Montana Sites

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in December 1938: "Rapidly nearing completion as a WPA project is the uniquely-designed $26,000 city hall at Red Lodge... This WPA project has provided jobs for an average of 28 workers since it was started in July. With $23,082 having been expended to date, thc job is now in its final stage, only interior finishing remaining before it can be taken over by the city to house all city departments including the jail. Total cost to Red Lodge for the building will be less than $10,000, officials say. Features of the unusual construction is the use...

The Works Progress Administration built the Libby City Hall in the mid-1930s. Today the two-story brick building serves as the Police Department. The following excerpt is from "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PROPOSED PLAN OF MINING AND RECLAMATION TROY PROJECT - ASARCO INC." at Archive.org, page 285. It was written in 1978: "Libby City Police Department - The Libby City Police Department and jail are located in the Libby City Hall on Mineral Avenue. The Libby City Hall was built around 1930 as a WPA project and is of brick construction. The facility contains two cell areas. "  

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a new city park for the small town of Darby, Montana in 1937-38. The park is next to the city hall and city museum on South Main Street.  It has been improved and well maintained over the years. On Google maps it is labeled as "Main City Park", but the sign at the park only says "City Park".  

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

Clean lines, formal monumental openings, and restrained revival details mark the 1939 Great Falls Civic Center as a municipal Art Deco style building. The Works Projects Administration provided most of the funding for the building. The Depression-era federal jobs program employed people doing everything from local history research to public works projects. Since WPA funds could not be used to purchase land, the city situated the Civic Center on parkland, angering residents who wanted to preserve Great Falls’ beloved Gibson Circle at the end of Central Avenue. A lawsuit that went all the way to the state supreme court failed...

The W.P.A. constructed an armory in Lewistown, Montana in 1936. "The history of the Civic Center starts with its construction in 1936, just prior to World War II. It was built under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) with the understanding that it would serve Lewistown as their new armory. It had a rifle range in the basement and a built-in vault (room) to be a safe storage for arms, ammunition, and other sensitive items belonging to the Lewistown National Guard. Being a civic center, it was not solely for the exclusive use of the National Guard. The large room, upstairs, with a...

The $100,000 civic center and armory in Livingston, MT was constructed by the WPA. The facility is still open for public recreational use today. W.P.A. Official Project Number: 65‐91‐6554

In 1938 the WPA allocated funds for the construction of a new school building in Columbus, Montana. The location and current status of the structure in question is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Lodgepole Community Hall was dedicated in November 1936 in a ceremony the Harlem News called an interesting mix of "Indian tribal tradition and modern governmental activity." In fact, that mix can be seen in the hall itself. Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews built the hall with timber likely logged in the Little Rockies by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Both the WPA and CCC were New Deal programs aimed at putting people to work in the midst of the Depression. The hall’s log walls—now concealed by exterior siding—reflected the Rustic style often favored by the WPA. Inside...

The WPA allocated $16,326 at the end of 1938 to make improvements to the Phillips County Fairgrounds in Dodson, Montana. Gary Winthorpe: "These fairgrounds were actually completed in 1942, not 1939 . They continued to do cosmetics and added an additional attraction. These two things took three years to complete."

The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1938: "The irrigation project for the Dawson county fairgrounds is under way. WPA workmen are laying pipe and building a house for installation of pumping equipment on the Yellowstone river with a capacity of 9,000 gallons an hour. Pressure will be maintained by the large tank west of the main building which is ready for use."

The WPA worked to improve roads throughout Deer Lodge County, Montana. $221,502 were allocated for such projects in July 1938 alone.

A baseball stadium "built in 1940 by the WPA, Denton Field was built to the specifications of professional minor league baseball. Today, the ballpark is still up to code for the Pioneer League. Today, the ballfield and grandstand, remains in pristine condition... Perhaps, even in better shape than the day it was built, (due to renovations including new elevated party decks down each line). Denton Field, has been home to the American Legion's Miles City Mavericks since it opened, and still hosts them today. However, Miles Field soon caught the attention of the rest of the American Legion, and became the tournament...

The WPA allocated $18,689 for "Dornblaser athletic field improvement" at the University of Montana in Missoula. The stadium housed Montana Grizzlies football home games, and is not to be confused with the newer recreation center that bears the same name. According to Wikipedia, the site of 'old' Dornblaser Field "is now the location of the Mansfield Library."

"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."

The WPA allocated $895 for reconstruction work on what was then the gym for the high school in Richey, Montana. The structure is now the gym for Richey's elementary school.

The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1938: "Without warning, the old abandoned Elk's Temple at Helena recently sagged and partially collapsed into one of the city's principal streets. ... WPA crews under an emergency project ... from behind the damaged building..." The structure was located on Broadway Street near Last Chance Gulch in the southwest corner of the city.

A large allocation of WPA funds for school construction and improvement projects for the state of Montana was issued in late 1938. The allocation included funding for school building improvements in Ennis, Montana. The structure in question is most likely what is now Ennis High School. The allocation for the structure appears on Montana WPA Roll 25 under project number 665-91-2-55.

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 example of New Deal artwork. NRHP: "The 1940 expansion of the post office, which resulted in the addition of new third floor offices, was first reported on June 23, 1935. Chandler C. Cohagen was selected as the architect for the $200,000 expansion project. Several other Montana cities were included in the appropriation... John Berntson of Salt Lake City completed the construction...

The original Missoula post office was completed in 1913 and then expanded during the late 1920s to accommodate the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.  A second extension and annex was made under the New Deal, which was designed by Louis A. Simon of the U.S. Treasury Department and dedicated on October 13, 1937. By that time, the structure was known as the Federal Building. The original building was constructed in the Beaux Arts style, popular in public buildings of the early 20th century, which appears to have been repeated in the 1920s. The 1930s addition was done in...

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 of the original lobby (presently separated from lobby by glass partition). The mural, entitled "Trailing Cattle", was completed in 1942 by Leo Beaulaurier for a sum of $800. As suggested by the title, the mural depicts a drover and cattle herd stretching across the Montana landscape. Leo Beaulaurier was in Great Falls, Montana in 1911 and studied at the Los Angeles Art...

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1937: "Work of constructing a running track and fencing the high school athletic field, being done by WPA labor, will be resumed late this month after a winter shutdown." The old Fergus County High School -- located at 401 7th Ave. S. in Lewistown -- now houses condominiums.

Big Timber's Pioneer newspaper reported that the "riprapping of Firemen's island" was one of several projects in the community that was attributable to the New Deal (and in this instance, the WPA). Work on this project commenced November 1935. Riprapping refers to the formation of breakwaters or other structures using loose stones. It is possible that the project was undertaken to mitigate erosion in the area. Modern references make no reference to "Firemen's Island;" Fire Island borders the Boulder River south of Big Timber.

Big Timber Pioneer reported that the federal government allotted $1,144 for the construction of a new log schoolhouse in the former town of Flesher, Montana in Lewis and Clark County. Originally assigned to three WPA laborers, the project was completed by one worker named Jack. As a result, it was thought that the school in Flesher was "the only one-man WPA public building project in the United States." The exact location and current status of the building unknown to the Living New Deal.

The W.P.A. conducted development work at Fort Harrison in Montana. W.P.A. project info: "Construct building and improve grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐91‐4 Total project cost: $591,019.00 Sponsor: Montana State Armory Board "Construct recreation hall and rest room" Official Project Number: 565‐91‐2‐15 Total project cost: $11,485.00 Sponsor: Montana National Guard "Complete construction of recreation hall" Official Project Number: 65‐1‐91‐81 Total project cost: $6,612.00 Sponsor: Montana National Guard "Construct facilities" Official Project Number: 65‐3‐91‐235 Total project cost: $14,654.00 Sponsor: Montana National Guard "Construct new kitchen and mess hall, and move temporary kitchens" Official Project Number: 865‐91‐8‐8 Total project cost: $1,735.00 Sponsor: Montana National Guard

The W.P.A. conducted development work at Fort Missoula in Montana. W.P.A. project info: "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐160 Total project cost: $103,566.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐35 Total project cost: $125,000.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Total project cost: $21,434.00 Sponsor: War Department "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐91‐81 Total project cost: $72,084.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 565‐91‐2‐14 Total project cost: $62,711.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project...

"The Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River in northeastern Montana, approximately 20 miles southeast of Glasgow and near the town of Fort Peck, is being constructed by the Army Engineers under the supervision of the District Engineer. The primary purpose of the project is to improve navigation on the river below Sioux City, Iowa, to its junction with the Mississippi, a distance of 764 miles. Secondary and resulting purposes are flood control, prevention of bank erosion, hydroelectric power, and irrigation. In addition, the project was undertaken at a time when it was imperative to provide-work for the unemployed and 47,000,000...

When President Roosevelt authorized the Works Progress Administration construction of the Fort Peck Dam in 1933, the “instant” town with a population of 10,000 created a need for social and recreational diversions in this remote area of Montana. The Army Corps of Engineers designed and constructed this theatre in less than nine months at a cost of nearly $90,000. The theatre opened November 16, 1934, as a movie house. Seating capacity was 1,200 and continuous showings ran twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week during the construction of the Fort Peck Dam. Patrons sometimes braved lines as long as...

Big Timber's Pioneer newspaper reported in 1936 that the "grading of Fourth avenue" was one of several projects in the community that was attributable to the New Deal.

"Chain Lakes Project - Montana - Contract for the construction of Fresno Dam across the Milk River has been awarded but no work will be done until the spring of 1937. The dam, for storage and flood control purposes, is of the earth and rock fill type. It will be about 80 feet high and 2,000 feet long, and will contain 1,870,000 cubic yards of material. The storage capacity will be 126,000 acre feet."

"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, south of the interstate between Billings and Laurel."

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported: "Started Oct. 6, WPA crews established a record here when they completed the $26,000 "G" street pedestrian subway weeks ahead of schedule. The new 92-foot concrete subway connects with a long railroad underpass." The fate of this structure is not known by Living New Deal, but is presumed to be no longer extant.

Jim Jenks writes: "Designed in the Moderne style" popular at the time, "Gallatin County's 1936 courthouse at 311 West Main Street was one of several federally financed projects that brought jobs and civic improvements to Bozeman during the Great Depression." The author notes that the WPA underwrote both the construction of the new county courthouse as well as the demolition of its predecessor. The building is still utilized by Gallatin County today. A 1939 survey of PWA works described the building as follows: "This building is three stories and a basement in height and is 85 by 110 feet in plan.  The courtroom...

The WPA undertook projects to improve roads throughout Gallatin County. Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported that $16,503 was approved for such work in July 1938 alone.

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.

The Glacier County Courthouse in Cut Bank, Montana was constructed with WPA assistance in 1938.

"Glacier National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Montana, on the Canada–United States border with the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem", a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2)... The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New...

" The Cut Bank Ranger Station in Glacier National Park was one of the first buildings built in Glacier by the National Park Service. Built in 1917, the design is in keeping with park hotel structures built by the Great Northern Railway in a Swiss chalet style that predated the fully developed National Park Service Rustic style. The station was manned year-round until the late 1930s when it became a summer-only station. It was one of the first National Park Service-built facilities in Glacier. The design pre-dates the standardized National Park Service Rustic style, using a similar but simplified construction technique resembling...

"Glacier National Park is located in the U.S. state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem", a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2)... The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal relief agency for young men, played...

"The Headquarters Historic District of Glacier National Park comprises the administrative and housing buildings near West Glacier, Montana on the west side of the park. The area contains a mixture of styles, ranging from National Park Service Rustic to more modern structures built immediately after World War II. Many of the buildings were built by labor from the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Post-World War II development consists primarily of housing developed under the Mission 66 initiative. Significant buildings in the National Park Service Rustic style include the Superintendent's Residence (1923), the original Administration Building (1923), and a...