{"id":60,"ordinal":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:40:34","content_modified":"2026-04-17 19:40:34","featured":0,"title":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","creator":null,"description":"<p>Situated on a key gold rush trail, Deer Lodge grew into an important ranching and retail center during the 1860s. By 1869, the thriving village boasted grocery stores, harness and saddle shops, barber shops, photography galleries, blacksmiths, breweries, furniture and drug stores, a hospital, and even a bowling alley. An 1872 fire destroyed over twenty buildings in the commercial center. Today, only a few wooden false-front buildings, of the type that originally lined Main Street, still stand. Deer Lodge's economy received a boost with construction of the territorial prison in 1870, the opening of Montana's first college in 1878, and, particularly, the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883. The railroad made it easy to import large architectural elements, and soon flamboyant brick business blocks displaying pressed metal cornices, iron pilasters, decorative stone accents, and large plate glass windows lined Main Street. Deer Lodge boomed during the homesteading era, especially after 1908, when the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway made Deer Lodge a division point on its transcontinental line. Population increased by a third between 1910 and 1920. The downtown grew in kind with such important buildings as the Hotel Deer Lodge and the Larabie Brothers Bank. Despite an agricultural depression, new landmarks joined the streetscape in the 1920s, including the Beaux Arts Rialto Theater. Today the business district's architectural mosaic testifies to a long line of foresighted developers, committed to making Deer Lodge the \"the prettiest and most healthful little city in the West.\"</p>","postscript_text":"","tour_img":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/839b5713836f177211fac52cf901d944.jpg","items":[{"id":1722,"title":"Rialto Theatre","latitude":46.398226800000003322566044516861438751220703125,"longitude":-112.73563120000000026266206987202167510986328125,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/839b5713836f177211fac52cf901d944.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/839b5713836f177211fac52cf901d944.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":"418 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1709,"title":"304 Cottonwood","latitude":46.39976970000000022764652385376393795013427734375,"longitude":-112.7342386999999916952219791710376739501953125,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/12746d5e0da555ccd485b26790e2250b.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/12746d5e0da555ccd485b26790e2250b.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"304 Cottonwood Avenue, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1710,"title":"Hartley's Photo Studio","latitude":46.39764629999999812071109772659838199615478515625,"longitude":-112.73570560000001705702743493020534515380859375,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/93cda2f0bf34ece8986ab7a34f5c89f2.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/93cda2f0bf34ece8986ab7a34f5c89f2.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"504 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1711,"title":"Larabie Bros. Bank","latitude":46.3987819999999970832504914142191410064697265625,"longitude":-112.73493559999997160048224031925201416015625,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/3c0fb23a0ea9e633380b79aca88755d0.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/3c0fb23a0ea9e633380b79aca88755d0.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"401 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1712,"title":"Masonic Temple, Deer Lodge","latitude":46.39772673122052282224103691987693309783935546875,"longitude":-112.7350647916473462828435003757476806640625,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/98aa62f9c9438d2c461196cabbc18e34.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/98aa62f9c9438d2c461196cabbc18e34.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"501-503 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1713,"title":"Mitchell Block","latitude":46.398648159915040878331637941300868988037109375,"longitude":-112.7355057108742357740993611514568328857421875,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/a80c7ce792d43d9ea42c63a45444b78a.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/a80c7ce792d43d9ea42c63a45444b78a.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"414-416 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1714,"title":"National Bank Building","latitude":46.39775596167991267293473356403410434722900390625,"longitude":-112.73558130237080376900848932564258575439453125,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/f04ab2714c8677bc996af9ec2599c521.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/f04ab2714c8677bc996af9ec2599c521.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"500 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1715,"title":"Safeway","latitude":46.39752750000000247609932557679712772369384765625,"longitude":-112.734763700000030439696274697780609130859375,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/e991ef6a583a983c485a4a651bd6282d.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/e991ef6a583a983c485a4a651bd6282d.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"505 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1716,"title":"Thompson Photo Shop","latitude":46.39980659999999801357262185774743556976318359375,"longitude":-112.735658499999999548890627920627593994140625,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/d1a19416f85d0f9559735659b58a83af.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/d1a19416f85d0f9559735659b58a83af.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"300 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":1717,"title":"US Post Office","latitude":46.39942409999999739511622465215623378753662109375,"longitude":-112.735512900000003355671651661396026611328125,"thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/bb2f9f778234072ea922ea26da3c2db1.jpg","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/bb2f9f778234072ea922ea26da3c2db1.jpg","subtitle":"Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District","address":"314 Main Street, Deer Lodge, Montana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}}]}