Historic Hood River
The Hub Clothing, Great Falls Montana
3-21-2014
Notes
Here’s another fine image of Great Falls, Montana, circa 1900. That stagecoach would not have found many towns of this size between Hood River and Great Falls back in those days.
Image courtesy the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon. Back to Hood River next week!
charlott
Hub Clothing was founded by two men, Andrew Thisted and Tim Brosnan in 1890. After Brosnan died, Thisted continued to run it and when his sons were grown brought them into the business. Thisted was from Norway and learned the merchantile business there. The store closed in 1964, so had quite a long run. You can see their names on the side of the building, so this was taken prior to Brosnan’s death.
Good photo of the flatness of the Great Falls area. I lived one summer 60 miles north and there were very few trees in sight.
Thisted was involved in much of what was going on in Great Falls.
l.e.
Looks like a scene from a wild west movie. People waiting at the stagecoach stop, dog in the street, except usually in the movies the dog isn’t eating garbage.
Spokane was probably the next big stop headed west.
I wonder how many stars are on the flag?
Thanks Charlott for the info and interesting that you have actually lived in the area. Did the wind blow a lot?
Jim Gray
Wonder what the striped Marker is or for on the right, also what the symbols are on the sign ULM HOUSE, does ULM sand for anything or just a name? My Grandfather from Norway also went to Montana, but my first thought was the clothing store that we used to have here in Hood River called The Hub.
l.e.
For me…google seems to be having a lot of trouble finding anything about XULMX HOUSE.
l.e.
Duh. Poor google having to deal with me.
Thanks Jim. If you take away those two X symbols you come up with ULM, which was originally a large ranch owned by cattleman William Ulm.
Now, it is an unincorporated area near Great Falls.
Charlott
I remember one time the wind blew. It was a sheet lightning storm, which I had never seen before. My cousin I lived with had an aeriel spray company. He was off spraying in one plane above the U.S. Canadian border, when that storm hit. He remembered he had left his other plane on the runway, not tied down and his wife and I went out to get it in the hanger. Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Gravel hitting us in the legs, (summer time and had shorts on.) We got it in the hanger, but not until it tipped once onto a wing. No real damage done, but had we not got it in, it would have blown away for miles. Wasn’t a fun experience.
Longshot
Remove the horses and old conveyences and add a newer pickup or two and an old Cutlass or Lincoln and this could be just another town somewhere in the west today.
Arlen Sheldrake
I’m thinking that striped marker on the extreme right is a barber sign pole…….hair cut and dental work while you wait….
Arthur
Unfortunately the focus isn’t great on this negative. I think Arlen is probably right about the barber pole on the right. Down the road on the left is a restaurant, and the most distant building is a bakery. I think it says "Ben Eagland Baker/ Home Made Bread" but it’s not very clear.
The "X" in the Ulm House sign is actually a decorative symbol.
l.e.
In the 1894 Great Falls Weekly Tribune there is an add for The Ulm House. P.B Gallagher and J.A. Gockstetter are proprietors. Rates $2.00 per day and upwards. Centrally located. Free bus to and from all trains. Electric light and baths for guests. First Ave. South.
Great Falls celebrates 125 years in 2009. Quite a bit of history in this article.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125/anniversary_section.pdf
In 1895 Mark Twain pronounced Great Falls one of the prettiest towns in the West, and he said its buildings were finer than those in Denver.
Kenn
I see no stage coach but the Uhm hotel hack indicates the town was a RR stop. The hacks would meet trains to bring passengers to the owner hotel. Most had bench seats on the sides and entered and exited by a back door. They then could back in as this one is doing and disembark customers onto the wood sidewalks. The town is located on the Montana Central RR and was served by the Havre-Great Falls-Helena-Butte train.
Buzz
RE: "In 1895 Mark Twain pronounced Great Falls one of the prettiest towns in the West." Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.