary-Treasurer: As you know, we are always anxious for stories and articles from the Experiment Station or the college for use in the Montana Wool Grower, as this is the best medium of getting information out to the State's sheepmen...I am really anxious to have a story relative to the Ram Indexing Experiment at Fort Ellis. I also believe some short article on the value of dehydrated alfalfa pellets and the comparison of steam-rolled barley vs. whole barley for Iambs would be of great interest. I would very much like to have some article, even though it is only a paragraph or two, in every issue. In exchange for such information, the Montana Wool Growers Association threw their political support behind the Experiment Station. Their 1947 Platform, for instance, included resolutions in support of state funding for the purchase of permanent range land for sheep experiments, the continuance and expansion of veterinary research and the completion of the Montana Wool Laboratory, which was delayed due to wartime shortages in building materials. (MWGA Platform and Policy, 1947). Finally, Experiment Station staff also fielded countless requests for information from other agencies and the general public on sheep related issues. Sheep numbers have continued to decline drastically in Montana (there are now 11 cows for each sheep), but it still ranks seventh among the nation's sheep-producing states, with approximately 225,000 sheep. (USDA, 2011). Today, the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm remains under the stewardship of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. Along with the Montana Wool Laboratory and the Red Bluff Research Ranch, Fort Ellis is an integral component of the Montana Sheep Institute. The Institute, a cooperative effort between the Montana Wool Growers Association and MSU, strives to, "develop and implement methods to facilitate Montana (U.S.) Iamb and wool producers to increase their competitiveness in world markets." (MSI Website). William R. Plew, MSU Supervising Architect As Supervising Architect at MSU from 1913-1945, Plew was likely responsible for the design of many of the buildings at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station. Architectural drawings from 1924 for a horse barn and sheep shed at Fort Ellis, which were not built at that time, indicate his design services were probably called upon for many of the buildings added to the farmstead in the 1930s. He was also responsible for the design of several agricultural buildings at the College Farm, including a Beef Cattle Barn (possibly the extant S.O.B. Barn), Hog Barn and Poultry Building, as well and the 1947 Montana Wool Laboratory on the main campus. Plew graduated in 1907 with a Bachelor of Science from Rose Polytechnic Institute, now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, in Terre Haute, Indiana before coming to MSU, where he taught architecture classes in the College of Engineering. When Alfred Atkinson became president of MSU, Plew took a leave of absence to continue his education at Rose Polytechnic in the newly-formed discipline of architectural project management. He returned to MSU with a Master of Science degree and created his position as Supervising Architect in 1913. Plew's work as project manager, draftsman, designer, coordinator with outside consultants and director of the Physical Plant had a significant impact on the development of MSU facilities during his long tenure. When Plew died in June of 1945, H. C. Cheever of the College of Architecture assumed the position until his permanent replacement, Walter Baker, was hired in 1947. (MSU Historic District Nomination). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 History of Property Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Shanley,Willson and Hugenin This firm briefly combined the talents of George H. Shanley of Great Falls, Fred F. Willson of Bozeman and Roscoe C. Hugenin of Butte, three of Montana's most prolific and skilled architects. The partnership may have been a sign of the spiraling economy, as design work became increasingly hard to come by during the agricultural depression of the 1920s and the Great Depression that followed.Whatever was behind their decision to combine forces, the firm took on a number of projects between 1928 and 1932, ranging in size and scale from the National Bank of Montana in Helena to alterations on Bozeman's Gallatin Block and Story Building. One of their smaller projects was the 1931 Ranch House at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station. (Montana Architectural Drawings Collection; Fred F. Willson Collection). Fred F.Willson Born in 1877, Willson was the only son of General L. S. Willson, Civil War veteran, territorial legislator and Bozeman pioneer. After attending the Bozeman Academy, Willson completed his junior year at Montana State College then enrolled at Columbia University. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1902. Willson returned to Montana, where he spent two years in the Helena office of prominent architect, Charles S. Haire. Next, he went to Europe, where he studying at the Ecole des Beau Arts and traveled, before returning to the United States in 1906. Willson briefly lived in New York City, where he was associated with architects Theodore C. Visscher and James Burley. Later that year, Willson returned to Montana to oversee the Butte office of his mentor, who now headed the firm of Link & Haire. Willson returned permanently to Bozeman in 1910 and opened his own office in the Commercial National Bank Building. He designed and built his own residence at 509 Tracy Avenue in 1914. His design of Bozeman's Jacobethan Revival Emerson School won praise from educational groups across the United States. Willson designed numerous buildings in the Bozeman area and across Montana, and was competent in a number of architectural styles including Craftsman, Mission and Renaissance Revival, Jacobethan Revival and International. His designs on campus include the Atkinson Quadrangle, Hamilton Hall, the Engineering Building (Roberts Hall), the Engineering Shops (Ryon Labs) and its addition, the Heating Plant, the Chemistry Building (Traphagen Hall), Herrick Hall and the original section of the 1939-1940 Strand Union Building. (MSU Historic District Nomination). George H. Shanley George H. Shanley, perhaps Great Falls most prominent architect, was born in 1875 in Burlington, Vermont and attended the University of Vermont. After graduation, he worked for various architects in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1898, he came west to help his father build St. Mary's Cathedral in Fargo, North Dakota and a barn near Glacier Park. During his early years in Montana, Shanley worked in Kalispell in the firm of Gibson and Shanley before moving to Butte in 1900. He then moved to Great Falls, where he formed his own firm in 1907, but continued to collaborate with others. In 1915, he worked with the renowned Spokane architectural firm of Cutter& Malmgren on a country house in West Glacier for Mrs. John G. Morony. For his MSU buildings, Shanley worked with Great Falls architect Charles H. Baker. Between World War II and his death in 1960, Shanley transitioned into the Modern style and formed the partnership of Shanley & Shanley with his son, Frank B. Shanley. Representative examples of his work include: First National Bank Building, Federal Reserve Bank Building and the State Highway Department Building in Helena; Finlen Hotel, Immaculate Conception School and Convent and the main pavilion at Columbia Gardens in Butte; the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman; the Army Winter Training Camp at Yellowstone National Park; numerous commercial buildings in the Great Falls Commercial District, the Montana State Fair Grounds, and, with Spokane engineer Ralph Adams, the 10th Street Bridge in Great Falls. He also designed several Catholic churches, many schools and numerous banks. Within the MSU Historic District, Shanley designed Lewis Hall (Biology Building, 1923)and Romney Gymnasium (1922)with Charles H. Baker. (MSU Historic District Nomination). Roscoe C. Hugenin Hugenin was born in Kansas on April 25, 1883 and received his architectural degree from the University of Illinois. He lived in Helena, Montana between 1915 and 1922, where he worked as a draftsman and architect for Link & Haire. He then moved to Missoula, Montana in the 1920s, serving for a time as superintendent of construction at the University of Montana. Hugenin was in Butte, Montana by 1928. In Butte he first partnered with Shanley and Willson (see above), but then started his own firm, designing the Hammond Arcade in Missoula in 1934. He also worked with Norman B. Dekay, a partnership that produced designs for the Journalism and Pharmacy-Chemistry Building at the University of Montana in Missoula and the Broadwater County Courthouse in Townsend. He was also worked for Norman J. Hamill and Associates and Cahill-Mooney Construction Company during his long career. Hugenin died in Butte in 1962. (Missoula Downtown Historic District Nomination, Ancestry.com) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancestry.com. Record Search Results for Roscoe C. Hugenin including Census Records, Montana Death Index, City Directories (Butte, Missoula, Helena) and WWI Draft Card. Axline, Jon (Montana Department of Transportation, Historian), Email, November 19, 2013. Burlingame, Merrill G. A History:Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Office of Information Publication, Bozeman, MT, 1968. Betts, M. C. and W. R. Humphries (USDA Division of Rural Engineering). Planning the Farmstead, USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 1132, Washington D.C.: USDA, 1920. Dusenberry, H. L. (MAES Livestock Specialist). "Reduction in Sheep Numbers," Memo. August 19, 1947. (University Records, Extension Service, 1947-1948) Issac, E. E. (Extension Horticulturalist). Beautifying the Farm Home. Montana Agricultural Extension Service Bulletin No. 165, Bozeman, MT: MAES, June 1938. Issac, E. E. (Extension Horticulturalist). Shelterbelts for Montana. Montana Agricultural Extension Service Bulletin No. 109, Bozeman, MT: MAES, June 1930. Linfield, F. B. "Report of the Director of the Montana Experiment Station, 1905-1906," MSU University Records, PR3, Experiment Station. MAES. Seventeenth Annual Report:For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1910, Bozeman, MT: 1911. MAES. Twenty-fifth Annual Report:For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1918, Bozeman, MT: 1919. MAES. Twenty-sixth Annual Report:For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1918, Bozeman, MT 1920 MAES. The Work of the Montana Experiment Station: Thirty-first Annual Report, July 1, 1923-June 30, 1924, Bozeman, MT: 1925. MAES. Some New Facts from the Montana Experiment Station: Thirty-second Annual Report, July 1, 1924-June 30, 1925, Bozeman, MT: 1926. MAES. Progress in Agricultural Investigations: Thirty-fifth Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station, July 1, 1927-June 30, 1928, Bozeman, MT: 1929. MAES. Agricultural Research, Its Service to the State: Thirty-eighth Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station, July 1, 1930-June 30, 1931, Bozeman, MT: 1932. MAES. Service to Montana's Livestock Industry: The Forty-second Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station, July 1, 1934-June 30, 1935, Bozeman, MT: 1936. MAES. Value of Agricultural Research in Wartime:Forty-eight and Forty-ninth Annual Reports of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, July 1, 1940-June 30, 1942, Bozeman, MT: 1943. MAES. Some Accomplishments of Ten Years of Agricultural Research in Montana, Fiftieth-Fifty-ninth Annual Reports of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, July 1, 1942-June 30, 1952, Bozeman, MT: 1953. MAES. "Project Map: Improvement of the Mutton Type and Wool Characteristics of Rambouillets through Selection and Breeding," c. 1937. (University Records). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 18 Information Sources/Bibliography I'n,lwrty Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 MAES. "Project Map: Length of Gestation Period of Range Ewes and Influence of Breed of Sire on the Rate of Breeding and Length of Gestation Period,"c. 1937. (University Records). Malone, Michael P., Richard B. Roeder and William L. Lang. Montana:A History of Two Centuries, Revised Edition, Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1991. Mathews, Allen, Dagney Krigbaum and Missoula Historic Preservation Office. "Missoula Downtown Historic District National Register of Historic Places Nomination,"2006. Available Montana State Historic Preservation Office. Miller, R. F. (MAES, Animal Husbandman). "Care and Management of Sheep on the Farm," MAES Circular No. 31, Bozeman, MT: MAES, November 1913. Montana Agricultural Extension Service, Livestock Specialists. "Culling for Wool and Lamb Production," The Stockhand, c. 1945. (University Records). Montana Agricultural Extension Service. Suggestions for Rural House Planning. Montana Agricultural Extension Service Bulletin No. 102. Bozeman, MT: MAES, June 1929. Montana Architectural Drawings Online Catalog. Montana State University Library. Accessed online at http://are.lib.montana.edu/architect/. Montana Wool Growers Association, 1947 Platform and Policy,"461h Annual Convention, Billings, MT, Jan. 16-18, 1947. (University Records, MT Woolgrowers Association, 1946-1947). MSC Animal Husbandry Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Husbandry, 1928-1929,"(MSU Archives & Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 1). MSC Animal Husbandry Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Husbandry, 1933-1934."(MSU Archives & Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 1). MSC Animal Husbandry Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Husbandry, 1935-1936."(MSU Archives& Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 1). MSC Animal Husbandry Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Husbandry, 1938-1939." (MSU Archives & Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 1). MSC Animal Industry and Range Management Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Industry and Range Management, 1940-1941." (MSU Archives&Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 2). MSC Animal Industry and Range Management Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Industry and Range Management, 1941-1942." (MSU Archives &Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 2). MSC Animal Industry and Range Management Department. "Annual Report for Department of Animal Industry and Range Management, 1943-1944." (MSU Archives&Special Collections, PR3, 12002, G-12, Box 2). MSU Facilities Planning. "Fort Ellis, Bozeman, Montana--Facility Inventory Building List," March 29, 2013. MSU Library, Archives and Special Collections. "Fred F.Willson Papers, Collection 2143," Finding Aid. Accessed online at httyftww.lit).montana.edu/collect/spcoll/findaid/2143.php. MSU. Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Website. Accessed online at http://aa.montana.edu/maes.htm. MSU. Montana Sheep Industry Website. Accessed online at http://www.stieepinstitute.montana.edu/. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 19 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 National Park Service. "Fort Ellis," Soldier and Brave, Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings. Website accessed online at http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online books/soldier/sitec8.htm#49. National Park Service. "Bozeman Pass," Lewis and Clark, Survey of Historic and Buildings. Website accessed online at http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online books/lewisandclark/sitel5.htm. Nunn, Jessie. "Montana State University Historic District National Register of Historic Places Nomination,"2013. Available from Montana State Historic Preservation Office. Nunn, Jessie. "Montana State Wool Laboratory, Montana Historic Property Form,"2013. Available from Montana State Historic Preservation Office. Shanley, Willson and Hugenin. "Fort Ellis Ranch House, Montana State College of A& M Arts, Bozeman, MT," Architectural Drawings. (University Records). Shuey, Everett E. (Secretary-Treasurer, Montana Wool Growers Association). Letter to Fred S.Willson (Director, MAES), June 3, 1950. (University Records, Montana Wool Growers Association). University of Montana. "Physical Plant Inventory, Fort Ellis Experiement Station, 1961." MSU University Records. USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. "Montana: 2011 State Agricultural Overview," Accessed online at http://nass.usda.gov/Statistics by State/Aq Overview/AgOverview MT.Pdf. USDA. United State Agricultural Census, 1900. Accessed online at http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/Historical Publications/1900/1900 Farms Livestock/33398096v5ch3.pdf. Van Horn, J. L. (MSU Animal Hustbandry Department). Letter to Fred S. Willson (Director, MAES), August 6, 1948 (University Records, Sheep—General Coorespondence). Willson, Fred S. (Director, MAES). Letter to Julius E. Nordby (U.S. Sheep Experiment Station), August 8, 1946. (University Records, Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Dubois, Idaho). Willson, Fred S. (Director, MAES). Letter to Roy Malsor(contractor), June 19, 1947. (University Records, Montana Wool Laboratory). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 20 Statement of Significance Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NRHP Eligibility: ®Yes ❑No ❑Individually ®Contributing to Historic District ❑Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: ®A ❑B ®C ❑D Area of Significance: Agriculture, Education, Architecture Period of Significance: 1909-1963 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C. Research at the Fort Ellis Experiment Station made significant contributions to Montana's sheep industry. Lamb and wool production were a leading component in Montana's early agricultural development, and although sheep numbers have fallen dramatically since World War II, Montana still ranks in the top ten nationally in both areas. Montana's sheep ranchers were kept apprise of important research through Experiment Station Bulletins and publications of the Montana Wool Growers Association and Montana Agricultural Extension Service. Furthermore, the research performed at Fort Ellis also made its way back to the classroom at Montana State University, where it was disseminated to students in the College of Agriculture, particularly in the Department of Animal Husbandry (later Animal Industry & Range Management). As such, the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead is significant in the areas of agriculture and education at the statewide level. From a design standpoint, the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead is significant as a representation of academic guidance on the development of farmsteads following World War I. While arranging the farmstead, the Experiment Station likely followed available USDA and Montana Agricultural Extension Service Bulletins, such as Planning the Farmstead (USDA, 1920), Suggestions for Rural House Planning (MT,1929), Shelterbelts for Montana (MT, 1930) and Beautifying the Farm Home (MT, 1937). The Ranch House (1301) and its surrounding landscaping are particularly noteworthy in this regard. Suggestions for Rural House Planning, for instance, advises that the farmhouse should be given the best views and sit at the front of the property, have an exposed foundation and wide eaves, avoid dormers or turrets, utilize enclosed porches, and possess, "simplicity and dignity," while avoiding pretention. While not necessarily designed as a family farmhouse, the Ranch House at Fort Ellis certainly reflects all of these characteristics. Furthermore, its walk and ornamental plantings are excellent examples of guidance provided in Beautifying the Farm Home (see discussion above). The West Shelterbelt is another representative example of USDA/Extension Service landscape architecture. Planted in 1931 and featured four years later in the Experiment Station's 42°d Annual Report, this may have been one of the first shelterbelts planted after the publication of Shelterbelts for Montana and it certainly reflects that publication's guidance. More broadly, the location of the farmstead (central to the fields and on a slight swell for drainage) and arrangement and design of the buildings are very much in line with general guidance outlined in the USDA's Planning the Farmstead. The result is well-ordered and efficient farmstead that readily conveys its use as a research facility. The extensive use of open sheds at Fort Ellis is also a significant design element that (outside of the actual sheep) is a character-defining feature of sheep raising and feeding. As assistant animal husbandman, R. F. Miller explained in the 1913 Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Circular, The Care and Management of Sheep on the Farm, "There is no need for expensive buildings for housing sheep,"but that sheep housing should open to the south or west, allow for plenty of ventilation and sunlight, offer convenient feeding and flexible penning options, with 8' being a sufficient height. Sheds, as opposed to the more elaborate barns designed for horses or dairy cattle, are, therefore, a good option for sheep. The Ram Test Shed (1310) and Research Sheep Shed and Shop (1311) are excellent examples of well-designed, permanent sheep sheds. Smaller sheep shelters have also always had a place at Fort Ellis. For instance, there were six 128 square- foot shelters included in a 1961 inventory of buildings at the farm. While none of the current sheep shelters are historic, they nevertheless further link the property to sheep-related research. Finally, the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead is eligible under Criterion C as a "distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction." While few, if any, of the resources making up the farmstead would be considered individually eligible for the National Register, together they represent the many components of a typical farmstead (a farmhouse, animal shelters, outbuildings, well, fencing, shelterbelt, etc.). As a farmstead designed primarily for sheep research, however, the farmstead does include some unique features including large sheep sheds and worker's housing. Overall, the farmstead also displays a good collection of materials and design elements that are often associated MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE zi Statement of Significance Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 with agricultural use. With its gambrel roof, hay door and batten doors with "X" bracing, the Horse Barn (B05) is probably the best example of this easily recognizable agricultural vernacular style and form.The extensive use of drop cedar siding at Fort Ellis is also noteworthy. Those buildings that may have once been individually eligible, namely the Horse Barn and Ranch House, have extensive interior alterations that likely render them ineligible. Perhaps the best candidate for individual eligibility is the West Shelterbelt. The Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead, therefore, is significant under Criterion C in the areas of architecture and landscape architecture. The farmstead is likely significant at the local level in these areas, however, further research and comparisons to other branch stations across Montana may reveal statewide significance. For instance, the West Shelterbelt may be the best example of the an extant shelterbelt planted under the guidance of the 1930 Shelterbelts for Montana, or the farmstead as a whole may retain the better integrity than other Experiment Station farmsteads. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 22 Integrity Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 INTEGRITY(location,design,setting,materials,workmanship,feeling,association) The Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead retains excellent historic integrity. Almost all of the historic buildings from the property's period of historical significance are still extant, except for three lambing sheds and a bunkhouse that were included in a 1961 building inventory. Two of the sheds were relatively large (3,134 square feet), while the other was smaller (900 square feet). The bunkhouse was only 500 square feet. The location of these buildings relative to the farmstead's other resources is currently unknown. While their loss is unfortunately from an integrity standpoint, their presence is not essential to understanding the functionality of the farm and similar buildings are still extant. Just as significantly, no buildings of scale or significance have been added to the main building area. The largest addition is the 3,553 square-foot Confinement Shed (B13), which is located in the "auxiliary cluster" to the west of the West Shelterbelt. Other additions to the property include a pair of metal grain bins (S05 & S06), five small sheep shelters (S03, S08-S11) and a larger sheep shelter(S13). The latter is located in the auxiliary cluster. Smaller historic buildings, including the Store House (B08) and Oil Shed (B09) have been moved to their currently location; however, the reuse of small buildings on agricultural properties is a common practice. Moreover, the farmstead also retains a handful of small-scale structures and features that reveal how the farm historically functioned, including two wells (S01 & S02), a pump house (S07), an earth loading ramp (S12) and a clothesline. Finally, the farmstead also retains significant historic vegetation, namely the 1931 West Shelterbelt and ornamental plantings around the Ranch House (B01). All of the historic buildings at Fort Ellis also retain excellent overall integrity of design, materials and workmanship. Each building is still clad in its original siding (almost exclusively drop cedar siding), although in most cases roofs are now covered with corrugated metal or modern asphalt/composite singles. Many of the buildings also retain a majority of their fenestration patterns, although in some cases windows and door have been replaced, are in disrepair or aer boarded over. Most additions and alterations are minor. Both the Horse Barn (B05) and the Bunkhouse (B02) have small lean-to additions on their south elevations, with the former housing restrooms and the latter likely offering access to an improved basement. The front porch of the Bunkhouse has also been altered with the installation of a newer door and windows and the infill of window openings on its side elevations. Other significant alterations include the enclosure of two open bays and an addition at the east end of the Research Sheep Shed & Shop (B11) and the installation of plywood paneling and doors at the west end of the Scale House (B12). Unfortunately, those buildings that might have been individually eligible for listing in the National Register, such as the Horse Barn (B05) and the Ranch House (B01), have undergone extensive interior alterations. None of these alterations are so significant, however, as to require a non-contributing classification in a potential Fort Ellis Experiment Station Historic District. Overall, the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead readily conveys its historical (and contemporary) significance as sheep research center. The property's integrity of setting, location, design, materials and workmanship all contribute to a historic feeling associated with the more purposefully-designed agricultural landscapes that developed between the World War I and World War If. A casual passerby may not fully understand why the Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead differs from the typical family farm or ranch, but they would surely notice its orderly and well-maintained appearance. More informed or curious visitors would likely be able to identify the farmstead as a branch of Montana's Agricultural Experiment Station and/or its associations with the sheep industry. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 23 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 r Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead from the Frontage Road,Aspect:S(Above); Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead from across 1-90 with concrete underpass connecting Station's southern fields to farmstead in foreground,Aspect: N(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE z4 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 10 .-,.fix - r.r��l':.ilr,'tii��_, .'.�•-a,",�•• -�.�. MI `� 9 Residential cluster with East Well and Storage Tank in foreground and Ranch House at right and Garage at left,Aspect: E (Above);Ranch House, North Elevation,Aspect:S(Below). MONTANA HISTORICPROPERTY O. Photographs AL Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 _ ESL+• y� .j / .�,Y� « __ S aL'. iW West Div ,�I.•i.-{�..4r of� $�i,.• S�F^•' r •.. r �A� r .. .' -. • - j,i. ...�`' fib+-�`•. � `1 ��`•• Elevationof • paved walk and ornamental plantings, •- 1• Bunkhouse, 1 •' ' MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE z6 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 u a h i l A Outhouse,East Elevation,Aspect:W(Above);Horse Barn, East Fagade and North Elevation,Aspect:SW(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 27 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Jam. Farmyard with Granary to the right,Implement Shed to left,Research Shed&Shop with Grain Bins at rear and Store House and Oil House in center,Aspect:S(Above); Implement&Cow Shed with Post&Beam Structure at right,Aspect: E(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE a8 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 r a r Ram Test Shed,South and West Elevations,Aspect, NE(Above); Research Sheep&Shop,south elevation with Loading Ramp in foreground,Aspect: NE(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 29 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 i 1 � i, ' r' Scale House,South Elevation,Aspect: NE(Above);Sheep Shelter in foreground with Bunkhouse, Horse Barn and Granary in background from left to right,Aspect: NE(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 30 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 1 � Ail � WN a -� ;��11 Bill ;• r •H L, Pump House,Aspect:SW(Above);Confinement Shed,North and West Elevations,Aspect:SE(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 31 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 low �t 1 �� ' Oki R' 1 n iL r ti Hay Shelter,Aspect: NE(Above);West Shelter from Frontage Road,Aspect:SE(Below). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 32 Photographs Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 y•- '^_fit-L� a�:*ar`--.�- t.. � I I� f Early Sheep Shelter at Fort Ellis Experiment Farm,c. 1924,31st MAES Annual Report,page 24(Above); Fort Ellis Experiment Station(Center)and Windbreak(Below),c.1935,42"d MAES Annual Report,pages 13 and 48. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 33 Site Map Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farmstead U T • �. Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Gallatin County, Montana f West Shelterbek S14 Sol N S01 OS13 DO 3 B02 S0il 005 804 80 di3 S03 006 Il08�9 a SOS•06 -SO4 itfo Bil 8NO 512 MAPLEGEND sos o ■Contributing Building • 9.11 ❑Non-contributing Building • S07 ■Contributing Structure Noncontributing Structure 5helterbelt I�C'>nPC368 � flwiCR s ��_ " d Scale:1°:280' '� r r o MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 34 Site Map Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 Fort Ellis Experiment Station — Fence Lines & Circulation Systems MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 35 Topographic Map Property Name: Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm Site Number:24GA1894 •r satin w` ;��=� �`�r-mot y855_ .;+�bo-_ _; f' - --- - --- •-� 90 to . . od ,._. �. .` -J _ •. 735 Fort Ellis Experiment Station Farm \ v - Montana State University � f • Tra,ler i �S9 • I�Urk : _ , Kelly Creek Quadrangle, 1987, S15,T2S-R6E •_• UTM (Center Point):Zone 12, E502086 N5093986 • . AT _ — /i989r 1