This turn-of-the-twentieth-century home and its two outbuildings recall a time when neighborhood residents cultivated backyard gardens and spent leisure hours on front porches. High school principal Eugene Steere purchased the property in 1903. He and his wife, Lillian, moved to their Dayton ranch in 1910, renting out their Kalispell residence in the interim. Steere returned to the high school as a teacher and assistant principal in 1914. He retired in June of 1929 to “live an outdoor life on his ranch” but suffered a fatal stroke the following November. This pioneer educator made an indelible mark on Montana’s school system. As state superintendent of schools from 1892 to 1897, Steere revised the state’s school laws and played a key role in the founding of its university system. New owners refurbished the home in the 1990s and restored much of its original floorplan. Glass doorknobs, kitchen cupboard hardware, and maple flooring reveal quality vintage finishing while skylights, stair paneling, and a built-in den bookcase demonstrate sensitive blending of old and new.
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