Missoula co-founder Christopher Higgins platted the Higgins Addition in 1882, anticipating the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. At the time, Frank Worden’s farmhouse at 328 East Pine Street was the only house in the subdivision. The neighborhood grew steadily after 1883 as small houses for railroad workers emerged on Pine Street east of Jefferson, and a few large homes and middle-class boardinghouses filled the lots around Worden’s farmhouse. The south side of this block remained vacant until 1903 when Joseph and Theresa Steiger built the boardinghouse next door at 427. In 1909, Theresa, who was widowed, bought this lot and commissioned the small cottage near the alley for rental income. James and Della McCarthy, boarders in Steiger’s house, bought the property in 1924 and built the five-room bungalow in front of the older cottage. The bungalow’s narrow wood siding, exposed rafter tails in the eaves, and gabled entrance porch are hallmarks of the Craftsman style. Frank and Doretta Miller bought the property in 1938. They rented out the rear house for $22.50 and the larger bungalow for $37.50 per month.
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