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Displaying 1-15 of 16 results

    Pictograph Cave State Park – Billings MT

    Date added: November 5, 2014; Modified: May 16, 2022

    Formerly known as ‘The Indian Caves’ or ‘The Indian Ghost Caves’ around Billings, MT, this pre-historic site has become one of the most visited state parks in Montana. Artifacts dating back several thousand years were found here in 1937. A… read more

    Airport Improvements – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    The W.P.A. worked to improve what is now known as Billings Logan International Airport, in Montana. W.P.A. project info: “Make improvements to municipal airport” Official Project Number: 165‐1‐91‐66 Total project cost: $295,767.00 Sponsor: City of Billings

    Civic Center – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    The W.P.A. constructed a Civic Center in Billings, Montana, ca. 1935-8. The exact location and status of this facility is unknown to Living New Deal. Official Project Number 65‐91‐6550

    MetraPark Horse Barns – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    “WPA crews also worked on projects on the grounds of what is now MetraPark. Three horse barns built by the WPA are still in use at the fairgrounds.”

    East Bridge (former) – Billings to Lockwood MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    “The far more substantial East Bridge on the Yellowstone River, which connects Lockwood and Billings, was built with WPA funds in 1935 and served for 58 years before it was replaced in 1993.”

    Zimmerman Trail – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018; Modified: February 8, 2018

    “In Billings, WPA work crews substantially re-engineered Zimmerman Trail, which was originally hacked into the Rimrocks in 1890 by brothers Joseph and Frank Zimmerman. The WPA crew of 100 to 150 laborers started the project in 1939 with the intention… read more

    Frontage Road – Billings to Laurel MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    “Practically every two-lane highway in Eastern Montana was built with the help of WPA funds, said Jon Axline, a historian with Montana’s Department of Transportation. … Other examples include Highway 87, from Billings to Roundup, and the old Frontage Road,… read more

    Highway 87 – Billings to Roundup MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    “Practically every two-lane highway in Eastern Montana was built with the help of WPA funds, said Jon Axline, a historian with Montana’s Department of Transportation. … Other examples include Highway 87, from Billings to Roundup, and the old Frontage Road,… read more

    Pioneer Park Lily Ponds (demolished) – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018; Modified: February 8, 2018

    “The same year the WPA crew worked on the tennis courts, they dug three lily ponds along the creek through Pioneer Park. The beautification project cost $3,537, with the city picking up just $137 of the total cost. …  While… read more

    Pioneer Park Tennis Courts – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018; Modified: February 8, 2018

    “At Pioneer Park, a Works Progress Administration crew created tennis courts north of the wading pool in 1935.”

    City Hall – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    “In Yellowstone County, the New Deal funded projects large and small. Money from the Public Works Administration helped build Billings’ City Hall in 1940.” The building has been extensively modified.

    Armory (former) – Billings MT

    Date added: February 8, 2018

    The W.P.A. constructed an armory in Billings, Montana. The location and status of this facility is unknown to Living New Deal. Official Project Numbers 165‐1‐91‐86 [total cost: $75,965.00. Sponsor: War Department], and 165‐1‐91‐X6 [total cost: $145,195.00. Sponsor: Montana State Armory… read more

    Garfield School (former) Improvements – Billings MT

    Date added: January 10, 2014; Modified: February 8, 2018

    Now known as “The Garfield Resource Center,” the WPA allocated funds toward the remodeling of what was then known as the Garfield School. Work began in 1935.

    Federal Building Extension – Billings MT

    Date added: July 16, 2017

    The historic federal building in downtown Billings, Montana was originally constructed in 1913-4. The building was expanded in 1932 and again in 1940, the latter impacting the “rear central and southern portions of the building” and bringing with it an… read more

    "Trailing Cattle" (left side)

    Federal Building Mural – Billings MT

    Date added: July 16, 2017

    The oil-on-canvas mural entitled “Trailing Cattle” was painted by Leo J. Beaulaurier in 1942. The mural was commissioned as part of a 1940 expansion of the 1914 building. NRHP: “”The post office also contains a mural at the east end… read more