Filed Under Virginia City

Henry Blake House (John Reed Residence)

Virginia City National Historic Landmark District

Situated prominently along once-busy Idaho Street, this home is one of Virginia City’s earliest frame dwellings. The two-story portion—its windows capped by original wooden pediments—dates from 1864. Attorney and later Supreme Court judge Henry Blake bought the property in 1866 and lived here briefly before his marriage in 1870. Miner John Reed was a longtime owner. Reed came west from Pennsylvania to join the Colorado gold rush in 1859. He arrived in Montana in time to join the rush to Alder Gulch in June 1863. Reed walked here from Bannack with 60 pounds of provisions. He and his partners founded the famous Highland District, which produced more than $1 million in gold dust. Reed married Clara Hathaway, the widow of a business partner. Mrs. Hathaway’s husband died when a runaway team threw his sleigh over an embankment. The Reeds spent their entire married life in the home, from 1882 until John’s death in 1912. They expanded the house onto adjacent lots with materials likely salvaged from pre-existing homes. The home had assumed its present appearance by 1904.

Images

Henry N. Blake home, Virginia City, Montana.
Henry N. Blake home, Virginia City, Montana. View of a dirt street with homes and possibly businesses lining each side. Men, women, and children visible along the boardwalk and in the street. Snow covered hills in the background. Idaho Street in Virginia City, Montana with the residence of Judge Henry N. Blake identified. Source: PAc 956-352. Montana Historical Society Research Center Photograph Archives, Helena, MT. Creator: Unknown photographer Date: ca. 1870
Green Clay Smith home (left) in Virginia City, Montana.
Green Clay Smith home (left) in Virginia City, Montana. White frame home with one man and seven women visible outside on the porch and boardwalk, another man with two children visible in a horse-drawn carriage on the street. The Green Clay Smith home on Idaho Street in Virginia City, Montana. The Henry N. Blake home is visible just to the right. Source: PAc 956-353. Montana Historical Society Research Center Photograph Archives, Helena, MT. Creator: Unknown photographer Date: Between 1868 and 1880
Henry Blake/John Reed House, Virginia City
Henry Blake/John Reed House, Virginia City View of Blake House facade Source: Montana Heritage Commission Creator: Kate Steeley, Montana Heritage Commission Date: Oct 2019

Location

East Idaho Street, Virginia City, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Henry Blake House (John Reed Residence),” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/855.