Between 1909 and 1918, the homestead boom and expansion of the logging industry dramatically increased traffic in northwest Montana. governments aggressively worked to meet heightened transportation needs by building better roads and bridges. In June 1911, the Flathead Commissioners hired Minneapolis bridge builder A. Y. Bayne & Company to construct this span at Bigfork. The bridge was part of an extensive program by the commissioners to develop the ’s infrastructure. Steel pin-connected Pratt through truss bridges like this one were typical of the steel spans Montana counties built by the hundreds between 1888 and 1915. Now a relatively rare sight, spans like the Swan River Bridge were once common in Flathead and across the state. Pin-connections, developed by the railroads in the 1840s, streamlined the construction process and made this style of bridge relatively inexpensive to build. Engineers had adapted the Pratt pin-connected truss for use as wagon bridges by the time the Civil War began. The pin-connections are seen where the vertical and horizontal steel beams meet at the top of the trusses. Construction of the bridge coincided with the expansion of a hydroelectric facility at the nearby Bigfork Dam. At the same time, access over the bridge sparked the expansion of Bigfork into a significant trade and industrial center in Flathead . Closely associated with the adjacent hydroelectric facility, the bridge also reflects the community’s growth from its humble beginnings in 1892 to a significant residential and commercial center in northwestern Montana.
]]>Cornelius Kelley and Orvis Evans, aspiring young attorneys for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, purchased this former homestead site in 1908 as a seasonal family retreat. Both men rose to positions of great power and wealth. Kelley became president of ACM and vice president of Standard Oil, moving in 1918 to an 80-room mansion in Manhasset, New York. Evans became chief counsel for both the Anaconda Copper Mining and Montana Power Companies. Together they expanded their rustic family retreat between 1914 and 1928, transforming it into a sprawling two million dollar, 2,700-acre vacation resort for business associates and company executives. The finely crafted, elegantly appointed collection of log buildings and exquisite landscaping represent a most unusual juxtaposition of urban opulence and Arts and Crafts-inspired "rustic" architecture against a backdrop of remote mountain timberland. Upturned rooflines on lakeshore arbors, "Yin and Yang" placement of outdoor flagstones, and peaceful gardens radiate Japanese charm. Etchings in concrete around the main lodge courtyard are attributed to the famous Montana artist Charlie Russell, who was once a regular visitor. During hard times of the 1920s, the Lodge bolstered the local economy, employing many area craftsmen and seventy domestic servants. Today, the privately owned buildings and grounds quite literally "sing" into the landscape, harmonizing with the mountain lake setting.
]]>In 1920, the local Rod and Gun Club purchased this acre of land as the site for a community building. Constructed twelve years later, the Swan River Community Hall has served as a locus for valley residents, who gathered here for school functions, card parties, plays, dances, weddings, and funerals. The Grange and Farmers Union met at the facility for years, and roller-skating was an important social activity during the 1950s and 1960s. As one resident recalled, “If we didn’t go to the Hall every week, something was wrong.” Local builder Joe Johnson designed the building, which is made of timber from surrounding state lands and salvaged from abandoned mills. Most of the other building materials were donated, often in lieu of membership fees. Plays and dances also financed the project. The first fundraising play was performed at the school across the road in 1931, and the first dance was an open-air affair held on the Hall’s new birch floor the following summer. The thirty-six-by-sixty-foot structure was completed in 1933. By 1945, an entry hall and two small rooms had been added to the front of the building. The exposed rafter tails, milled trim, lap siding, and shingled gable ends of the addition match those of the original Craftsman design. After a fire burned the rear of the Hall in 1976, the Board considered abandoning it, but an outpouring of support led them to restore the structure. The Hall continues to serve as an important gathering place for this rural Montana community.
]]>