Congress created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and FHA loans in 1934—at the height of the Great Depression—to finance and produce small homes that the average working American could afford. In addition to offering insured long-term,…

Before homebuyers could secure mortgages through the Federal Housing Administration—a New Deal agency created in 1934 to stimulate the economy and encourage homeownership—private sales were more common. A 1913 newspaper ad defined the purchase terms…

Shed roof dormers punctuating the low-pitched roof and triangular braces beneath the roof’s wide, sheltering eaves mark this stucco residence as a Craftsman style house. Elizabeth Bartlett purchased the lot from the Anaconda Company in 1909 and had…

Missoula architect Henry E. Kirkemo designed this Cape Cod style cottage in 1935 for Sandy and Bessie Sanderson of Sanderson Hardware in downtown Hamilton. Kirkemo was well known in the community for designing nearby landmarks, including the Marcus…

James Patrick McCrossin, a Canadian immigrant, constructed this two-room cabin in 1908. McCrossin harvested and peeled western larch, generally less than a foot in diameter, before notching and assembling the hand-hewn logs. He then filled the…

Margaret Barron bought what was then a new home, along with two vacant lots next door, in September 1909. The house, which originally had a smaller central shed-roof dormer, featured many popular Craftsman style elements. These included a…

McCart Lookout, built in 1939 and named for longtime district employee Bill McCart, is a classic example of the L-4 series developed in 1929 by Forest Service engineer Clyde Fickes. The prefabricated wood-frame house was packed in by mules, and…

Gold strikes at Bannack and Alder Gulch brought Irish immigrant Peter Whaley to Montana in the 1860s. Whaley’s wife and nine children shared his adventures, including his service as the first agent on the Flathead Reservation, until the family…

Amidst economic prosperity brought on by the local “apple boom,” Stevensville physician Dr. William Thornton established this surgical center, then the only such facility in the entire Bitterroot Valley. Completed in 1910, builder W. R. Rodgers used…

The evolution of this architectural landmark reflects the growth of both education and religion in Stevensville, documenting the stability and changing needs of the community. Children had been attending classes at the Henry Buck home when…