Filed Under Red Lodge

Davis House at Brewery Hill

Hi-Bug Historic District

A natural springs and pond provided ice and water for a brewery established here in the early 1890s. In 1894, arson destroyed the ice house and brewery buildings, but a small, one-room log residence escaped the blaze. Dan Davis purchased the property in 1903 where he and his wife, Mary Ann, long made their home. Davis cut tons of ice from the pond for domestic use and operated a saloon that stood next to the house. Brewery Hill offered Davis’ patrons a sweeping bird’s-eye view of Red Lodge; he advertised his beer garden in 1904 as a “pleasant place to sit out under the bushes.” Fire again soon destroyed the business, but Davis remained a dealer of ice and liquor. In 1910, he helped organize the Red Lodge Brewing Company and was its sales manager. Davis also served a term as mayor of Red Lodge from 1912 to 1914. This side-gabled cottage, built between 1901 and 1907, encompasses the original one-room log house. Recent renovation exposed the original logs, covered in 1890 newspapers.

Images

Davis House at Brewery Hill
Davis House at Brewery Hill Davis House at Brewery Hill (PAc 91-51 Red Lodge/Hi-Bug HD R05 F08). Front to side view of the house, facing southwest on 3rd Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: July/Aug. 1985

Location

504 3rd Street West, Red Lodge, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Davis House at Brewery Hill,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/151.