HomeMy WebLinkAboutStoryMillNationalRegisterNomination istoric District it. th Gallatin County, Montan
Prn Pacific/Story Mill H a
/ County and State
t.arbe of Property c/o 5e G{
5 Classification ! -
ownershipof Pr Private Number of Resources within Property
°pO1 Contributing Noncontributing
Category of property: Historic District
lg 4 building(s)
Number of contributing resources previously 2 4 sites
listed in the National Resister.0 30 2 structures
objects
Name of related multiple property listing:n/a
50 10 TOTAL
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions: Current Functions:
Transportation/rail-related Transportation/rail-related
Agriculture/processing, animal facility, storage Commerce/warehouse
Commerce/warehouse
7. Description
Architectural Classification: Materials:
Late Victorian: Renaissance foundation:concrete, stone
Late 19th & Early 20th Century Movements: Prairie School walls: brick, concrete, steel
Other: Western Commercial, Vernacular, Pattern Book roof:asphalt, asbestos
other:composition build-up
Narrative Description
The Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District is located in the northeast corner of Bozeman, Montana, and contains the
Northern Pacific Main Line, the Northern Pacific Rail Yard, the Story Mill Spur Line and several associated buildings,
structures and sites. Physically arranged and thematically united by the presence of the Gallatin Valley's earliest rail
corridors, the district is L-shaped and contains two significant concentrations of resources--each possessing architecturally
distinctive features that serve as visual anchors and focal points. These groupings of properties are linked by the Northern
Pacific's Story Mill Spur Line. For these reasons, the linear and non-linear features of the district have evaluated together
as one coherent and interrelated system of operation.
The southern arm of the district extends along a portion of the Northern Pacific main line. It includes the boundaries of
the original 400' Northern Pacific right-of-way in Bozeman and generally follows the alignments of Pear and Front Streets
of the Northern Pacific Addition, as platted in 1883. The eastern border of the district's southern arm is the Milwaukee
Road's Dry Creek Branch Line grade--a distinct geographic feature that runs perpendicular to the Northern Pacific main
line and once crossed the tracks on a girder bridge that was removed by Montana Rail Link in 1990. The western
boundary of this arm is that spot where the main line crosses Bozeman Creek. Added to these parameters are lots 5, 6, 7,
and 8 in block 103 of the Northern Pacific Addition.
Once leaving the main Iine, the boundaries of the district's northern arm conform to that of the 100' Story Mill Spur right-
of-way. Approximately 2800 feet north of the main line, the district boundaries expand to include an irregular parcel of
land in the NW1/4 NE'/4 of Section 5, Township 2 South, Range 6 East MPM, as described in deed book 105 page 560 in
the Gallatin County Courthouse, as well as Certificate of Surveys 1147 and 1224, upon which the Vollmer Slaughterhouse,
Gallatin Valley Auction Yards and the Story Mill complexes are located.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
)� corm 10.90(Ya
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page I
Gallatin County, MT
One of the only industrial areas in the Gallatin Valley, the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District is clearly
distinguished from its surroundings by its patterns of development and association. The southern portion of the district
lies within the Northern Pacific Addition,which was platted by John V. Bogert in 1883, the year of the railroad's arrival in .
Bozeman. The addition was laid out on a relatively flat and well-watered expanse of land on the community's northeastern
edge. The northern portion of the district is far less intensely developed,with the exception of those resources clustered
near the point where Bozeman, Rocky and Bridger Creeks merge to form the East Gallatin River, a major tributary to
Missouri River which originates some thirty-five to the northwest. Between the Story Mill and the Northern Pacific main
line exist relatively open farm and wetlands as well as the visually intrusive site of the Idaho Pole Company, which borders
the N. P. right-of-way to the north and was intentionally excluded from this survey due to its non-historic nature.
The Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District is composed of 60 industrial, commercial and residential buildings,
structures and sites. Of these resources, 50 are contributing and 10 are considered noncontributing. The primary
character-defining features of the district are the Northern Pacific main Iine and the Story Mill spur line right-of-ways,
which generally dictate the district's linear orientation.
Reflecting four major phases of Bozeman's 1882-1945 development, the majority of the district's resources are utilitarian
properties that were constructed between 1882 and 1945. The apparent lack of prevailing architectural patterns in the
district is testimony its diverse, pragmatic character as well as its prolonged historical development and changing railroad
technology throughout the period of significance. For these reasons, a broad range of styles are represented in the district.
As a means of saving time and cost, the Northern Pacific used highly visible, standardized plans for the construction and
maintenance of nearly every component of their railroad system, including most buildings, track work, bridges, fences, signs,
and a huge number of more minor items. The form and location given these historic resources strongly reflects important
elements of period railroad technology, engineering and architecture and plays a large role in shaping the visual character
of the district. The one exception to this general rule is that standardized plans were not used for the construction of the
Northern Pacific Passenger Depot, which was modified in 1924 by local architect Fred Willson,who incorporated elements
of the Craftsman and Prairie Schools of design.
Elements of the Renaissance Revival and Western Commercial styles, including: stepped parapets, rounded arches, and
symmetrical, horizontally-oriented elevations are particularly evident in the masonry commercial/industrial buildings of the
Story Mill complex and, to a lesser extent, on the Vollmer Slaughterhouse complex. In contrast, the Head Miller's
residence at the Mill Complex is probably of pattern book origin,while the district's non-masonry buildings tend to
incorporate a variety of vernacular designs.
The district also possesses several significant geographic features. The Milwaukee and Northern Pacific railroad grades
generally define the parameters of the area and present visually prominent aspects of this railroad landscape. Other
significant features of the district include Rocky and Bozeman Creeks which, together with Bridger creek, provided power
to the Story Mill comn�x from 1882-1956 via the Story Mill canal system. Mill creek,which crosses the Northern Pacific
main 1 and eventually feeds into Rocky Creek is also a significant natural feature of the area in that it powered the
McAdow Mill--the first grist mill in Gallatin Valley--constructed in 1865 by Perry and William McAdow.
Due to their variety of interrelated forms and functions, the descriptions of the specific architectural resources of the Story
Mill/Northern Pacific Historic District have been separated by function as well as geographic location. The features of the
southernmost grouping of resources will be described first. The primary feature, Bozeman's still active east-west main line
and its subfeatures will be described first, followed by the various buildings, structures and sites of the rail yard and spur
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
NF1 F.TM to-Boo-&
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Milt Historic District Page 2
Gallatin County, MT
tracks. Following these descriptions, the Story Mill Spur line will be described, followed by the buildings, structures and
sites along the spur.
FEATURE #1• The Northem Pacific Main Line 1883-1989 (Structure): Contributing
The portion of the Northern Pacific main line contained within the district rests within a company-owned 400 foot linear
right-of-way on an earthen grade, except where three bridges carry it across waterways. Of standardized design, the main
line tracks run along the centerline of the right-of-way and are comprised of steel T-rails pairs laid 4'81/i" apart and bolted
end to end, The track rests on and spiked to creosote-treated wooden cross ties, which are 8'6" long, 8" wide and 6" to 7"
high, and placed on the rail bed at approximate 20" intervals. Steel tie plates and rail anchors complete the structure. In
addition to the tracks themselves, a variety of other line features are present on the Northern Pacific right-of-way,
including: the Northern Pacific pole lines carrying telegraph and telephone wires, numerous signs and battery boxes, an
instrument house and a grade crossing.
Although many of the present track materials are not of historic age due to continual upgrading by Burlington Northern
and, later, Montana Rail Link, the original design configuration, setting and location possess and outward appearance that
closely resembles historic forms and, therefore, accurately convey the historical associations of the resource. The integrity
of the resource is further reinforced by its continuity of use since 1883 when the original tracks were laid. Similarly, the
forms and designs of several switches, a grade crossing at "L" Street and three bridges crossing the Mill and Bozeman Creek
drainages are historic and should be considered part and parcel of the Northern Pacific main line.
FEATURE#1A: Mi1l. Creek Bridge c. 1883-1945 (structure): Contributing
Of possible standardized design, the Mill Creek Bridge supports the Northern Pacific main line as it traverses Mill
Creek, which flows in a generally northern direction through the Norther Pacific Rail Yard and eventually merges
with Rocky Creek. The existing structure consists of flat concrete slabs that are supported by wooden pilings and
is likely historic, although probably not original. Nonetheless, the existing structure possesses integrity of location,
setting, design, materials and workmanship.
FEATURE#1B• Low Line Bozeman.Creek Bridge r- 1919 (structure): Contn'butins
Of possible standardized design, the Low Line Bridge supports the now abandoned and largely removed Northern
Pacific Low Line trackage,which extended through the Valley between 1919 and 1956. The remaining Low Line
trackage still traverses Bozeman Creek, a significant geographic feature that flows in a generally northern direction
and eventually merges with Rocky Creek to form the East Gallatin River. The existing structure consists of flat
concrete slabs which are supported by wooden pilings and is historic. The bridge possesses integrity of design,
materials, location, function and general appearance.
FEATURE #IC• Main Line Bozeman Creek Bridge post-1945 (structure): Non�ontn-butin�
Of possible standardized design, the main line Bozeman Creek bridge supports the main line trackage as it spans
across Bozeman Creek. The bridge appears to be constructed of reinforced steel and is probably not historic.
Nonetheless, the bridge conveys appearances and functions of historic periods and possesses integrity of location,
setting, and design.
FEATURE#2• The Milwaukee Dry Creek Branch Line Grade 1913-14 (structure): Contributing
The eastern boundary of the district as well as the Northern Pacific Maintenance Yard is the Dry Creek Branch Line grade
of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, which once traversed the Northern Pacific rail yard on a wooden trestle
bridge of vernacular construction. Rising more than 30 feet in height and more than 20 feet wide, the grade is a visually
prominent product of earthmoving which designates the eastern boundary of the rail yard. Although the steel rails,
OMB Approval No. 1024.0018
!b�5Forrn 10-9ma
(B-B8)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 3
Gallatin County, MT
wooden ties and trestle were removed within the last decade, the visual impact of the grade survives, possessing integrity of
location, setting, design, materials and workmanship.
Extending adjacent to the Northern Pacific main line along Front Street between North Broadway and North Wallace
Avenues, is the district's southern cluster of buildings. This architectural grouping is bordered to the south by the more
densely developed commercial/industrial and residential blocks of the Northern Pacific Addition and to the north by the
original Northern Pacific Rail yard and is connected to the main line through a network of industrial spurs and sidings.
FEATURE #3- Northern Pacific Freight House 1883 1909 (building): Contributing
Located at 506-526 Front Street where North Broadway meets the tracks, the Northern Pacific Freight House is a large,
detached one-and-one-half-story storage facility has a rectangular floor plan and is reflective of standardized design. The
building's symmetrical facade consists of two 3' x 7' 1/1 double hung windows on either side of a centrally located main
entrance. Its track side (north) elevation features 13 large 10' x 6' loading bays, seven of which are painted red and the
remainder of which are painted green. The south elevation has six openings of similar dimensions, presumably for the
purpose of serving truck traffic. The building's blond brick and sandstone construction features soldier coursing and sits on
a concrete/stone foundation. The low pitch gable roof is covered with green asphalt shingles and is highlighted by
overhanging eaves, exposed rafters, and two offset chimneys, one brick and one metal, and decorative detailing at each
gable end. The roof axis is parallel to Front Street and the tracks.
The well-preserved design of this freight depot is, according to Northern Pacific expert Rufus Cone,very typical of
similar buildings built by the railroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and may have come front
Northern Pacific stock plans. A nearly identical example of this type of architecture can, for instance, be found at 6 North
Wallace Avenue, where the N.P. constructed a second freight house in 1911 to better compete with the Milwaukee Road,
who had entered Bozeman and based its operations across East Main Street the previous year. Possessing strong integrity
of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship, the Northern Pacific freight depot is of primary significance in the
District.
FEATURE #4• Ellis Brandley and Company Warehouse pre-1904 (building): Contribulin�
Following the main line and Front Street approximately two blocks to the west, stand four smaller warehouses.
Constructed on randomly sized lots in a variety of vernacular styles, these utilitarian resources are connected to the main
line by a short, east/west industrial spur. All of these building's also face Front or Cottonwood Streets, thus permitting
both rail and truck service. While architecturally far less noteworthy than the more visually prominent Northern Pacific
buildings on either side, these historic storage facilities, together with the existing right-of-way fences, telephone pole lines
and natural vegetation, visually reinforce the historic linear presence of the Northern Pacific rail corridor and, likewise,
help to distinguish the district from its principally residential surroundings to the south.
The largest and most unusual of these buildings is the Ellis Brandley and Company Warehouse at 725 East Cottonwood
Street. This detached, one and one half story warehouse has an irregular floor plan and sits on a stone/concrete
foundation. Clad entirely in galvanized steel siding, the building possesses an asymmetrical design and consists of three 9'x
6' openings on the east (Cottonwood Street) elevation and one on the northeast elevation, all of which consist of overhead
metal doors that are elevated approximately 3' off the ground to facilitate delivery service. The northern (track side) 9' x 6'
loading bay is highlighted by a gabled peak in the roof line, large wooden doors and a loading platform. The building's
gable and clipped gable roof is also clad in galvanized steel and features overhanging eaves as well as a ridge line that is
parallel to Cottonwood Street and the tracks. Possessing integrity of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship,
,the Ellis Brandley and Company Warehouse is a contributing building within the district.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
NPS Form 10 900-11
IB-BBI
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 4
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE #5• Hardware Storage Warehouse pre-1908 (building): Contributing
Adjacent and to the west of the Ellis Brandley and Company warehouse is the Hardware Storage warehouse at 704 Front
Street. This one and one half story vernacular structure has a rectangular floor plan and rests on a concrete/stone
foundation. Its symmetrical, stucco facade consist of two 8' x 6' openings with large metal doors and loading docks as well
as frame overhangs and steps and an offset casement window. The building's northern (track side) elevation also consists
of two openings of similar dimensions with metal doors and Ioading docks. The low pitch gable roof features overhanging
eaves and an offset metal chimney, with a ridge line that is perpendicular to Front Street and the tracks. The heavy metal
doors and limited openings in this building indicate that it may have been a refrigerated warehouse at one time. While the
additions of a stucco finish and casement windows detract from the architectural significance of this warehouse, it
nonetheless possesses integrity of location, setting and design, and is, therefore, a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE #6•John Mitchell Warehouse pre-1904, (building): Contributing
Adjacent and to the west of the Hardware Storage warehouse is the John Mitchell Warehouse at 706 Front Street. This
detached, two-story storage facility with a square floor plan and a stone/concrete foundation is also clad entirely in
corrugated tin siding, some of which is rusted or discolored. A large 10' x 12' loading port with a rail tie ramp and an
small offset casement window are present on the building's south (Front Street) elevation. The semi-steep gable roof
features overhanging eaves and a ridge line that is parallel to the street and tracks. The John Mitchell warehouse possesses
ridge integrity of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship and is a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE #7• Lindsay Fruit Company pre-1904, (building): Contributing
Adjacent and to the west of this utilitarian series of warehouses is that of the Lindsay Fruit Company at 720 Front Street.
This detached, two-story commercial structure possesses a rectangular floor plan and a stone/concrete foundation. The
original portion o the building is brick and consists of centrally-located front (south) elevation entrance, and arched 1/1
double hung windows on the east and west elevations. A bricked-in doorway is also present on the building's east facade.
The ridge of the gable roof runs parallel to Front Street and the tracks and features two chimneys, one of stuccoed
masonry and the other of metal. A faded ghost sign advertising "mo cigars" is present on the building's west elevation.
The building also contains several wooden and corrugated metal additions, including a second story deck on the structure's
west elevation. A front addition contains four casement and two push-out windows. Outbuildings include several small
sheds.
While the various additions to this structure have diminished its architectural significance, it still possesses integrity of
location, setting, and materials and is, as a result, a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE #8- Northern Pacific Passenger Depot, 1892 and 1924 (building): Conte-buting
Approximately one block west of the Lindsay Fruit Company warehouse is the Northern Pacific Passenger depot at 820
Front Street. This unusual, detached, one-and-one-half-story Prairie Style depot has an irregular floor plan and sits on a
stone/concrete foundation. Its asymmetrical facade is broken into two sections--the original 1892 square structure and a
1924 rectangular addition. The original structure consists of two offset entrances and eight 3' x 7' 1/1 double hung windows
with green metal mullions and sandstone lintels. A large projecting dormer with a gabled roof faces the tracks on the
northern elevation of the original structure. The western addition consists of two large 6'x 10' loading bays. The brown,
combed wire-struck brick construction features tan soldier coursing and raked masonry. The broken hipped-roof is covered
with grey asphalt shingles and features distinctive flares at each end, overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and an offset
brick chimney. The roof axis is parallel to the tracks and the street. The depot also possesses distinctive lamps above the
passenger doors as well as the northern Pacific monad which is still recognizable despite the fact that it was spray-painted
black.
OMS Approval No.1024-0018
NPS Fbrro 10 80C-a
(e gel
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES A
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 5
Gallatin County, MT
Thanks in large measure to the horizontal emphasis of the 1924 Fred Willson addition, as well as its broad cantilevered
roof and flat eaves, this well-preserved passenger depot exhibits many stylistic features of the Prairie School. It is,
according to Cone, an atypical example of Northern Pacific architecture and should be considered as a primary
architectural feature in the district.
FEATURE#9• Benue Elevator Warehouse pre-1904 (building): Conln-buting
Standing on the corner of East Tamarack and Front Street, directly across from the Northern Pacific Passenger Depot is
the Benepe Grain Elevator Warehouse. This interesting barn-like wood frame structure with a simple gable roof and a
stone foundation was once a part of the Benepe Grain Elevator complex which occupied this site in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. Now free-standing, the structure possess four large loading ports that face a rail spur as well
as an interesting ghost sign on its eastern elevation. The Benepe Elevator warehouse possesses integrity of location, setting,
design, materials and workmanship and is a contributing element in the district.
FEATURE#10: Northern Pacific Rail Yard, 1882-1994 (structure): Contributing
Lying immediately to the north of this rail building corridor and principally within the original 400 foot Northern Pacific
right-of-way is the Northern Pacific rail yard. The yard landscape is comprised of a complex network of east-west tracks,
sidings, spurs, switches, signals and rail beds connecting the district's warehouses with the railroad.
The architectural character of the Bozeman rail yard has been substantially degraded in the post-war era. The demolition
of the majority of the significant historic resources in the former locomotive area and the subsequent development of the
visually intrusive Idaho Pole Company,which now lies adjacent to and north of the main line, have "severed the historic,
functional connections of railroading between the ruins of the engine servicing area and the main line corridor," according
to railroad historian Dale Martin. Therefore, the remaining features of the historic Northern Pacific rail yard do not on
their own meet the criteria for eligibility of the National Register of Historic Places. Due to their historic significance and
association with the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District as a whole, the remains of these once-notable features
have been included in this nomination. The site remains are important reminders of the historic appearance and function
of Bozeman's Northern Pacific rail yard.
It should also be noted that other significant rail features exist beyond the defined parameters of the Northern Pacific Rail
Yard, particularly to the west of the district. Historic features such as the Pea Cannery Lead, the Cereal Mill Spur, the
race track/ fairground spur, and the Lehrkind Brewery Spur. These lack geographic cohesion, however, and have therefore
been excluded from the district boundaries. East Main Street in Bozeman also contains a significant concentration of
Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road resources and should eventually be linked with the Northern Pacific/ Story Mill
Historic District via Northern Pacific's East Main Street Spur.
FEATURE #10A. The Northern Pacific Scale House and Track Scale Remains pre-1926 (site): Non-oontn-buting
Lying approximately 400 feet west of the Milwaukee grade and south of the Northern Pacific main line are the
scale house and track scale remains. The 10 x 20 foot concrete foundation of the scale house lies immediately
south of the 10 x 55 foot track scale remains. Due to the demolition of these historic resources shortly after the
Second World War, little architectural fabric remains. However, the integrity of the site's location within the
historic Northern Pacific Rail Yard, together with its historic significance warrant inclusion within the district as a
non-contributing element.
OMB Approval No.1024 IS
Nps v-brm 10-9ma
(8-"
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 6
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE#lOB• Domestic Trash Dump pre-1926, (site): Contributing
Immediately to the south of the Scale House remains is the remains of a domestic trash dump. Several deep
depressions in the ground reveal a variety of trash remains, including: pottery, cans, glass, etc. Lacking
architectural significance, the site still possess integrity of location and setting and may prove to be valuable in
yielding important archeological information about the district's historic uses. It should, therefore, be considered as
a contributing element within the district.
_FEATURE #10C• Northern Pacific Branch Line to East Main Warehouse c. 1910 (structure): Contributing
The Northern Pacific branch line to the railroad's East Main Street freight house at 6 North Wallace Avenue
leaves the main line approximately 800 feet west of the Milwaukee Dry Creek Branch Line grade. Resting on an
earthen grade within a 100 foot right-of-way, the branch line crosses Mill Creek on a wooden trestle bridge before
leaving the main line right-of way and proceeding in a southwesterly direction toward East Main Street. Like the
main line, the East Main Branch Line's tracks are comprised of steel T-rails bolted end to end and resting on and
spiked to creosote treated wooden cross ties. Steel tie plates and rail anchors complete the structure.
The Branch Line is probably historic in age and possesses integrity of location, setting, design, materials and
workmanship. Consequently, its outward appearance closely resembles the historic form and accurately conveys the
associations of the resource. These realities, together with the fact that the Branch Line plays an important
function in structurally linking the railroad resources concentrated on East Main Street together with those of the
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District, make it a resource of primary significance.
FEATURE#10D• Northern Pacific Wye, post-1945, (structure): Contributing
Extending north of the Northern Pacific main line and Iying approximately 600 feet west of where the East Main
Branch Line leaves the tracks, is the Northern Pacific Wye or engine turning track. Built after the demolition of
the aforementioned turntable, this rail structure is "Y-shaped" and rests on an earthen grade. The tracks are
comprised of steel T-rails that are bolted end to end and are spiked to creosote-treated wooden cross ties. Steel
tie plates and anchors complete the structure. A related network of switches and signals should be considered as
part and parcel of this feature. Although the present track materials may not be of historic age, their historic
significance as a structural indication of changing railroad technology, together with their integrity of location,
setting, design and workmanship, make the Wye a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE#10E: Water Tower Remains, c- 1883, (site): Non-contn'buting
The water tower remains are located near the place where the roundhouse lead leaves the Northern Pacific main
line, approximately 2700' west of the Milwaukee Grade and 100' north of the main line. The tower's footings
measure 24 feet long and eight feet wide with 16 inch thick walls. There is a six inch (interior diameter) stand
pipe on the eastern elevation of the foundation and a concrete slab between it and the tracks, which probably
supported the framework for a water spout. A 16 x 12 foot concrete pad is located to the east of the foundation.
The demolition of the Northern Pacific Water Tower was part of a series of demolitions following the Second War,
when the Bozeman rail yard converted to diesel technology, and little architectural fabric remains. However, the
integrity of the site's location within the historic Northern Pacific Rail Yard, together with its historic significance
warrant inclusion within the district as a non-contributing element.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
NP9 Form 10-900-a
(8 8M
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 7
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE #10F• Coaling Dock.Remains c. 1927 (site): Non-contributing
The partially exposed foundation of the coaling dock remains, is located approximately 290' west of the water
tower remains and approximately 250' north of the main line. Largely overgrown by weeds, the site covers an area
28 feet long, is 12 feet wide and roughly "H" shaped, with two separate concrete pads to the east. The razing of the
Northern Pacific Coaling Dock was part of a series of demolitions following the Second War, when the Bozeman
rail yard converted to diesel technology, and little architectural fabric remains. However, the integrity of the site's
location within the historic Northern Pacific Rail Yard, together with its historic significance warrant inclusion
within the district as a non-contributing element.
FEATURE #10G• Roundhouse Remains c. 1883, (site): Non-eontributin�
The remains of a concrete roundhouse foundation constructed in 1907 is located approximately 400 west of the
water tower remains and approximately 350 feet north of the main line. The building was wedge-shaped and
contained six (possibly seven) engine pits about 9 feet across and 110 feet long, with walls that were 24 inches
thick. The outside dimension of the foundation is 166 feet in length and the stall gradually came together as the
building narrowed. According to a 1927 Sandborn Map, a turntable was also located here, but no remains of it
now exist. The roundhouse was connected to the main Iine via a network of industrial rail spurs.
The demolition of the Northern Pacific roundhouse and turntable was part of a series of demolitions following the
Second War, when the Bozeman rail yard converted to diesel technology, and little architectural fabric remains.
However, the integrity of the site's location within the historic Northern Pacific Rail Yard, together with its
historic significance warrant inclusion within the district as a non-contributing element.
FEATURE # 10K OBI Lube Shed, c. 1883 (building): Contn-butin�
Lying approximately 250 feet north of the passenger station is the Northern Pacific Oil Lube House. Sitting on a
rectangular rubble foundation, this one-story masonry structure measures 29.5 x 20 feet. It has a low gabled roof
covered with tin and tar paper and features a dentiled, stepped cornice running just beneath the gables on the east
and west elevations. The structure has two 12-fixed light windows and two entrances, the eastern one of which was
widened into a double doorway. The southern addition windows have been bricked in. There is also a wooden
addition on the eastern elevation. As one of the only surviving features of the original Northern Pacific rail yard,
the oil Tube shed possesses integrity of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship and is a contributing
element within the district.
FEATURE # 10I• Train Order Stand, pre-1945, (structure): Contributing
Immediately adjacent to the main Iine and directly north from the Northern Pacific Passenger Station stands the
Northern Pacific train order stand. Derived from standardized designs, the vertical metal structure is approximately
twenty-five feet in height and generally retains its historic integrity.
FEATURE #10J• Section Tool House/Supply Yard, post-1945, (building):Non-contnbu!jgg
A section car/tool house lies approximately 600 feet west of the oil tube shed, adjacent to the Northern Pacific
main line. The metal sided structure is rectangular in shape and sits on a concrete foundation. It contains several
fixed windows and two small metal doors. A supply yard site containing a variety of materials is located roughly
400' west of the water tower remains and should be considered as part and parcel of the tool house site. Due to its
lack of historic age, the tool house and supply yard is a noncontributing element within the district.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
NPS Form 10-900-a
P-M)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 8
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE #10K: N. P. Low Line c- 1919, (structure): Contributing
Running adjacent to the N. P. main line is the N.P. low line, built in 1919. This track is nearly identical in
historic appearance to that of the main line and was used by eastbound freights between 1919 and 1956. The low
line joins the main line just west of the place where North Rouse Avenue crosses the tracks.
Although much of the Low Line has been removed, the portion of trackage which remains rests on an earthen
grade except where it crosses Bozeman Creek on a concrete and wooden bridge. The tracks are comprised of steel
T-rails bolted end to end, which are resting on and spiked to creosote-treated wooden cross ties. Steel tie plates
and rail anchors complete the structure. The remaining low line trackage possesses integrity of location, setting,
design, and workmanship and is a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE #10L• Northern Pacific Pole Line c. 1883 (structure): Contributing
Running adjacent to and immediately south of the Northern Pacific main line is the Northern Pacific telegraph and
telephone line upon which telegraph and telephone wires are suspended from wooden telephone poles. Absolutely
essential to the day to day operations of the Northern Pacific Railroad, this communication system visually
reinforces the presence of the rail corridor and possesses integrity of location, setting, design, materials and
workmanship and is a contributing element within the district.
FEATURE#11• Story Mill Spur Line c� 1883 (structure): Contributing
With the exception of where it crosses two waterways, the Story Mill Spur Line rests on an earthen grade within a 100 foot
right-of-way which leaves the main line approximately 700 feet east of Bozeman Creek. As with the main line, this rail
corridor is visually reinforced by the presence of fences, power lines and natural vegetation. The steel rail comprising the
Mill Spur were forged in Gerry, Indiana in 1910, but were probably moved to their present location in the 1930s. (Martin,
1994) The wood ties and steel tie plates are also historic materials and maintain their integrity of design, location, setting
and appearance.
After leaving the Northern Pacific main line, the Story Mill Spur runs under Interstate 90 and proceeds in a generally
northeasterly direction for approximately 4400 feet before terminating at the Story Mill Complex. Before reaching the
Story Mill, the Spur stretches through lightly developed agricultural lands and undeveloped wetlands for approximately
2800 feet, where it runs adjacent to the Vollmer Slaughterhouse complex. Approximately 1000 feet north of the Vollmer
Slaughterhouse Spur, the Mill Spur passes the Gallatin Valley Auction yard complex, which lies on the west side of tracks.
Following the Auction Yards, the Mill Spur turns directly northward and runs for approximately 600 feet before servicing
the Story Mill.
FEATURE #11A: Rocky Creek Bridge c. 1883 (structure): Contributing
The Mill Spur crosses Rocky Creek on a wooden trestle bridge, which features a 3 foot wooden walkway, a steel
guard rail, 10 creosote pilings and several rotted stumps--an indication of at least one and possibly two other
generations of pilings. The trestle is attached to each side of the Creek by the tracks and 24 x 18 foot beams that
are protected by a sheet metal covering.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
,NPS Form 10-800-n
(8-M)
United Stales Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES I
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 9
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE#11B• Mill Spillway Bridge c. 1883, (structure): Contributing
The Mill Spillway trestle is essentially the same as that crossing Rocky Creek,with the exception of the fact that it
has a wooden railing instead of a steel one.
FEATURE #12• Vollmer Slaughterhouse Complex, 1938-5(h
Lying adjacent to the Story Mill Spur right-of-way on an irregular parcel of land in the NWT/a NE'/4 of Section 5, Township
2 South, Range 6 East MPM, as described in deed book 105 page 560 in the Gallatin County Courthouse, is the Vollmer
Slaughterhouse Complex. Lying approximately 2800 feet north of the Northern Pacific main line is the 1938 complex
consists of a masonry slaughterhouse, with cinder block and aluminum sided additions, a masonry rendering plant, a small
stockyard with wooden fences and loading gates and a short Northern Pacific Spur.
FEATURE #12A: Vollmer and Sons Slaughterhouse 1938 (building): Contribudng
The detached, two story masonry slaughterhouse has a rectangular floor plan and sits on a concrete foundation.
Two 8' x 8' loading bays exist on the east elevation. The upper opening is smaller and no longer possesses its
loading dock and shed roof. The building's north elevation possesses a large metal door and loading dock which
was directly serviced by the Vollmer spur line. On the west elevation is a large garage door opening on the lower
level, separating a 4' x 5' vertical casement window on each side. An exterior staircase accesses a second story door
entry. The building's flat roof is made of metal and is covered with a white, fire-proofing material.
Despite the addition of a non-historic pumice block addition on the building's west elevation, the Vollmer
Slaughterhouse retains its integrity of design, location, setting, feeling and association.
FEATURE #12B• Vollmer and Sons Rendering Plant, 1949 (building):Non-contributing
Directly east of the slaughterhouse building stands a two-story, masonry and concrete rendering plant with a
rectangular floor plan that sits on a concrete foundation and a flat roof. The west elevation of this building
contains a large garage door opening on the ground floor, which separates a 4' x 5' casement window on each side.
A staircase leading to the second-story metal door. The building is non-contributing due to its age.
FEATURE#12C• Vollmer and Sons Livestock Yard, 1938, (site): Contributing
To the south of these structures is a pasture/feeding area enclosed by wooden fences. Wooden loading docks
connect this area with the slaughterhouse building. A large outbuilding/barn with a metal shed roof is also
present.
FEATURE#12D Northern Pacific Vollmer Slaughterhouse Spur, c. 1950, (structure : Non-contnibutinn
The Northern Pacific Vollmer industrial spur departs from the Story Mill Spur and proceeds east approximately
100 feet before terminating in the heart of the slaughterhouse complex. The trackage consists of steel T-rails,
bolted end to end and resting on and spiked to creosote-treated wooden cross ties. Steel tie plates and rail
anchors complete the structure, which rests on an earthen grade.
FEATURE #13• Gallatin Valley Auction Yard Complex, c. 1882, 1939, 1952:
The Gallatin Valley Auction Yard Complex lies approximately 1000 feet north of the Vollmer Slaughterhouse Complex
and immediately west of and adjacent to the Story Mill Spur Line and a piece of property described on Certificate of
Survey #1147.
OMB Approve)No,1024-0018
NIPS Form 10-E00-e
(8-
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 10
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE #13A-The Gallatin Valley Auction Yards c. 1882, 1939 and 1952, (structure): Contributing
The complex consists of a intricate network of wooden fences, feed bins and small shed or gable roofed structures.
High voltage lines run directly through the property and lighting is provided for at least half of the yard.
FEATURE #1313- Stockyard Barn, G 1939 (structure): Contributing
A hay storage barn with a corrugated metal gable roof and no walls,just supporting columns and an exposed truss
system is present on the southwestern side of the yards.
FEATURE #13C- Northern Pacific Loading Gates c- 1939 (structure): Contributing
The Auction Yard complex is connected to the Story Mill Spur via an impressive wooden loading dock, which is
approximately 30 feet in length and comprised of Y x 12' planks and supported by large beams. llvo loading
ramps to drop off or pick up livestock by rail are also present. The loading shoots are designed to service either
single or double decker box cats, are for this reason an unusual feature.
FEATURE #13D• Stockyard Cafe c. 1938 (building): Contributing
The Stockyard Cafe is Iocated at the northeast corner of the stockyard complex. This small, free-standing one-
story, wood frame construction building stands on a concrete foundation and features a stepped back parapet and a
pitch roof. The front (north) facade features two pair of large, rectangular windows to the left of the entry door
and one single casement window to the right. The west elevation contains one window and a door to its right
trimmed in wood. The south elevation features of 8 x 16 foot wooden addition with a shed roof.
FEATURE#13E• Stockyard Headquarters, e. 1952, (building)' Non-contributing
The Auction Yard headquarters stands on a concrete rectangular foundation and is comprised of cinder block
construction. A single shed roof is covered by asphalt shingles and is highlighted by a 4 x 5 foot cupola near the
northwest corner of the building. The building has several jogs in it as well as different heights. Its north facade is
glazed at the top and bottom with a white front and signage.
FEATURE #14: The Story Mill Complex. 1882-1950:
Following the Story Mill Spur line approximately 600 feet north of the Gallatin Valley Auction yards, one finds the
impressive Story Mill Complex at 2150 Story Mill Road. Expanding steadily between 1882 and 1950, the complex was built
in several different phases and is comprised of 16 closely associated buildings and related structures of various architectural
styles. These resources include: the Story Canal/Power Ditch and water line (1882-91); the Story Canal Spillway (ca. 1882);
the Story Canal Headgate (ca. 1882); the East Warehouse (1982); the Head Miller's Residence (1892); the Story Mill
Carriage House (ca. 1892); the Northern Pacific Mill Yard (1883-1904); the Mill Building (ca. 1902); the Boller
Room/Administration/Laboratory Building (ca. 1902); the Grain Scales and Loading Ports (ca. 1902); the Grain Elevator
(ca. 1903); the Flour Warehouse (pre-1912); the Milwaukee Right of Way (1912); Concrete Grain Silos (pre-1927); Pump
House (pre-1927); Steel Grain Silos (ca. 1943); Flat Storage Warehouse (ca. 1950). The complex retains a very high degree
of historic and architectural integrity. Only the Flat Storage Warehouse, built within the last forty years, is a non-
contributing element.
FEATURE#14A: Story Canal System, 1882-1896 (structure): Contributing
Running along the base of the Story Hills, which lie to the east of the Mill Complex, the Story Power Canal
System was built in three phases between 1882 and 1892. The original canal diverted water from Rocky Creek, but
as more power was needed for Story's growing business, water was also diverted from Bozeman and Bridger Creeks
as well. Built primarily of earthen construction, Story's 10' x 10' canal system used the force of gravity to propel
needed water supplies to the mill turbines and was the Sole source of milling power utilized from 1882 to 1956,
OMB Approval No.1024-0010
NPS Farm 10-e0o-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 11
Gallatin County, MT
when the maintenance of the canal system became more costly and less reliable than converting the operation to
electricity. The canal is now overgrown with vegetation, but is still a visually prominent feature of the area.
FEATURE #14B• Story Canal Spillway, e. 1882, (structure): Contributing
Water levels in the canal were regulated by two spillways, which flowed off the ditch to the west and drained
into Rocky Creek via secondary concrete and earthen corridors. One spillway is located well south of the district
boundaries near the entrance to Story Hills Subdivision. The other is located within the district between the
Vollmer Slaughterhouse and Story Mill complexes. Constructed of concrete, wood and steel, this spillway if
approximately 10' x 10' at the canal and tapers down to approximately 5' deep where it passes under L-Street.
Where the spillway meet the canal is a manually operated water gate. Concrete was used to prevent erosion, direct
the runoff and as a foundation for the gate's steel gear system. Steel Railroad track sections were embedded in the
concrete sidewalls and supported the wooden dike.
FEATURE #14C: Sto Canal Head to c. 1 (structure): Contributing
Where the canal bends around the base of the Story Hills and meets the Mill Complex, a concrete and steel
headgate drew water underground and into the mill turbines via a large metal pipe. A pair of large metal grills
embedded into the headgate's concrete frame prevented debris from entering the pipe at a depth of 6'.
FEATURE#14D The Northern Pacific(Milwaukee Road Yard at the Story Mill, C. 1883-1945 (structure):
Contributing
The Story Mill was serviced by both the Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroads.
The Northern Pacific Story Mill Spur terminates shortly after the mill complex, but the Milwaukee's Dry Creek
Branch Line serviced the mill and continued northward toward Maudlow, Montana. Following 1912, when both
railroads serviced the mill, the Milwaukee constructed a spur line which serviced the mill complex to the east,
while the Northern Pacific continued to service the mill on the west side. Both railroads utilize the underground
and overhead grain spillway systems located adjacent to the Grain Elevator and beneath the steel grain carrier that
attaches the grain elevator to the concrete grain bins. A series of switches, signals and trackage comprise the mill
rail yard.
FEATURE #14E: East Warehouse c. 1883, (building): Contributing
Built in 1883, the attached, 50' x 50' two-story East Warehouse is the oldest surviving portion of the historic Story
Mill Complex. Having a square floor plan, the building's asymmetrical two-bay south facade features a centrally-
located arched entrance, a larger off-set wagon/carriage entrance, and four, evenly-spaced, second-story fixed wood
frame windows--each with soldier coursing brick sills and protruding metal headers. The east facade features a
large, off-set metal door on the second story with two unmatching and irregularly placed wood frame, each with
two courses of staggered-out brick sills. The northern elevation consists of another off-set wagon/carriage entrance
at ground level and two large arched metal doors with soldier coursings,which are identical to the door on the east
elevation. The red brick construction sets on a rubble foundation and the flat roof features a multi-layered parapet
with stone coping That tapers to the east a 12" intervals.
FEATURE #14F. Story Mill, pre-1904 (building): Contributing
Apparently built in phases following a fire which destroyed the majority of the original mill in 1901, the attached
five-story masonry mill building has a rectangular 45' x 60' floor plan and sits on stone foundation. The structures
symmetrical west facade faces the Northern Pacific Spur and consists of a ground level entrance and 18 evenly-
spaced wood/metal frame and gentle-arched 1/1 double hung windows with brick lintels three courses thick. The
east facade, which faces the Milwaukee Spur, is identical, although half of the facade has been obscured by a five-
OMB Appovnt No.1024-0018
NPS Fotm 10.800-a
le-BB)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 12
Gallatin County, MT
story addition of corrugated metal. A ghost sign apparently reading "Montana Flour Mills Co./Ceretana Flour/
"It's the Wheat" is partially visible. The building's north facade features twelve windows of similar design to those
on the other elevations, but the south elevation only features three--all of which are located on the building's
fourth floor. The mill building features a flat roof and a metal chimney.
FEATURE #14G• Boiler Room/Laboratorv/Administration Building, pre-1904, (building): Contributing
Attached to the mill building is a two-story masonry boiler room/administration and laboratory building. The
irregularly shaped structure is roughly 50' x 80' and sits on a rubble foundation. The west facade is asymmetrical
and consists of two wood frame and gentle arched 1/1 double hung windows with brick lintels three courses thick.
Also present are two smaller square divided light windows and one 9' x 9' loading bay approximately 36" above the
Northern Pacific Spur. The building's asymmetrical east facade consists of three off-set windows of similar design.
The building's flat roof features a one and one-half story metal penthouse and a two-story metal smokestack. The
building also features a one-story 15' x 10' concrete addition on its southwestern corner.
FEATURE#14I-1• Flour Warehouse 1912, fbuilding). Contributinft
Attached to the northern side of this building is the two- story, 100' x 125' Story Flour Warehouse, which was
designed by Fred Willson and constructed in 1912. The symmetrical two-bay facade has an attached wooden
loading dock with a ramp and two arched doubled doors as well as a depression ramp for the loading of truck
trailers. The wooden loading dock is supported by 10" x 10" beams and is covered by a simple shed roof of
corrugated metal. The structure's west elevation faces the Northern Pacific Spur and consists of three large evenly
spaced loading bays on the main floor, with exposed brick trim and four courses for the curved lintels,
approximately 36" above the tracks. The second story consists of eight evenly spaced wood framed and gentle
arched 1/1 double hung windows with brick lintels three courses thick. The east elevation, which faces the
Milwaukee Spur, is identical. The red brick western commercial construction rests on a concrete foundation. The
flat roof features a parapet with stone coping that staggers at regular 15' intervals from the building attached to
this structure's south elevation. A distinctive transition distinguishes this later addition from the older structures
attached and to the south.
FEATURE #14I• Grain Scales c. 1902 (building): Contributin>r
The complex's grain scales, elevator and storage bins are attached to the southwest corner of the masonry mill
building. The 22'x 45' grain scales are located between the mill and the grain elevator. The building's wood frame
construction and shed roof is completely covered in a corrugated metal skin and features two large loading bays for
truck traffic as well as four fixed windows.
FEATURE#14J• Grain Elevator, c. 1903 (structure): Contn'buting
Immediately to the west is the attached 61/2 story, 25' x 65' grain elevator has a rectangular floor plan and rests on
a foundation made of stone and wooden block. The elevator's crib construction is completely covered with a
corrugated metal skin and has a capacity of 900,000 bushels. The west elevation consists of three irregularly spaced
1/1 double hung windows on the upper floor and also features two ghost signs, one painted on top of the
other...The south facade features a steel ladder that extends from the second story to the top of the structure as
well as another ghost sign featuring a Ceretana flour sack which says "The sign of/ It's the Wheat Flour." The north
elevation features a doorway and two, evenly-spaced 1/1 double hung windows on the second through fifth floors
and three windows of similar design on the sixth and seventh floors. A fire system shed is attached to this
elevation. An attached wood frame two story structure extends over three separate rail lines and supports the
mechanism by which grain was dropped from the bottom of rail cars into the elevator. Above this overhang is a
OMB Approval No,1024•DO18
NPS Form 1 D-800-a
(6 66)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 13
Gallatin County, MT
wood frame, half-story building with two loading bays with steel doors and from here rises a steel pipe that services
each of the rails and attaches to the steel grain carrier several stories above.
FEATURE #14K: Concrete Grain Bins c. pre-1927 (six structures): Conte-butin�
The 55' steel grain carrier extends above the frame platform and connects the gram elevator with the six, 100' tall
reinforced concrete grain bins with whitewashed exteriors to the west. Each grain bin is 20' in diameter and
contains a square metal inspection portal approximately 10' from ground level. The three bins to the west each
feature a fixed window near the top and another is centered near the top of the northern elevation. The concrete
bins feature a flat metal roof and a capacity of 250,000 bushels.
FEATURE #14L• Steel Grain Bins c. 1943 (four structures): Contributing
A metal grain carrier similar to the one connecting the grain elevator with the concrete storage bins also connects
the concrete bins to the four attached 88' grain bins of smooth riveted steel on concrete foundations attached to
the south. These 20' diameter bins are constructed of 11 levels of 41/2' x 8' curved steel bolted panels with the
vertical seam staggered every other level. These steel grain bins have a capacity of 120,000 bushels.
Aside from the buildings attached to the mill building, several other buildings make up the Story Mill complex.
These include: the Head Miller's Residence, the Carriage House, the Pump House, and the Flat Storage
Warehouse.
FEATURE #14M• Head Miller's Residences c. 1892, (building): Contributing
The detached two-story single-family Head Miller's Residence is located 130' west of the Flour Warehouse and
consists of a central block with symmetrical wings and an attached wood frame and gabled roof workshop addition.
The roughly 25' x 60' building features two small, tongue and grove porches, one of which has circular columns and
lattice detailing. The asymmetrical facade consists of an off-set, second story gabled dormer with ornate detailing
and four small fixed windows. On the main floor, the facade consists of four 1/1 double hung windows and one
smaller fixed window--all with sandstone lintels. A large gabled dormer characterizes the building's rear or eastern
elevation. The building's masonry construction is finished in clapboard and wood shingles and rests on a concrete/
stone foundation. The distinctive hip roof with flared gable wings is covered with wood shingles and ornate
detailing on the gable ends. There are two interior brick chimneys and the roof axis is parallel to Story Mill Road.
The unusual design of this residence is probably derived from a pattern book.
MATURE #14N Carriage House c. 1M (building): Counn-buting
The detached 30' x 15', one and one half story frame barn has a symmetrical plan with a gable roof and shed roof
additions on both its north and south elevations. Each section of the barn is characterized by different doors on
the structure's western elevation. Access to the northernmost section of the barn is obtained through two 5' x 7'
hinged frame doors. Access to the central portion of the barn is obtained through one standard sized door as well
as a divided top/bottom entrance. Access to the southernmost section of the barn is obtained through a 7' x 7'
sliding door. The rear or east elevation of the building features an off-set, split level door as well as a hay loft
opening on the upper level. The gabled roof over the barn's central section features wooden shingles and exposed
rafter tails. The building's foundation is wooden and its roof pitch is perpendicular to Story Mill Road.
OMB Approval No.10240010
NPS Form MB00-a
(is e )
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 7 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 14
Gallatin County, MT
FEATURE #140• Pump House,pre-1904 ftilding): Contributing
The 15' x 15' one-story, wood frame Pump House is located 15' west of the concrete grain bins. The building is
sheathed in a metal skin and capped with a metal rib seam roof of galvanized steel. The one bay facade consists of
an entrance big enough to provide egress and ingress for the hose cart. The foundation is concrete.
FEATURE #14P' Flat Storage Warehouse c. 1950 (building): Non-contributing
The freestanding 105' x 130' Flat Storage Warehouse is sheathed in metal siding and sits on a concrete foundation.
The building's west facade features two 12' x 16' sliding ground level doors with four small, square and evenly-
spaced vents above. The south facade features 2 small additions at ground level, one of which has a small door
approximately 4'6" in height, which opens onto a concrete rectangular pad which rises approximately 24" off the
ground and has a covered opening in its center. Off the pad rises a ladder system with a metal spout which has a
mechanical pump at the top of the peaked roof,where another small door is located. A series of pipes and ladders
attaches the building to the concrete grain bins and steel grain conveyer standing several stories above. The east
facade has a large metal sliding door at the building's north end and four identical square vents are evenly spaced
near the three foot overhanging roof line. The north elevation features a large centrally located vent approximately
3/4 of the way to the top of the metal roof, Green fiberglass coverings the same size as the vent provide lighting
to the building's interior.
In conclusion, the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District is a well-preserved example of a historic center of
transportation and commerce. Despite a variety of maintenance modifications and periodic altercations which have
resulted in the loss of original railroad features and materials, the industrial legacy of the Northern Pacific in Bozeman,
Montana is still quite evident. The area is particularly illustrative of several commonly used standardized railroad
structural motifs from the historic period and, likewise, possesses an example of an unusual architect-designed passenger
depot. Moreover, the district's physical remnants are clearly reflective of the intimate association between railroading and
economic development in the Bozeman vicinity, as well as the pronounced local influence of the Nelson Story family.
Ultimately, the visual appearance of the district conveys the significant influence of rail systems in shaping Montana's
geographic and architectural character.
Gallatin County, Montana
Northern Pacific Sto Mill Historic District County and State
Name of Property
& Statement of SigniFicance
Applicable National Register Criteria:A,B,C Areas of Significance: Commerce, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture
Criteria Considerations (Exceptions): N/A Period(s) of Significance: 1882-1945
Significant Person(s): Story Nelson, Sr. Significant Dates: 1882, 1883, 1924, 1938
Cultural Affiliation:N/A Architect/Builder. Fred Willson
Narrative Statement of Si canoe:
The Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District is historically significant for its association with Bozeman's steady
economic and demographic evolution during its Village, Civic, Progressive and Nationalization phases of development.' In
particular, the district's resources are representative of the fundamental role that the Northern Pacific and, later, the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroads played in this dynamic process of historical change. As the undisputed
transportation hub of southwestern Montana's impressive agricultural economy, the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic
District is reflective of broad historic patterns of commerce, travel, and settlement, and, therefore, qualifies for National
Register listing according to criterion A, The district also meets criterion B for its associations with Bozeman area
capitalist Nelson Story Sr. and, to a lesser extent, his decedents. Finally, the district qualifies for the Register under
criterion C as a representation of standardized transportation technology, engineering, and architecture during the period
of significance as well as for the design influence of Fred Willson, a regionally important architect.
Overview
Bozeman's steady growth from the time of its settlement in 1863 through World War II is largely attributable to three
significant factors: the tremendous fertility of the Gallatin Valley, the economic influence of the Nelson Story family, and
the presence of the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Railroads. The geographic nexus for these interrelated influences
was the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District--the earliest and most active commercial/industrial center in the
region.
Characterized by a high degree of architectural diversity, the district contains a meaningful concentration of railroad,
commercial and industrial buildings, structures, and sites that typically date from 1882 to 1945. The vast majority of these
properties contribute to and help convey the district's overall character in that the integrity of their location, setting,
design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association have largely been preserved through a prolonged continuity of use.
Of the 61 resources contained within the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District, fifty-one are of contributing
significance and ten are non-contributing. Thirteen of these buildings, structures and sites date from Bozeman's 1873-1883
Village Phase of development and are highly suggestive of the beginnings of industrial urbanization in the community as
stimulated by the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Another fifteen of the District's resources are products of
Bozeman's 1884-1912 Civic Period,which is characterized by economic and demographic expansion and growing local
dependence upon the Northern Pacific Railroad and closely associated businesses, such as the Story Mill. Bozeman's 1913-
1929 Progressive Phase is represented by ten properties in the district, which reflect the advent of the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul Railroad, a continued diversification in agriculture and agribusiness, as well as the growth of regional tourism.
Twelve resources are products of Bozeman's 1930-1950 Nationalization Period, in which national events, such as the Great
Depression, the New Deal and the Second World War profoundly impacted the area's historic and architectural character.
Finally, two of the district's resources were constructed during Bozeman's 1950-present, Post-Nationalization phase of
development. They are non-contributing resources because of their age.
1 James R. McDonald,Bozeman Historic Resource Survey(Missoula,Montana: Privately Printed,19&4), 11-118.
OMB Approval No.1024-0010
NPS Fohn 10-900-a
(a-"
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES `
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 1
Gallatin County, MT
The Gallatin Valley Area and Bozeman's Initial Development
Prior to the arrival of whites in southwestern Montana, a variety of nomadic native Americans frequented and utilized the
region now known as the Gallatin Valley. Archeological evidence documents that prehistoric peoples enjoyed the Valley's
once-plentiful natural resources for more than 10,000 years. Later, members of the Bannock, Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead,
Gros Ventres, Shoshone and several other Itistoric tribes seasonally camped in the well-wateredd region in route to and
from the buffalo hunting grounds to the east of the Bridger Mountains?
The first known Euro-American in the area was Meriwether Lewis,who arrived at the Three Forks of the Missouri River
on July 28, 1805 and described the Gallatin Valley as: "a smooth extensive green meadow of fine grass in is course
meandering in several streams...and a distant range of lofty mountains ran their snow clad tops above the irregular and
broken mountains which lie adjacent to this beautiful spot."3 Nearly one year later, William Clark's expedition with the
navigational assistance of Sacajaewea, a Bannock/Shoshone Indian, ascended the Gallatin River and observed: "Several
leading roads which appear to a gap in the mountains," which is now known as Flathead Pass." At the recommendation of
his native guide, Clark traveled east through Bozeman Pass, eventually making his way to the Yellowstone River drainage
and beyond.
Thanks in large measure to the lavish descriptions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, other whites were soon attracted to
southwestern Montana. Fur trappers harvested the region until the 1850s when local beaver populations had been
substantially depleted. The first permanent white settlements in the vicinity, however, were established following the
discovery of gold in Bannock, Virginia City, and Last Chance Gulch, between 1862 and 1865. John Bozeman and others
guided immigrant trains along the infamous Bozeman Trail, which entered the Gallatin Valley via Bozeman Pass.
Perceiving the economic potential of having a community at the mouth of this important gateway, Bozeman and two
friends--Daniel Rouse and William Beall--planned a townsite directly west of the opening.
Possessing exceptionally fertile and well-watered soil, as well as geographic proximity to several nearby mining camps that
provided a ready market for goods and services, Bozeman, Montana, became one of the earliest and most successful
agricultural communities in the Rocky Mountain West.5 Early resident William Alderson described the community's
surroundings as "one of the most beautiful and picturesque valleys the eye ever beheld, abounding in springs of clear water,
flowers and grass in abundance.n" In sharp contrast to many other more arid regions of the West, this comparatively
2Merrill G.Burlingame,Gallatin Court 's Heritage:A Report of Progress,1805-1976(Bozeman,Montana: Gallatin County
Bicentennial Publications, 1976),2.
3Meriwhether Lewis,quoted in (Burlingame 1976,2)
4William Clark,quoted in (Burlingame 1976,2)
5For an overview of agricultural development in the region see M.L.Willson,Inc Evolution of Montana Agriculture in its Early
Period,"Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association for 1915-1918 7(1917-19):431-434;Robert G.Dunbar,"The
Economic Development of the Gallatin Valley,"Pacific Northwest Quarterly 47(October 1956): 117-123; and,Michael Meader,
"Dependency and Disenfranchisement:'111e Frontier nesis and Agricultural Development in the Gallatin Valley,Montana 1863-1893,
1993"[Photocopy]Used with permission of the author,Bozeman,Montana.
6(Burlingame 1976,22)
OMB Appr d No.1024-0010
NPS Form VD-DO"
tom)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
or
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 2
Gallatin County, MT
fruitful local environment served as a powerful magnet for settlement and economic development. As Alderson's diary
noted, for example, farmers came to the Bozeman area "expecting to make money," and most were not disappointed.'
The draw of the Gallatin Valley was strong enough that by September of 1864, The Montana Post reported that the area
was "being fast settled up with farmers, many of whom came to Montana as a better class of miners and after—quitting
their original pursuits secured 160 acres of land on which they—go to work in true farmer fashion." Valley residents soon
marketed potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabagas and parsnips in the mining camps they had formerly occupied. By 1867,
however, focus expanded to include the cultivation of wheat, oats and barley, and the roots of an extension agricultural
industry in the region were planted.' Thanks to the safety guaranteed by the nearby establishment of Fort Ellis, the town
of Bozeman grew quickly, becoming the county seat in that same year.9
The Economic Legacy of the Nelson Story Family
The life of Nelson Story Sr.(1838-1926), epitomizes the means and manner in which capitalism was introduced and
eventually flourished in the American West during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Indeed, more than
any other single individual, Story molded the community of Bozeman in its infancy, playing a prolonged and significant role
in its transformation from a frontier town to a thriving center of commerce and cultural refinement. His influence,
together with that of his decendents, dramatically shaped the architectural and historic character of the region, and
particularly the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District.
Born in Megis County, Ohio, in 1938, Story eventually traveled west and made a fortune gold mining in Virginia City,
Montana in 1863. Determined to build an economic empire and always perceiving the opportunity to further this end,
Story recognized the desperate need for beef in Montana's gold camps, purchased 600 longhorns in Texas and proceeded to
drive the first substantial herd of cattle into Montana Territory in 1866. Successfully completing one of the longest cattle
drives in American history and the first north of the Platte River, Story laid the foundation for the development of
Montana's vast stock-raising industry.10 While the majority of his cattle grazed in the Yellowstone River Valley and on
the Crow Reservation, Story located his ranch headquarters in Bozeman, in the northern portion of the Northern
Pacific/Story Mill Historic District. Following Story's example, local ranchers soon developed large operations in the
Gallatin Valley and surrounding ranges."
William Alderson,"William Alderson Diary,"Manuscript Collection#708,Burlingame Special Collections,Renne Library,
Montana State University,Bozeman,Montana.
8(Willson 1917-19,431-34)
9(Burlingame 1976,5-6)
toSee M.L.Leeson,History of Montana:1739-1885(Chicago:Warner,Beers and Company[1885]), 163-65 and'The Story of a
Family"The Gallatin Tribune and Belgrade Journal,26 February 1970, 15.
"Malcolm Story,interview by author,7 June 1993,Bozeman,Montana,tape recording in possession of the author,Bozeman,
Montana.
OMB Approval No, 1024-W18
NPS Form 16-800-a
(0-"
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
v -ti
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 3
Gallatin County, MT
In the next three decades, "Montana's earliest cattle king" worked actively to advance Bozeman's economic growth and
developmen t.12 As President of the Yellowstone Transportation Company, the Story purchased a fleet of ten, fifteen-ton
boats that were used for shipping commodities down river to area military installations and Indian reservations.13 With
the sizable profits he obtained from providing this essential transportation and the lucrative contracts that it made possible,
Story acquired great bodies of land in the region. As Bozeman's preeminent citizen, Story's investments rapidly extended
throughout the West and he enjoyed a statewide reputation as "one of the business princes of Montana.""
While economic and geographic obstacles postponed the coming of the iron horse until March of 1883, those possessing
the financial means, particularly Nelson Story, busied themselves in preparation for its imminent arrival. In 1882, he
became the principal owner and President of the Gallatin Valley National Bank--"the only bank in eastern Montana,
previous to the entrance of the Northern Pacific into the Territory.a15 Perceiving the material benefits of the forthcoming
railroad, Story also initiated construction of a large flour milling complex near the mouth of Bridger Canyon, where Rocky
Creek, Bozeman Creek and Bridger Creek merge to form the Fast Gallatin River. During the summer of 1882, he
financed the excavation a two-mile canal system and eventually diverted water from all of these streams to power his mill.
Using equipment from the Tomlinson Mill at Saiesville, which Story had recently foreclosed upon, the original Valley Mills
of Nelson Story and Company consisted of four interconnected frame buildings, including a mill, a flour warehouse, a grain
warehouse and office space. The complex had an initial milling capacity of 100 bushels a day and was unique in that water
power was used for milling purposes until 1956, when it finally became more costly to maintain the canals than to purchase
electricity."
The consummate capitalist, Story also made arrangements to sell a right of way across a large tract of his land to the
Northern Pacific for the construction of what remained the Valley's longest and most heavily used industrial spur--
commonly referred to as the Story Mill spur line.17 When the Northern Pacific steamed into Bozeman the following year,
the Story Mill became the first local business directly serviced by the railroad and no one more than Story profited from
the business advantages it presented. By 1885, he was operating "the largest flour mill in Montana."18 Well into the
twentieth century, Story's business employed approximately forty persons and was reputed to be the largest private
employer in the region.19
'?'Montana's Earliest Cattle King,"Bozeman Courier 6 May 1938,3.
1-1(Leeson 1885,1163-69)
"Progressive Men of the State of Montana(Chicago:A.W.Bowen and Company, 1938):256.
15fprogrmsive Men of Montana[19381,620)
16(Burlingame 1976,22 and 33)
17Warren McGee,interview by author,15 June 1993,Bozeman,Montana,tape recording in possession of the author,Bozeman,
Montana.
1&The Northwest on Wheels: Bozeman as a Summer Resort,"The Northwest 3(August 1885):8.
790rval Owen,interview by author,13 September 1993,Three Forks,Montana,tape recording in possession of the author,
Bozeman, Montana.
OMB Approval No.1024-001 e
iNPB Form W9MR
fe'881
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 4
Gallatin County, MT
Following the devastating winter of 1886-87, Story divested his interests in the stock-raising industry and sold
approximately 13,000 head of cattle in what was then one of the largest livestock transactions in the history of northwest
ranching.70 With the capital gained from this transaction, he retired from the active details of his diverse enterprises and
invested heavily in southern California real estate, building the Los Angeles Stock Exchange and spending his winters in
warmer climates. The summers of"Montana's first millionaire"were spent in an opulent mansion at 558 West Main Street
in Bozeman, which was, for a time, considered to be "the finest home west of St. Paul."Zt This residence was unfortunately
demolished in 1938, to make room for the Willson School--a WPA project.
More than playing a pivotal role in laying the foundation for the region's economic development, Nelson Story was
instrumental in the 1893 establishment of Montana State College in Bozeman. Like the advent of the railroad, Montana's
attainment of statehood in 1889 provided further impetus for development of every variety as Bozeman struggled to prove
itself a worthy for the state capitol. While Helena was eventually chosen by Montana voters for this role, Bozeman was
selected as the site for Montana State College. When fund-raising for the new land grant institution proved difficult,
however, Nelson Story contributed most of the land and funding necessary to establish the campus of the college on
grounds optimistically designated as Capitol Hill. Records show that he also made large contributions several times when
the institution was in a crisis situation.0
Of all of Nelson Story's legacies, perhaps the most significant has been his decedents who built upon his investments.
Following his father's retirement, Thomas Byron Story managed the families local farmland and real estate, including the
Story Mill which he took over in 1900, and eventually renamed the Bozeman Milling Company. Within a decade the
younger Story had built a grand mansion at 811 South Willson Avenue. In time, T. Byron Story had broadened his interests
to include sheep ranching and had created the Story-Work Sheep Company and profited handsomely during World War I,
when governmental demands artificially inflated market prices. Story reputably owned nearly 53,000 head of sheep at this
time, producing 13,000 lambs and as much as 225,000 pounds of wool annually--approximately ten percent of Montana's
total wool production during the era--for federal food and clothing contracts73
With the sudden arrival of Armistice Day in 1918, however, the sheep business suddenly collapsed--a development that
rocked the Story empire. "My father had to sell a lot of good land to pay off this bank in Saint Paul," remembered T.
Byron's Son, Malcolm, because the price of wool went from 75 cents to 15 cents a pound." Consequently, although the
prosperous Bozeman Family was "making it all the time," it was forced to sell the Bozeman Milling Company in 1919 to
Montana Flour Mills Company--a conglomerate with flour mills in Great Falls, Harlowtown and Lewistown, Montana--for
$350,000. The extravagant Story Mansion on South Willson was sold to the SAE fraternity shortly afterwards."
Despite these losses, the Story family continued to exert considerable economic influence in the Gallatin Valley and
beyond. As Iate as 1938, they owned considerable portions of land and real estate throughout Bozeman, including the
21(Progressive Men of Montana [1938], 1257)
2111obert G.Raymer,Montana:The Land and People(Chicago:The Lewis Publishing Company, 1930), 15-18.
22(Burlingame 1976,99)
2-�T.Byron Story to D. W.Raymond, 1 August,1918,Typed transcript,Manuscript file#669,Burlingame Special Collections,
Renne Library, Montana State University,Bozeman,Montana.
24(Story 1993)
NPS Frirm 10-800 a OMB Approval No. 1024-M18
(0-Be)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 5
Gallatin County, MT
lands immediate west of the Story Mill, which Nelson Story's grandson, Malcolm, eventually developed into the Bozeman
Livestock yards.
Railroads and the Historical Development of the Gallatin Valley
On July 2, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation to establish the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and
finance the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from Lake Superior to Puget Sound. Ultimately awarding
approximately sixty million acres to facilitate the venture, the charter provided the largest land grant ever given to a
railroad and made the Northern Pacific "the single greatest American corporate undertaking of the nineteenth century,"
according to historian Robin W. Weeks.'s In time, the endeavor profoundly impacted the economic, demographic and
geographic character of virtually every place it had contact with, including Montana's Gallatin Valley.
Following the prevailing economic stagnation of the 1870s, the Northern Pacific Railroad desperately sought local markets
and natural resources to help offset the huge costs of its transcontinental expansion.' Eventually, the Gallatin Valley's
established reputation as "the granary of Montana", together with its geographic proximity to Bozeman Pass and the large
coal reserves of the neighboring Trail Creek area, attracted the attention of the railroad.27 On January 9, 1882, the
Northern Pacific purchased a large tract of land located northeast of Bozeman from Perry and William McAdow and began
construction of a six stall, masonry roundhouse to accommodate helper engines for pushing eastbound trains over Bozeman
Pass--the highest point on the railroad. A small masonry oil house, light maintenance yard and modest frame freight and
passenger depot were also erected.' In a matter of months, Bozeman became the oldest town on Montana's Northern
Pacific line.'
Although Bozeman was unusual in that it did not owe its life to the railroad, the Northern Pacific dramatically changed the
Gallatin Valley, even prior to its arrival there. Until the coming of the railroad, the valley's commerce with the rest of the
nation was possible only by freighter--south to Corinne, Utah, on the Union Pacific Railroad, or North to Fort Benton,
Montana, on the Missouri River.30 Thus, following confirmation that the railroad would traverse the Valley on its trek to
the West Coast, local anticipation reached a fevered pitch. Area farmers and ranchers, many of whom had become
painfully aware of the economic disadvantages of their geographic isolation from eastern population centers, perceived the
railroad as nothing less than the key to progress for the Bozeman area.at
25Robin W.Weeks,Frederick Billings:A Life(New York: Oxford University Press,1991), 187
''(McGee 1993)
27(Leeson 1985,608)
78Historical Research Associates,"Report of the Historical Findings,Northern Pacific Roundhouse Site,Bozeman,Montana"
(Missoula,Montana: Historical Research Associates,1988),23.
29Henry J.Winer,The Great Northwest:A Guidebook and Itinerary for the Use of Tourists and Travelers over the Lines of the
Northern Pacific Railroad (New York: G.P.Putnam and Sons,1883), 181.
(Dunbar 1956,118)
31(Meader 1993,12)
OMB Approval No.1024-0016
,NPS Form if',DW-a
(a-e)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 6
Gallatin County, MT
Almost immediately, local expectations were fulfilled as railroad optimism sparked a prolonged redefinition of the region's
character, appearance and quality of life. Confident that the railroad's arrival would spark a major building and settlement
boom in Bozeman, Story and local partners Walter Cooper and John Dickerson platted Park Addition, one of the largest
subdivisions on Bozeman's affluent southern side. The East Side (later Hawthorne) School at 114 North Rouse, the
Masonic Lodge at 137 East Main, the Lamme Building at 29 East Main, and the Spieth and Krug Brewery at 240-246 East
Main were constructed in 1883. 2 The City of Bozeman was incorporated later that same year in celebration of the fact
that the region was no longer circumscribed by the limitations of geographic isolation. "We may now feel that we are part
of the great world's business activities," proclaimed Judge H.N. Maguire and, indeed, to many local residents the
possibilities seemed endless.33
As is the case in other communities, the advent of the Northern Pacific marks a watershed in the developmental history of
the Gallatin Valley. The arrival of the railroad brought the first efficient, all-weather transportation to southwestern
Montana and tied it into the nation's industrial economy. Prior to when motorized vehicles and improved roads became
common in the 1920s and 1930s, the Northern Pacific, and later the Milwaukee Road, were essential for passenger, mail
express and freight transportation.34
With the railroad's assistance, Bozeman rapidly moved toward economic and demographic stabilization. Local population
levels increased dramatically from 867 in 1880 to approximately 3,000 in 1885.35 Simultaneously, rail connections with
markets in the thriving mining areas of Butte and Anaconda, Montana, as well as more distant markets, bolstered
prosperity among local farmers, merchants and manufacturers. Closer to home, the railroad provided cheap and reliable
transportation to the Valley's manufacturing centers. Thus, despite the hardships of a widespread economic depression
that gripped the nation, the Valley's agricultural economy grew at a swift pace in the latter decades of the nineteenth
century.
Efforts to promote settlement by advertising the region's economic potential were soon sponsored by the Northern Pacific,
who desired to sell excess lands previously granted to them by the federal government. Seeking not only native born settlers
but also foreign immigration, the railroad distributed over 600,000 pamphlets in English, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, and
Norwegian in 1882 alone,which praised the fertility of places like the Gallatin Valley.' Eventually the railroad expanded
their settlement campaign, running demonstration trains with farm products from the states its traversed and offering
special one way rates for homesteaders.37
32(McDonald, 1984,121-26)
33(McDonald 1984,49)
34Mark Hufstetler, Interview by author,9 September 1994,Bozeman,Montana,tape recording in possession of the author,
Bozeman,Montana.
35(McDonald 1984,122-23)
36Richard White,"It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own":A New History of the American West(Norman,Oklahoma:
University of Oklahoma Press, 1991), 196.
37K.Ross Toole,Twentieth-Century Montana:A State of Extremes(Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972),48.
OMB Approve!No.1024-0018
NPS Forth tape
(8 ae}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 7
Gallatin County, MT
Because the railroad could cheaply deliver previously unavailable implements from eastern industrial centers, it also
facilitated the gradual mechanization of local agriculture which, in turn, encouraged a fuller utilization of the land and
corresponding increases in settlement. This, in turn, increased the importance of local mills as the purchasers of
agricultural products.
Due largely to the interrelated influences of the railroad and the equally important growth of local markets like the Story
Mill, Montana census reports document that the number of farms in Gallatin County expanded from 175 in 1880 to 950 in
1900.38 As significantly, the average size of farms in the Valley increased from 305 acres to 380 acres in the same
period.39 Wheat rapidly assumed a position as the premiere cash crop in the Valley, and by 1900 the amount of wheat
acreage had soared to 25,173 acres, as remote bench lands near the mountains were cultivated and made accessible by the
railroad for the first time.40
As the numbers and production levels of area growers increased, so did there dependence on the Northern Pacific to
transport the fruits of their labors and on local agribusinesses to purchase and process them. Similarly, local manufacturers
began to rely heavily on the railroad to deliver grains, cereals, flour and cattle to many of the region's Indian Reservations
and military installations, and continued to increase his fortune and influence thanks to steady supplies and regular
demands of these reliable markets. Within a decade after its establishment in 1882, for example, the Story Mill had
doubled its milling capacity and was proudly advertising "the most thoroughly equipped mill in Montana" to meet his
suppliers needs. Manufacturing "Saskatchewan" and "Montana Belle" flour, the mill became the largest consistent payroll
of any private enterprise in the Gallatin Valley and it remained so for several decades.41
Following the initial architectural transformation that took place in the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District
immediately prior to and after the arrival of the railroad in 1883, years passed before sparks from passing steam engines
ignited separate fires that again redefined the architectural character of the district. The first fire damaged the original
Northern Pacific passenger/freight depot in 1891. While the original frame depot was still functional, increasing
settlement and tourism in the Bozeman area as well as a substantial escalation in the freight traffic to and from the Valley,
justified the construction of a new, 30-x-92 foot brick passenger depot at 829 Front Street from standardized specifications
supplied by the railroad.42 The repaired frame depot was utilized solely for freight services until 1909.
On August 27, 1901, a spark from a another passing steam engine ignited a devastating fire which destroyed the original
Story Mill Complex. After the fire, the Story's merged with E. B. Lamme's Bozeman Milling Company at 1227 North
38Compare Matt W.Alderson,Bozeman:A Guide to its Places of Recreation and a Synopsis of its Superior Natural Advantages,
Industries and Opportunities(Bozeman,Montana: Privately Printed, 1882),9 with William R.Merriam,Agriculture Paris I and II,
Twelfth Census of the United States of America(Washington,D.C.: United States Census Office, 1902),100-101.
39Compare Francis A.Walker and Charles W.Seaton,Report on the Production of Agriculture as Returned to the Tenth Census,
1 June 1880 (Washington,D.C.:United States Census Office,1883),197 with William R.Merriam,Agriculture Part 11:Crops and
Irri ation Twelfth Census 1900(Washington,D.C.: United States Census Office, 1902),375.
40(Meader 1993,14)
"(Story 1993)
42See R. 11. Polk Bozeman tMontanal City Directory Including Gallatin County(Butte,Montana: R.H.Polk and Company)1892-
93, 1901), n.p.and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.Bozeman,Montana. (New York: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company,1892, 1904)n.p.
OMB Approval No.1024-0015
,NP9 Form IC 89Ma
0-"
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 8
Gallatin County, MT
Rouse Avenue, and eventually bought out their chief competitor three years later. They then reconstructed their original
business, "right on the foundation of the old burned mill, just taking the foundation down 2-3 ft. wherever it was necessary
and building up new, according to T. Byron Story.n43 Two large brick warehouses, a brick boiler room, a 90,000 bushel
grain elevator and a frame office building were incorporated into the complex. The Story's then removed the milling
machinery from their recently purchased North Rouse mill and moved it to the new brick flour mill. Within a year they
had converted what became know as the upper mill into a cereal mill, which manufactured rolled wheat and oats for
breakfast cereal in packages and in bulk. When the new lower mill resumed flour production in 1904, it operated day and
night with a milling capacity of 650 bushel barrels daily. Company President T. Byron Story renamed their entire operation
the Bozeman Milling Company and possessed a virtual monopoly on milling in the Bozeman vicinity.44
When the effects the depression of the late nineteenth century had subsided, Bozeman entered a period of renewed
prosperity and local transformation. The advent of dry land farming techniques, coupled with an ongoing homestead
boom, dramatically increased Bozeman's population from 3,450 in 1900 to 8,000 in 1910.45 These demographic changes, in
turn, reaffirmed Bozeman's advantageous position as a regional supply center, inspiring numerous changes in the
architectural character of the Northern Pacific/Story Mill historic District. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps document that
several railroad-dependent businesses were attracted to the Northern Pacific main line as early as 1904. These included: the
F. L, Benepe at 1010 North Wallace Avenue, and Farmer's Alliance grain elevators on Front Street, which were
subsequently destroyed by fire sometime prior to 1927; the Lindsay Fruit and Vegetable Company at 720 Front Street, the
John Mitchell general Warehouse at 706 Front Street, the Ellis Brindle and Company implement warehouse at 725 East
Cottonwood Street and various other warehouse distributors. Together these Civic Phase businesses reinforced the linear
appearance of the rail corridor and dramatically increased its importance as a locus of economic activity.46
The constant transformation of railroad technology during Bozeman's Curie please of development also inspired numerous
changes in the architectural character of the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District. By 1907, a brick extension to the
Northern Pacific Roundhouse building was constructed to accommodate Iarger helper engines. A 1909 fire destroyed the
existing frame depot at 506 Front Street and freight services had increased enough to warrant the construction of a 40 x
300 foot brick freight depot replacement from the railroad's standardized plans.
The following year, the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad "gained access to Bozeman by taking over and
connecting up with the Gallatin Valley Electric Railroad," according to railroad expert Rufus Cone.47 The Milwaukee
based its operations on East Main Street and a smaller commercial center gradually developed there. To better compete
with the Milwaukee, the Northern Pacific built yet another nearly identical 40' x 240' freight warehouse at 6 North Wallace
"T, Byron story to T.Byron Story Jr.,2 December 1944,Typed transcript,Manuscript File,Gallatin County Pioneer Museum,
Bozeman,Montana.
44(T.Byron Story 1944)
45(McDonald 1984,126-7
46R. H.Polk Bozeman [Montana] City Directory: Including Gallatin Countv(Butte,Montana: R.H. Polk and Company,1902-09)
and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Bozeman,Montana. (New York: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1892, 1904 and 1912)
47Rufus Cone,interview by author,29 June 1993,Bozeman,Montana,Tape recording in possession of the author,Bozeman;
Montana.
NPS Fq[n tO-Bno-e OMB Approve!No.1024-001e
18-"
United States Department of(lie Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 9
Gallatin County, MT
Avenue, which handled local and outgoing freight for the railroad after 1912.48 The Northern Pacific also constructed a
branch line to its East Main Warehouse, which served as a geographic linkage between the main line and the East Main
District. In time, this rail corridor was utilized by both local railroads.
The volume of agricultural and railroad activity in the Valley continued to intensify during the 1913-1929 Progressive era
thanks in large measure to the growth of MSC's Agricultural Experiment Station--which encouraged dry land farming
techniques and the application of"industrial principles to agricultural expansion."49 As early as 1907, a surplus of hard
milling wheat was, for the first time, available for shipments to markets outside of Montana and, in a mere thirteen years,
grain storage capacity in the Bozeman area had increased by 1,400,000 bushels 50 This rapid expansion in grain cultivation
was, undoubtedly, was partially facilitated by the Northern Pacific Railroad, which sold 1,313,472 acres of Montana land in
1916 alone.51
In advocating the scientific management of farming, the Agriculture Experiment Station also promoted crop diversification
and, following 1911 soil tests, 17000 acres of peas were planted in the Valley, The obvious success of the experiment,
coupled with the fact that legume cultivation was a natural soil enricher and pea vines could be used as animal fodder,
influenced the development of four local seed pea companies. The incredible success of Bozeman's seed pea industry
stimulated the incorporation of the Bozeman Canning Company on North Rouse Avenue. Soon the Gallatin Valley was
producing seventy-five percent of the seed peas raised in the United States and Bozeman was referred to as the "Sweet Pea
Capital of the Nation."1117he industry thrived in the Gallatin Valley until the mid-1950s, employing hundreds of local
residents, particularly women.53
The rail-dependent pea industry was well represented in the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District. The Peninsular
Seed Company occupied the abandoned Northern Pacific Freight Depot at 506 Front Street, sometime prior to 1916, after
the railroad relocated its freight services to East Main Street.54 This business was eventually taken over by the more
successful Brotherton/Kirk Seed Company,which occupied at least a portion of the former Northern Pacific freight house
until the 1950s. Tltat portion of the warehouse not utilized by the Brotherton/Kirk Seed Company was utilized as a
regional wool house during the early summer months and buyers from Boston frequently traveled to Bozeman to purchase
4R"Railroad Buildings,"Bozeman Daily Chronicle,26 December 1911,3.
49E.L. Courier,"Farm Management in the Gallatin Valley,"Agriculture Experiment Bulletin 97(Bozeman,Montana:Montana
Agricultural Experiment Station, 1914), 119.
"Francis Yager,"Cooperative County Elevators in Montana,"United States Department of Agriculture Report#64(Washington,
D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1959), 1-21.
"(Toole 1972,60)
57"Gallatin County is the Center,"Bozeman Daily Chronicle,27 June 1912,7.
53Anthony Gauze and Lewis Uhlrich,Interview by author,7 July 1993,Bozeman,Montana,Tape recording in possession of the
author,Bozeman,Montana.
54R.14. Polk, Bozeman 1Montanal City Directory; Including Gallatin County(Butte,Montana:R.14.Folk and Company,1916-17),
370
OMB Appr—W No.1024 O01B
NPS Fort 10,900-a
(e-ae)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
a
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 10
Gallatin County, MT
the local commodity for several decades." Prior to 1927, the Benepe warehouse on the corner of Front and Tamarack
Streets was also used as a seed house, as was the warehouse at 704 Front Street.
Increasing demand for local rail services, led to the proliferation of functionally specific support structures in the Bozeman
rail yard. In 1917 a bucket hoist, water tank, stand pipe and coal cinder were constructed in order to expand the Bozeman
yard's usefulness for steam powered engines.S6 These features were based on standardized designs provided by the
Northern Pacific and symbolized the railroad's attainment of a dominant and financially secure position in the
transportation industry during the heyday years of the early twentieth century.57 By 1924, increasing passenger service at
the Bozeman station due in part to the growth of the local tourism industry, also justified the remodeling and enlargement
of Northern Pacific Passenger Station at 826 Front Street. In an effort to project an image of prosperity and stability, the
railroad hired local architect Fred Willson to redesign the entire facility, rather than relying on stock plans to accomplish
their goals. Willson designed a large rectangular addition and incorporated design elements of the Craftsman and Prairie
School styles. The entire facility was then covered in brown, combed wire-struck brick.58 The following year the yard was
further modified, when the larger Z-4 and Z-5 engines were introduced because the local turntable was too short to handle
them without being hazardous.59
Competition between the Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road during the early decades of the twentieth century also
fostered the continued modification of the district's architectural character. Recognizing the increasing transportation
demands of the Story Mill, which despite the fire of 1901, had expanded to the point where its growing markets could not
be supplied with Gallatin Valley grain alone, the Milwaukee Road announced its plans to build a second spur line to the
Mill.
Realizing that this development would connect the mill with the abundant grain-producing region's along the Milwaukee's
central Montana main line, T. Byron Story initiated yet another series of expansions at the mill complex. Elevator capacity
was expanded to 500,000 bushels and popular local architect Fred Willson was commissioned to design a large flour
warehouse,which was capable of simultaneously servicing the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road, which reached
the mill in 1914. Less than a year after these significant developments, the productive capacity had increased to increased
to 1000 bushel barrels daily. Now one of the largest and most successful business in Montana, the Company regularly
shipped flour and cereals throughout the Northwest and occasionally sent products as far as Boston, New York,
55(Gafke and Uhlrich 1993)
56GCM Services,Final Cultural Resource Inventory of the Idaho Pole Site Bozeman,Montana,59715 (Butte,Montana: GCM
Services, Inc., 1990),5-6.
57See Rebecca Conard,"'Once I Built A Railroad':Viewing History from the Platform,"Public Historian 14(Spring 1992):39-41.
SeFred F.willson,"Architectural Drawing 1130 #30,"Burlingame Special Collections,Renne Library,Montana State University,
Bozeman,Montana.
59(Historical Research Associates 1988,23)
OMB Approvd No,1024-0018
NPS Form 10-B00-e
(8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
� a
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 11
Gallatin County, MT
Philadelphia, and Japan.60 By 1918, the Company also possessed elevators in Menard and Belgrade.61 The following year,
it was sold to the Montana Flour Mills Company for $350,000.
Drought conditions prevailed throughout the 1920s, but Gallatin County fared relatively well in comparison to other
counties in eastern Montana. Manufacturing "It's the Wheat" Flour and "Ceretana" Cereals, Montana Flour Mills was
generally considered to be a good company to work for because, as Joseph Schwab remembered, "they had steady, year
round work, they paid well...and they were dependable.n62 Although little construction took place in the Story Mill
Historic District during the 1920s, Montana Flour Mills followed the expansion precedent established by the Story's and
erected six attached eight-story concrete grain storage units at the mill complex. This expansion enabled the Company to
better handle its increased volume of grain traffic due to the presence of a second transcontinental railroad in Bozeman.
The community also reaped the rewards of an active tourist economy during the 1920s as thousands of pleasure seekers
flooded through area train stations, further helping to ease the economic tensions caused by agricultural depression in the
1920s.
Due largely to the established relationship between agricultural pursuits and the Valley's two transcontinental railroads, the
Bozeman area survived the Great Depression better than most, and continued its historic precedent of economic expansion
throughout its 1930-1950 Nationalization Phase of Development. On New Year's Day in 1930, the Chronicle headlines
proclaimed: "All signs point toward continuance of pros perity...No thing in the present situation that is menacing or
pessimistic...Agriculture is in better condition than ever.""
When Montana's economy was at its lowest point, Bozeman witnessed a new relationship with the Federal government
which again transformed the architectural character of the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District. While drought
conditions continued to hinder agricultural pursuits and forced many Montana counties to seek federal assistance during
the Depression years, many area farmers and related businesses, such as the Montana Flour Mills Company, profited by
providing flour and cereal products for Roosevelt's New Deal assistance programs. Toward the end of the Depression era,
Bozeman's economy was quite healthy relative to other areas in Montana. This fact is illustrated by the sizable
developments in the district at this time.
Following a land purchase from T. Byron Story, the Vollmer and Sons masonry slaughter house was constructed during the
summer of 1938 for a cost of$6,500. Operation began the following fail. Joseph Vollmer Sr. selected the site because it
was on the well-traveled Bridger Canyon Road. "It had two railroad tracks (the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee)
coming in, one on each side of us; and we thought that triangle was probably an opportune piece at that time," remember
Joseph Vollmer, Jr. Moreover, the slaughterhouse was located near Rocky Creek, which provided ready disposal for the
operation's blood. By 1949 a pumice block addition to the slaughterhouse was constructed to make a change room, storage
area and boiler room, and that same year a two-story masonry rendering plant was constructed on the site, to dispose of
60(Story 1993)
61R.H. Polk, Bozeman IMontanal Citv Directory; Including Gallatin County(Butte,Montana:R.H.Polk and Company, 1918-19),
288.
62Joe McCay and Joseph Schwab, Interview by author,2 August 1993,Bozeman,Montana,Tape recording in possession of author,
Bozeman,Montana.
63John Mengel,"Locals survived Depression Better Than Most,"Bozeman Daily Chronicle,29 March 1983,16.
OM Approval No.1024-0018
NP9 Form 1 D-900-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 12
Gallatin County, MT
the operation's offal. The following year, the Vollmer's built a short rail spur of the Story Mill spur, so that their growing
enterprise could be easily serviced by the railroad.'
Supplied largely by the neighboring Gallatin Valley Auction Yards,which were developed the following year, the Vollmer
slaughterhouse complex processed a monthly average of 200 head of beef, 400-500 hogs and a few sheep for local
distribution. Essentially two operations in one, the plant typically employed eight people and was designed to utilize all
parts of the animal. The tallow was shipped in tank car lots, meat meal was used by local mills for preparation of livestock
feeds and the hides were shipped in bulk to tanneries.65
The Gallatin Valley Auction yard was developed on Story land directly across from the Story Mill complex by Nelson
Story's grandson, Malcolm. The yards were originally the locus of Story's livestock operation in the region. "Our ranch
headquarters was right where the auction yard is," remembered Malcolm Story. "We took the chaff and the residue from
the flouring and brought it over and put it in the dust houses and fattened the cattle on it. Hell, grandfather was hitting it
from all sides," he declared. The area contained a variety of corals and barns that had been utilized by the family following
the construction of the mill and, like the Vollmer slaughter house, possessed access to both the Story Mill Spur and Rocky
Creek. "Those barns were there at the same time the mill was built in the eighties," Story continued. Although Story
incorporated many of these original structures into his 1939 stockyard operation, a 1951 fire consumed some of these
original structures. Nonetheless, Malcolm Story rebuilt the yards the same year, following the original design closely and
utilizing recycled materials whenever possible' The evidence of fire is present on the majority of wood structures on the
site.
Initially managed by Howard Raser "a dean of auctioneers in fourteen states," the Gallatin Valley Auction yards were
historically significant because, prior to their establishment in 1939, there were no stockyards in southwestern Montana.
"All of the cattle from the Gallatin Valley went to Chicago," remembered area rancher Anthony Gafke. "After the thirties
come, they got yards out in the country...and that stopped the shipping to Chicago," forcing the buyers to travel to their
suppliers. "It was a great thing for the farmers when these little stockyards came in," Gafke concluded.67 Trains on the
Story Mill Spur shipped livestock to the Midwest, and Joseph Vollmer recalled that as many as fifty train carloads of
animals were shipped on a single sale day during the heyday of the yards. "The train was running clear back up toward
town," he remembered.
The presence of the Montana Flour Mills Company and the Gallatin Valley Auction yards, coupled with MSC's
Agricultural Extension Service, made Bozeman the principle actor in Montana's New Deal farm policy activity. The
capability of the College to offer technical solutions to problems facing Montanans, together with Bozeman's already
Joseph H.Vollmer, interview by author,29 June 1993,Bozeman,Montana,Tape recording in possession of author,Bozeman,
Montana,
65"Vollmer Slaughter House Necessity in Everyday Living,"Bozeman Daily Chronicle 26 March 1956,8.
66(Story 1993)
67(Gatke and Uhirich, 1993)
68(Vollmer 1993)
OMB Approvd No.1024-0018
NPB Form 10-800-a
(8.86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 13
Gallatin County, MT
established significance as an agricultural marketplace, underscored Bozeman's role as the "de facto capitol of rural
Montana."o
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Bozeman's economy again benefited from Federal demands.
Mechanisms were already in place to provide the nation's armed forces with locally produced agricultural commodities,
such as flour, wool and meat. Mill Superintendent Orval Owen, for example, maintained that "during the War the mill ran
seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day" and remembered that "there were days and days of nothing but governmental
flour going out." Montana Flour Mills Company records during the Second World War confirm Owen's recollections,
showing an "abnormally Iarge volume of business," which averaged over $2,000,000 a month.70
Although it was not the largest mill owned by Montana Flour Mills, the Bozeman operation also made flour for some of
the nation's largest distributors, including: Pilsbury, Safeway Stores, Roman Meal and Wonder Bread. "They seemed to like
our flour from the Bozeman Mill better than some of the other Montana Flour Mills," continued Owen. "It just seemed to
bake better when it was milled in this Valley." Due to the popularity of Montana's hard red, high glutton content wheat,
the Bozeman Mill eventually shipped flour to nearly every state in the union, including Alaska, where Gallatin Valley
Flour was frequently delivered by dog sled. "We had to have the railroads," Owen continued, because the grain "was all
brought in by rail and all the flour went out by rail. So, we were dependent upon the railroads.n71
The mill's storage capacity was again dramatically increased in 1950 to the present phase of Bozeman's development,when
a large metal-sheathed grain warehouse was erected by Montana Flour Mills Company in the mid-1950s. A small metal
penthouse was added to the mill's two-story flour boiler room for unknown reasons. Neither of these elements can be
considered as contributing elements in the district because of their age.
Following the Second World War, technological changes and diminishing railroad business led to the abandonment and
demolition of many railroad resources in the Bozeman area. The advent of diesel technology replaced steam locomotives by
the early 1950s, eliminating the need for water tanks and coaling towers spaced at regular intervals as well as further
reducing the number of engine servicing and repair points. Bozeman eventually lost its status as a division point for the
Northern Pacific and several historic functions of the rail yard were rendered obsolete and discontinued or transferred to
Livingston, Montana, some twenty miles to the east.
The physical expression of this development was the demolition of a variety of functionally specific structures in the
Bozeman rail yard, which the Northern Pacific removed in an effort to reduce maintenance costs and tax bills. These
include: the Northern Pacific's roundhouse and turntable, coaling dock, water tower, section house and track scale. A
tangible manifestation of this era of changing railroad technology can still be found in the Northern Pacific WY structure,
which was laid following the removal of the turntable as a means of redirecting the larger diesel engines. Aside from these
(McDonald 1984,112)
70C.R. McClave to N.B.Holier,21 December 1943,A.M.Hotter Papers,Manuscript Collect 80,Montana Historical Society,
Helena,Montana.
71(Owen 1993)
Nn F-urm 10-9W-R
- (B•eel
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES .-
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 14
Gallatin County, MT
architectural modifications, decreasing passenger and freight traffic to motor vehicles as well as an emphasis on bulk and
containerized cargo also negatively impacted the extent to which railroads were utilized in the post-war era.'
Not surprisingly, these dramatic transformations in the nature of local railroading eventually had a corresponding influence
upon several rail-dependent enterprises. "Business here in Bozeman had depreciated considerably," remembered Harry
Wolfe, who worked for the Northern Pacific during the period. "The Milwaukee was... starting to close out. The flour mill
was in the process of getting ready to close out. The feed plant had slowed down...About the only thing that was going
fairly strong was the stockyard in the fall."'3 The simultaneous decline of local railroads and their major business confirms
their codependent relationship and mutual significance for Bozeman, especially in the 1882-1945 period.
Conclusion
The ongoing construction of the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road were, in all liketihood, the largest construction
projects undertaken the Gallatin County during its historic period. Consequently the construction of either is, in itself, an
act of sufficient magnitude to give the Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District significance.
Railroading in Gallatin County has produced far more dramatic historic impacts, however. As a direct consequence of the
construction of the Northern Pacific and, later, the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul railroads, agricultural settlement
and production in the Valley dramatically increased, most of the county's townsites were platted, and the level of business
activity rose substantially. •In addition, the geographical pattern and architectural character of this new settlement and
activity was directly and consciously guided by these transcontinental railroads, through their choice of routes and townsite
locations. Ultimately, the Valley's diverse agricultural economy remained almost completely dependent upon railroads to
carry its products to local, regional and national markets, throughout the 1882-1945 period.
Thus, despite post-war modifications to the Northern Pacific rail yard which, according to railroad historian Dale Martin,
have"severed the historic, functional connections of railroading between the ruins of the engine servicing area and the
main line corridor," the Northern Pacific/Story Neill Historic District is comprised of a historically and architecturally
significant concentration of resources that retain a high degree of integrity overall." The remaining architecture and
physical configuration of the district visually conveys several broad patterns of development that played a central role, not
only in Bozeman's history, but in that of the American West in general. The district's features also visually convey the
historical significance of Nelson Story and his descendants in the economic development of the region as well as the
architectural significance of the district.
Indeed, the vast majority of the district's resources contribute to its overall character, and some of its noncontributing
elements can be enhanced or will eventually become of qualifying age. The recent purchase of the long-abandoned mill
complex and the continued use of the main line by Montana Rail Link and Burlington Northern indicate that the district
will remain a potent reminder of the region's economic development between 1882 and 1945. This fact does not belie the
'Dale Martin and Joan Brownell,'Ilse Milwaukee Road:Judith Gap Glengany.A Determination of Eligibility for the National
Register of Historic Places(Butte,Montana:Renewable Technologies,Inc., 1989),6-7.
7311arry Wolfe, Interview by author,30 June 1993,Bozeman,Montana,Tape recording in possession of the author,Bozeman,
Montana.
74Dale Martin,quoted in GCM Services,Final Cultural Resource Inventoy of the Idaho Pole Site,Bozeman Montana.59715
(Butte,•Montana: GCM services,Inc., 1990),6-7.
NOS Form 10900-e OMB Mrxovd No,1024-00 10
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
i
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 15
Gallatin County, MT
historic significance of district as a whole, nor the substantial degree of architectural integrity remaining directly south of
the main line and all along the Story Mill Spur.
OM0 Approved No.1024 WIS
NF9,Form 10-900-4
(e-a9)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
r a
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 16
Gallatin County, MT
BUILDING LIST
Date Name Address Style Status
1. 1883 Northern Pacific Main Line(structure) Northern Pacific R/W NA P
a. ca.1883 Mill Creek Bridge(structure) NA C
b. M1919 Low Line Bozeman Creek Bridge(structure) NA C
C. post 1945 Main Line Bozeman Creek Bridge(structure) NA NC
2. ca.1914 Milwaukee Dry Creek Branch Line Grade(structure) Milwaukee R/W C
3. 1983,1909 Northern Pacific Freight House(building) 506-526 Front St, Standardized P
4. pre71904 Ellis Brandley&Company Warehouse(building) 725 E.Cottonwood Vernacular C
5. pre-1908 General Warehouse(building) 704 Front Street Vernacular C
6. pre-1908 John Mitchell Warehouse(building) 706 Front Street Vernacular C
7. pre-1904 Lindsay Fruit Company Warehouse(building) 720 Front Street Vernacular C
8. 1892,1924 Northern Pacific Passenger Depot(building) 820 Front Street Prairie/Craftsman P
9. pre-1904 Benepe Elevator Warehouse(building) East Tamarack/Front Vernacular C
10. 1883-1989 Northern Pacific Rail Yard Northern Pacific R/W
a. pre-1926 Scale House/Track Scale Remains(site) toto Standardized NC
b. pre-1926 Domestic Trash Dump(site) to NA C
C. ca.1910 N.P.Branch Line to East Main Warehouse(building) " Standardized C
d. ca.1945 Northern Pacific Wye(structure) Standardized C
e. ca.1883 Water Tower Remains(site) totoStandardized NC
f. ca.1917 Coaling Dock Remains(site) to 11Standardized NC
g. ca.1883 Roundhouse Remains(site) Standardized NC
h. ca.1883 Oil Lube Shed (building) Standardized C
i. pre-1945 Train Order Stand (structure) toStandardized C
j. post-1945 Section Supply Yard (building) w Standardized NC
k. 1919 N.P.Low Line(structure) Standardized C
1. ca.1883 N.P.Pole Line(structure) to " Standardized C
it. 1983-1926 Northern Pacific Story Mill Spur Line(structure) Story Mill Spur R/W Standardized P
a. ca.1883 Rocky Creek Bridge(structure) NA C
b. ca.1883 Canal Spillway Ditch Bridge(structure) NA C
12. 1938-50 Vollmer&Sons Slaughterhouse Complex: Mill Spur/Rocky Creek
a. 1938 Vollmer&Sons Slaughterhouse(building) Vernacular C
b. 1949 Vollmer&Sons Rendering Plant (building) Vernacular NC
C. 1938 Vollmer Livestock Yard (site) Vernacular C
d. 1950 Slaughterhouse Spur Line(structure) Standardized NC
13. ca.1882, Gallatin Valley Auction Yards Complex: 1018 E.Griffin Drive
1939-1952
a. 1882-1939 Gallatin Valley Auction Yards(structure) Vernacular C
b. pre-1940 Stockyard Barn (structure) Vernacular C
C. ca.1939 NP Railroad Loading Gates(structure) Vernacular C
d. ca.1939 Stockyard Cafe(building) Vernacular C
e. ca.1950-52 Stockyard Headquarters (building) Vernacular NC
OMB Approval No.1024-0010
NPR Form 10.900-e
(G41%
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 17
Gallatin County, MT
BUILDING LIST
# Date Name Address style Status
14. 1882-1950 Story Mill Complex: 2150 South Story Mill Rd.
a. 1882-1892 Story Canal/Power Ditch&Water Line(structure) Vernacular P
b. ca.1882 Story Canal Spillway(structure) Vernacular C
C. ca.1882 Story Canal Headgate(structure) Vernacular C
d. ca.1883-68 NP/Milwaukee Mill Rail Yard(structure) Standardized C
e. ca.1883 East Warehouse(building) Western- C
Commercial
f. 1883,pre-1904 Mill Building(building) Western- C
Commercial
g. pre•1904 Boiler Room/Administration/L.abratory(building) Western- C
Commercial
h. 1912 Flour Warehouse(building) Western- C
Commercial
i. ca.1902 Grain Scales(building) Vernacular C
j. ca.1903 Grain elevator(structure) Vernacular C
k. pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
1) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
2) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
3) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
4) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
5) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
6) pre-1927 Concrete Grain Silo(structure) Vernacular C
1. ca.1943 Steel Grain Bin(structure) Vernacular C
1) ca.1943 Steel Grain Bin(structure) Vernacular C
2) ca.1943 Steel Grain Bin (structure) Vernacular C
3) ca.1943 Steel Grain Bin (structure) Vernacular C
4) ca.1943 Steel Grain Bin (structure) Vernacular C
m. 1892 Head Miller's Residence(building) Queen Anne P
n. 1892 Story Mill Carriage House(building) Vernacular C
o. pre-1927 Pump House(building) Vernacular C
p. ea.1950 Flat Storage Warehouse(structure) Vernacular NC
• C Commercial
OMe Approver No.1024-0018
NnS Grm 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 18
Gallatin County, MT
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Gallatin County, Montana
County and State
Name of Property
9. Major Bibliographic References
See continuation sheet
Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary Location of Additional Data:
preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has X State Historic Preservation Office
been requested. _Other State agency
previously listed in the National Register _Federal agency
_previously determined eligible by the National Register _Local government
_designated a National Historic Landmark _University
recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # _Other—Specify Repository:
recorded by Historic American Engineering Record#
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property:
tmd References: Zone Easting Northing
A 12 498820 5058600
B 12 498720 5058480
C 12 497720 5059550
D 12 498180 5060460
E 12 498600 5060540
Legal Location (Township,Range✓£Section(s)):T2S, R6E, NWl/4 NW'/4 NWl/4 of Section 5, El/z of Section 6, NWI/4 NW'/4 NWI/4 of
Section 8, TIS, R6E, SWI/4 SW%4 SWl/4 of Section 32
Verbal Boundary Description
See continuation sheet
Boundary Justification
See continuation sheet
11. Form Prepared By
name/title:Derek Strahn
organization:Bozeman-City County Planning Office date:October 1994
street&number:PO Box 640 telephone: (406)586-3321
zip code:59715
city or town:Bozeman state: MT
OMB Approval No.1024-00$8
NF, Form 10-9O0-e
(9-"
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 8 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 19
Gallatin County, MT
Property Owner
name/title:
street&number: telephone:
city or town: state:MT zip code:
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
NP9 Form 10-800-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 9 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 1
Gallatin County, MT
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Published Materials
Actual Results of Farming in the Gallatin Valley in 1891: Crop Reports. Bozeman, Montana: Avant Courier Company,
1891.
Alderson, Matt W. Bozeman: A Guide to Its Places of Recreation and a Synopsis of its Superior Natural Advantages,
Industries and Opportunities. Bozeman: Alderson and Son, Publishers, 1882.
"Bozeman and Its Surroundings," The Rockies Illustrated Magazine. vol. 4, no. 9, (September 1892): 153-170.
"Bozeman Livestock Commission Co." Intermountain Press Pictorial Magazine. October 30, 1947, 4.
"Bozeman, Montana Matters." The Northwest Magazine. October, 1891.
Burlingame, Merrill G. Gallatin County's Heritage: A Report of Progress, 1805-1976. Bozeman, Montana: Gallatin County
Bicentennial Publication, 1976.
---------The Montana Frontier. Bozeman, Montana: Big Sky Books, 1980.
---------and Toole, K. Ross. A History of Montana. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1957.
Currier, E. L. "Farm Management in the Gallatin Valley." Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 13 (97): 106-
120.
Dunbar, Robert G. "The Economic Development of the Gallatin Valley." Pacific Northwest Quarterly. vol. 47, no. 4.
October 1956. 114-121.
Freeman, Cortlandt L. The Growing Up Years: The First One Hundred Years of Bozeman as an Incorporated City, From
1883-1983. Bozeman: The Gallatin County Pioneer Museum, 1988.
"The Gallatin Valley, Montana." The Coast. vol. 15. no. 6. June, 1908.
"The Gallatin Valley and Bozeman, Montana." Bozeman, Montana: Bozeman Chronicle, 1906.
GCM Services, Inc. Final Cultural Resource Inventory of the Idaho Pole Site, Bozeman, Montana, 59715. Butte,
Montana: MSE, Inc, September, 1990.
Haines, Tom. Flouring Mills of Montana Territory. Missoula: Friends of the University of Montana Library, 1984.
Hamilton, James McClellan. From Wilderness to Statehood: A History of Montana, 1805-1900. Portland: Binfords and
Mort, 1957.
OMB Approval No.1024-0010
f P9 Four 10-900-a
(8-SM
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 9 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 2
Gallatin Countv, MT
Houston, E. Lina. Early History of Gallatin County, Montana. Bozeman, Montana: Sons and Daughters of the Pioneers of
Gallatin County, 1933.
Johnson, Dorothy M. The Bloody Bozeman: The Perilous Trail to Montana's Gold. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing
Company, 1983.
Kroes, Rob. "Windmills in Montana: Dutch Settlement in the Gallatin Valley." Montana Magazine of Western History
(Fall 1889): 40-51.
Leeson, M. History of Montana, 1739-1885. Chicago: Warnes, Beers and Company, 1885.
Lindfield, F.B. "The Egypt of America.." The Montana Homeseeker. vol. 1, no. 1. June 15, 1906.
McDonald, James et. at. Bozeman's Historic Resources: Bozeman Historic Resource Survey. A Report Prepared for the
Bozeman City County Planning Board, August, 1984.
Malone, Michael P. and Roeder, Richard B. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. Seattle: University of Washington
Press, 1976.
Milner, Clyde A. II, ed. Major Problems in the History of the American West. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and
Company, 1989.
Montana: A State Guide Book. Compiled and written by the Federal Writer's Project for the Work's Progress
Administration for the State of Montana. Helena, Montana: Department of Agriculture, Labor and Industry, 1939.
"The Northwest on Wheels." The Northwest Magazine. vol. 3, no. 8. August, 1885.
Polk's Bozeman [Montana] City Directory, Including Gallatin County, Butte, Montana: R.H. Polk and Company of
Montana, 1892-1944.
Progressive Men of the State of Montana. Chicago: A.W. Bowen and Company, n.d.
Raymer, Robert G. Montana: The Land and the People. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1930.
Rydell, Robert, Safford, Jeffery and Mullen, Pierce. In The People's Interest• A Centennial History of Montana State
University. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University Foundation, 1992.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Bozeman, Montana. New York: Sandborn Fire Insurance Company, 1883-1927.
Spence, Clark C. Montana: A History, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. 1978.
Storck, John and Teague, Walter D. A History Of Milling_ Flour for Man's Bread. Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press, 1952.
Stout, Tom, ed. Montana: Its Story and Biography A History of Aboriginal and Territorial Montana and Three Decades of
Statehood. Chicago and New York: The American Historical Society, 1921.
OM8 Approves No.1024)018
NPS Form 10-804e
(8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
A '
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 9 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 3
Gallatin County, MT
Sutter, Chad B. Bozeman Milling Company: Renovation of the Story Mill. Senior Project for the Department of
Architecture, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, Spring 1992.
Toole, IC Ross. Twentieth Century Montana: A State of Extremes. Norman,University of Oklahoma Press, 1972.
Wilson, M. L. "The Evolution of Montana Agriculture in its Early Period." In The Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley
Historical Association for the Years 1915-1918, Vol. 9, by the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, 1917-19, 429-440.
Winser, Henry J. The Great Northwest. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1883.
Newspapers
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Seed Pea Industry," December 19, 1911, 1.
Bozeman Dail Chronicle. "Railroad Buildings," December 26, 1911, 3.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Freight now Received at Up-Town N.P. Depot," January 7, 1912, 3.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Pea Culture in the Gallatin," February 1, 1912, 1.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Vollmer Slaughterhouse Necessity in Everyday Living." March 26, 1956.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Centennial Edition, Parts 1-6. March 27-April 1, 1983.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Warehouse Memories." October 6, 1991, 3.
The Bozeman Courier. "Nelson Story was one of Montana's First Gold Miners." May 6, 1938.
The Montana Standard. "Emmett Gives History of State Flour Industry," April 28, 1930.
The Montana Standard. Fiftieth Anniversary Edition. "Montana Flour, Made From Incomparable Wheat, Feeding
Millions." July 4, 1939.
Unpublished Materials
Burlingame Special Collections Renne Library Montana State University:
Vertical File: Bozeman, Cattle Drives, Flour Milling, Nelson Story
Manuscript File 669. Income Account, Story Work Sheep Company.
Manuscript File 708. William W. Alderson Diary.
Manuscript File 712. Montana Flour Mills Company Report, September 1, 1922.
Manuscript File 849A. Ken Swenson and Tony Dassinger. History of Nelson Story, Sr. (Transcript of Audio Tape 849A)
FMB Approval No.W24-UC
NOS Form 10-900-a
(8�m
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
r
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 9 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 4
Gallatin County, MT
Manuscript File 1330. Northern Pacific Railroad Depot.
Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana:
Crow Agency Reports 1887-1891, Miscellaneous.
James S. Brisben Report. Manuscript Collection 328.
A. M. Holter Papers, Manuscript Collections 80, Boxes 137 and 162-166.
Montana Flour Mills Collection, uninventoried
T. C. Power Papers, Manuscript Collections 55, Boxes 19, 33, 38, 166 and 362.
Byron Story Manuscript. Small Collections 1015.
Vertical File: Montana Flour Mills
City and County Records
Gallatin County Courthouse:
Gallatin County Assessor's Office
Gallatin County Appraiser's Office
Office of the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder
Gallatin County Pioneer Museum:
Photo Archives
Manuscripts Files
Vertical Files
City of Bozeman:
City/County Planning Office
City/County Building/Engineering Department
Bozeman Public Library--Montana Room
Interviews
Cone, Rufus. Interview by author, 29 June 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession of author. Bozeman,
Montana.
OMB Approval No.1024-0
' N1'8 Form 10•900-e
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
s `
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section number 9
Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 5
Gallatin County, MT
Gafke, Anthony and Uhlrich, Lewis. Interview with author, 7 July 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession
of author, Bozeman, Montana.
McCay, Joe and Schwab, Joseph. Interview with author, 2 August 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession
of author. Bozeman, Montana.
McGee, Warren. Interview by author, 15 June 1993, Livingston, Montana. Tape Recording in possession of author.
Bozeman, Montana.
Owen, Orval. Interview with author, 13 September 1993, Three Forks, Montana. Tape Recording in possession of author.
Bozeman, Montana.
Story, Malcolm. Interview with author, 7 June 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession of author. Bozeman,
Montana.
Vollmer, Joseph. Interview by author, 29 June 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession of author.
Bozeman, Montana.
Wolfe, Harry. Interview with author, 30 June 1993, Bozeman, Montana. Tape recording in possession of author. Bozeman,
Montana.
Maps
Bird'seye View. Bozeman, Montana, 1884 and 1898.
Northern Pacific Addition, Bozeman, Montana, 1883.
Northern Pacific Right-of-Way Map, 1926.
OMB Approval No.1024-0018
„u Faim :Q-BOo-a
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places �
Continuation Sheet
Section number 10 Northern Pacific/Story Mill Historic District Page 1
Gallatin County, MT
The southern arm of the district extends along a portion of the Northern Pacific main line. It includes the boundaries of
the original 400' Northern Pacific right-of-way in Bozeman and generally follows the alignments of Pear and Front Streets
of the Northern Pacific Addition, as platted in 1883. The eastern border of the district's southern arm is the Milwaukee
Road's Dry Creek Branch Line grade--a distinct geographic feature that runs perpendicular to the Northern Pacific main
line and once crossed the tracks on a girder bridge that was removed by Montana Rail Link in 1990. The western
boundary of this arm is that spot where the main line crosses Bozeman Creek. Added to these parameters are lots 5, 6, 7,
and 8 in block 103 of the Northern Pacific Addition.
Once leaving the main line, the boundaries of the district's northern arm conform to that of the 100' Story Mill Spur right-
of-way. Approximately 2800 feet north of the main line, the District boundaries expand to include an irregular parcel of
land in the NWV4 NEl/4 of Section 5, Township 2 South, Range 6 East MPM, as described in deed book 105 page 560 in
the Gallatin County Courthouse, as well as Certificate of Surveys 1147 and 1224, upon which the Vollmer Slaughterhouse,
Gallatin Valley Auction Yards and the Story Mill complexes are located.