A ghost sign recalls the origins of the only homestead-era commercial building still standing in the area. At its height, Garneill boasted two general stores, three saloons, a lumberyard, three-story hotel, grain elevator, blacksmith shop, railroad station, stockyard, Methodist Episcopal church, and doctor’s office. Two railroads serviced the community. Canadian immigrant William S. Manley hired his brother David, a brick mason, to construct this store in 1910. Brick triangles decorate the cornice (roof line), and a corner entrance welcomes passersby from two directions. Natural light streams in through large plate-glass windows, and a pressed tin ceiling ornaments the interior. Since Manley also served as postmaster, the store doubled as a post office. Some of the original mailboxes remain. In the 1920s, drought and low commodity prices brought on hard times. Most people left Garneill, including Manley, who ultimately settled in Butte. In the 1940s, farmer John Peck purchased the abandoned building with the intention of converting it into a granary. Instead, after replacing the roof, he donated it to the Garneill Community Club in 1944. In 1947, the club added a kitchen. They frequently met here for meals, movies, dances, and holiday celebrations. This is also where Judith Gap High School held its annual junior/senior banquet, area boy and girl scouts held ceremonies and trainings, the Farm Bureau held its meetings, and people voted on Election Day. In 1974, only twelve people remained in Garneill. The Michael Hausman Filmhaus Foundation rehabilitated the building in 1986. It remains a local landmark and a community gathering place.
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