Missoula’s south side neighborhood developed quickly after the Milwaukee railroad arrived in 1908. By 1912, an eclectic mix of middle-class Queen Anne, Classical Revival, and Craftsman style homes occupied almost every lot. In 1913, Missouri natives John S. and Julia Leach became the first owners of this hipped-roof, Craftsman style bungalow. The home’s wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails, dormer windows, and boxed bay window in the dining room are typical stylistic elements. John Leach was an owner and printer at the Missoulian Publishing Company. From 1902 to 1941, he ran the machinery that printed the Missoulian and later the Missoula Sentinel newspapers. Julia stayed home with their two daughters and was active with the Methodist Episcopal Church’s Ladies Aid Society. The Leaches moved out in 1922, and by 1925 meat market owners Julius and Ida Bachman lived here. Other residents included Northern Pacific Railroad conductor John E. Munro and family, from 1927 to 1929, and Missoula Fire Department mechanic James D. Russ, wife Blanche, and son Edwin from 1930 to 1934.
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