A row of thirteen mansard-roofed officers’ quarters, flanked by two flat-roofed apartment buildings, defined the northeast side of the parade grounds. Ten of the buildings were duplexes, most like this one, designed to house married officers and their families. At the center of the row were three single-family homes, intended for the post commander and his field staff. This last remaining duplex was likely the first one built in 1879-80 from brick manufactured on site, with “fire brick” for the chimneys and fireplaces imported from Helena. Steamboats brought the woodwork upriver to Coal Banks, before freighters hauled it forty miles north by wagon. Each unit contained two identical apartments with mirrored floor plans. Local stories recount that the thin walls between apartments led couples to take their arguments outside. Nevertheless, an 1889 Helena Independent article described these homes as the “center of a little world of charming society,” enlivened by whist parties and formal dinners. Officers’ wives “guided by excellent taste” adorned their parlor walls “with costly and well-selected etchings” and furnished the duplexes with “all the dainty luxuries … found in city homes.”
Images
