Glasgow merchants John and Robert Lewis did not face much competition when they opened a bank in a corner of their general store in 1891. Their bank was the only one within over two hundred miles. Despite an initial lack of experience, the Lewis…

Interest in Spanish Mission architecture reached its height in 1915, after the Panama California Exposition popularized the style far beyond the Southwest. Building in the highly recognizable style allowed small town boosters to project a modern,…

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…

When President Franklin Roosevelt’s signature authorized construction of the Fort Peck Dam on October 14, 1933, officials immediately began one of the nation’s largest New Deal projects. The promise of work on the 134-mile filled-earth dam brought…

The Administration Building was built in 1934 to house management operations for the construction and maintenance of Fort Peck Dam and Lake. Construction of Fort Peck Dam was one of the most ambitious public works projects and symbolized the New…

T. C. Power’s stage line established a stop in 1883 where the town of Lavina was born. In 1907, the Milwaukee Road came through attracting new businesses, among them the Slayton Mercantile Co., established in 1908 by Daniel Webster Slayton. A…

The arrival of the Milwaukee Railroad in 1908 established Lavina as an important regional center. D. W. Slayton’s Mercantile and L. C. Lehfeldt’s Adams Hotel were the cornerstone businesses of the bustling community. Slayton and Lehfeldt, along with…

Rancher Ludwig C. Lehfeldt sold 33,000 acres of ranch land to the Milwaukee Road in 1907 prompting the relocation of the Lavina townsite. Realizing the need for a hotel, Lehfeldt hired architects Link and Haire—who drew the plans for the 1910…