Great Falls, one of the largest cities in Montana, was incorporated in 1888 as settlers began to spread out across the vast open spaces of the Montana Territory. The inspiration for the city's name was a series of large waterfalls on the Missouri River, which originates south of the city before winding east and then south to join the Mississippi. Great Falls' position on the Missouri made it a natural hub for shipping commerce, and it was also a railroad hub. Dams on the Missouri provided power, and nearby mining raw materials were smelted in the gigantic "Big Stack" smelter which was completed in 1908 and stood as an iconic landmark until 1982. 

This exhibit compiles a series of images - primarily photo postcards - to show how Great Falls looked going as far back as the late 19th century. The images trace changes in the city, primarily along the Central Avenue corridor. Many of these images show the middle of the 20th century, capturing the flamboyant mid-century American design, with bold neon building signs, and automobiles adorned with large tailfins. This area of town is a complex mix of buildings from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. If you click on the link to the photo, you can zoom in on the image to see more detail by clicking the "Zoom to 100%" button to the left of the image. Each location also features a link to a current Google Street View of the location, allowing for a comparison between how Great Falls looked yesterday to how it looks today.

The map at right is an 1890 plat of Great Falls showing the street layout and blocks at that time. This tour will focus on the portion of Great Falls just to the left of center of this map, on the east bank of the Missouri River, just before the river begins to break east. 130 years later, the street names are unchanged, and the grid layout of the city makes any street easy to find. If you click on the link to view the map, and then click on the "Zoom to 100%" button just to the left of the map, you can zoom in on great detail on this 19th century document.

You can take this walking tour for free with the Adventure Lab app using this link:
https://adventurelab.page.link/xRbi

Great Falls Civic Center: Central Avenue and Park Drive / 1st Street / 100 Block (formerly Circle Park)

On the east bank of the Missouri River, just a few hundred yards from the water's edge, sits the Great Falls Civic Center. This Depression Era building, constructed through the Works Projects Administration, was completed in 1939. The building remains a cultural Hub for Great Falls, but the location has an interesting history dating back to the previous century. Originally, the location was called Circle Park, and featured a water fountain and elaborate plantings. The series of images below show the transformation of this location over the first part of the 20th century. Notice in the background, looking down Central Avenue, how the buildings on both sides of the road change. On the right, the large structure now known as Park Manor Retirement Apartments was built in 1914 as the Park Hotel. In the earlier images, the previous iteration of this structure - also the Park Hotel - can be seen at the turn of the 20th century. The earlier building burned in a 1914 fire. On the left side of the intersection, the large 19th century multi-story brick building eventually gave way to the smaller storefront in that location today.

Photo: Great Falls Fire Department posed on a horse drawn fire wagon in Great Falls, Montana. Brick buildings visible in the background. Circa 1892. There is a streetcar running down the middle of Central Avenue. Note the older Park Hotel on the right side of the intersection.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east down Central Avenue from Circle Park, circa 1900-1910. Note the older Park Hotel on the right side of the intersection in the distance.

Photo: Color photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east on Central Avenue from Circle Park, circa 1910. A large "Welcome" sign now hangs across Central Avenue. Note the older Park Hotel on the right side of the street in the distance.

Photo: Color photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east down Central Avenue from Circle Park, circa 1920. Automobiles are parked along both sides of the street. The older Park Hotel on the right side of the intersection is gone due to a 1914 fire, replaced by the highrise that still stands today.

Photo: Color photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east on Central Avenue from Park Drive, circa 1920. Central is bustling with activity, a streetcar and automobiles. In the distance is the tall red and white First National Bank Building, with the small tower on top.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east on Central Avenue from Circle Park, circa 1920. The water fountain in Circle Park now features extensive plantings.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking down Central Avenue from Park Drive in winter, circa 1940. This night photo is alight with neon signs and holiday lights. The Park Hotel is at the edge of the photo on the right. This high elevation photo was likely taken from the new Civic Center, which opened the previous year.

Photo: Color photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, looking east down Central Avenue from Park Drive, circa 1960. The Park Hotel is in the foreground. There is heavy traffic on Central Avenue

2021 Google Street View looking east down Central Avenue at the intersection with Park Drive, with the Civic Center behind this perspective.  

Central Avenue and 2nd Street / 200 Block

Moving east down Central Avenue to the intersection of 2nd Street, the streetscape has changed significantly on one side of the street, and remained unchanged on the other. Dominating the old images of this block is the distinctive red and white First National Bank building, with a small tower rising from the roof. That building is no longer there, replaced by the US Bank building. Buildings on the left (north) side have been torn down and replaced with landscaping and a parking area. On the right (south) side, one of the oldest buildings on the street sits on the right (south) side corner of the street, the brick-facade, one-story 1886 Murphy-McClay Building. The west wall is made from rubble available at the time. Beyond that is the tan-colored R.H. Ford building, adorned with a small arch and six round decorative pieces.

Photo: Central Avenue from the top of the Tod Block, looking east down Central Avenue from Second Street, circa 1910. The R.H. Ford building, on the left (south) side of Central remains today, but the huge First National Bank building in the distance has been replaced by a more modern U.S. Bank building. Note the streetcar running down the middle of Central Avenue, and the automobiles, both driving and parked.

Photo: Black and white photo of Downtown Great Falls, looking east down Central Avenue from the middle of the 200 Block, circa 1953. This photo has a closer view of the R.H. Ford building on the right (south) side of Central. The First National Bank building is still standing at the time this photo was taken. Everything on the left (north) side of this photo is gone now up to the next block.

2021 Google Street View looking east down Central Avenue at the intersection with Second Street.

Central Avenue and 3rd Street / 300 Block

Moving on to the next stop on Central Avenue, 3rd Street, the story is one of fires. Two fires in the early part of the 20th century transformed this block. A 1919 fire hollowed out the Paris Dry Good Store at the intersection of Central and 3rd. Just 2 years later the Liberty Theater opened on this spot. One of the oldest buildings on the block survived both fires - the Beehive Store, built in 1890.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of The Paris Dry Good Store Fire in Downtown Great Falls at the corner of Third Street and Central Avenue, January 1919. This view is of the north side of the 300 block. Central Avenue runs to the right of the photo, eastbound. 3rd Street runs the left in headed north. The Ford Building is in the background a block away. The Liberty Theater opened on this corner in 1921.

Photo: A black and white photo of the Paris Department store, gutted in the 1919 fire. Pictured is Fire Chief A. J. Trodick and Asst. W. Grover. The Liberty Theater opened on this corner in 1921. This view is of the north side of the 300 block. View is taken from the intersection of Central and 3rd, with Central running off to the right in the easterly direction. The last building visible at the end of this photo is the 1890 Beehive Store with the distinctive stepped parapets on top looks much the same today.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls, showing Kingsbury Block Fire on the north side of Central at the 300 Block, November 1928. View is taken from the middle of Central, which runs off to the right in the easterly direction. There is a better view of the Beehive Store here, which had a close calls with the 1928 fire. One of the burned buildings was replaced by the art deco Metropolitan store, constructed in 1929 and looking much the same today.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls at the intersection of Central Avenue and 4th Street looking west down the 300 block, circa 1913-1928. The two fires happened on the right (north) side of this photo, in the distance. The First National Bank building is in the distance on the left (south) side of Central. Signs for the "Como" are visible on the exterior wall of the Beehive store on the right (north) side of the street in this photo. The bright white 1916 Dunn-Brown Building is on the left (south) side of the street here, and is little changed today. One building closer to the photographer, next to Dunn-Brown, is one of the older buildings on the block, Beckman's, with a sign for The Hub hanging out front. This building went up in 1888, and the front facade was modernized in the 1930s to its current appearance.

2021 Google Street View looking west down Central Avenue at the intersection with Third Street.

Central Avenue and 4th Street / 400 Block

Large portions of the 400 block of Central Avenue consist of historic buildings dating back over a century. The Strain Building, on the south side of the intersection at 4th Street, was completed in 1914, and has changed its appearance a number of times. The Strain Building is noteworthy for its elaborate terracotta exterior. The exterior was covered with a metal slat finish in the 1970s, which was only recently removed by a developer in a renovation. Portions of the terracotta are now visible once again. Some of the older buildings on the block include the Northern Hotel (1914) next to the Strain, and the Johnson Hotel (1920) and Russell Building (1915) on the other (north) side of the block.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Downtown Great Falls looking east at the corner of Central Ave and Fourth Street, with the Strain Building on right (south) side of the street, circa 1923. When comparing the current appearance with that in the 1923 photo, note also how the large high rise sections are completely transformed.  The building next to the Strain is the former Northern Hotel, built in 1914, featuring the castle-like design at the top. Further down on the left (north) side of the street, the tall Johnson Hotel still stands, a century after its 1920 construction. The name is still visible carved in stone on the upper stories. The next building beyond that is the even older 1915 Russell Building, with a brick upper facade and alternately sized second story windows.

2021 Google Street View looking east down Central Avenue at the intersection with Fourth Street.  

Central Avenue and 5th Street / 500 Block

Many of the buildings on the south side of the 500 block of Central Avenue date back to the early 20th and even 19th century. The north side of the street has fewer old buildings remaining.

Photo: This color postcard from the 1950s shows a rainy, neon-sign dominated streetscape, looking west down Central Avenue from the 500 Block, circa 1950-1960. The Civic Center looms at the far end of Central Avenue in the distance. This postcard features another view of the Strain Building on the 400 block - note how different the high rise portion of the building looks compared to the 1923 photo in the previous section, and the enormous lit sign on the roof. Famous national chains such as Woolworth, J.C. Penney, and Rexall Drug had stores in this area of Central Avenue. Even the Civic Center appears to be sporting a large neon sign. Woolworth is located in the former Hotel Grand building, built in 1890, notable for the decorative arches on the second story.

2021 Google Street View looking west down Central Avenue on the 500 block.  

Central Avenue and 6th Street / 600 Block

The 6th Street intersection is the final stop on the Central Avenue tour. Quite a few older buildings remain in this block.

Photo:  This black and white 1953 photo taken from the middle of the 600 block features a great view of mid-century Great Falls, with post-World War II cars and vivid signage as far as the eye can see. Many of the buildings in this block remain little changed today, on both sides of the street. On the left (south) side is the brick and terracotta Graham Building, built in 1928. Just beyond this at the intersection of 6th and Central with the larger "Barbers" sign is the Barber-Lydiard Building, just 2 years old when this photo was taken in 1953. On the west side of the intersection just past Barbers is the Elmore Hotel, built in 1917. On the right (north) side, the largest building (under renovation in Google Street View due to a 2016 fire) is the Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance Building, built in 1913 - note the terracotta gargoyles on the facade in Street View.

2021 Google Street View looking west down Central Avenue on the 600 block.  

Ford Building and Rainbow Hotel

A block north of Central Avenue, at the intersection of 1st Avenue North and 3rd Street North, sit two noteworthy buildings that date back over a century. In the below photos are the Ford Building and the Rainbow Hotel (now Rainbow Senior Living). Both look almost identical to how they appeared 100 years ago. The most noteworthy change is that cornice along the roof of the Rainbow building has since been removed. In several of these images you can see the tall First National Bank building, a block away.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard of Ford Building (at left), corner of 1st Avenue North and 3rd Street, circa 1915. Rainbow Hotel is partly in frame on the right.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard looking south towards 3rd Street and 1st Avenue North, circa 1930-1940. Ford Building on the left, Rainbow Hotel on the right, with the tall First National Bank building in the distance.

Photo: Colorized postcard of 1st Avenue North and 3rd Street looking south. The Ford Building (at left), First National Bank (center), and Hotel Rainbow (at right) are pictured, circa 1930s.

Photo: Black and white photo postcard looking south down 3rd Street from the intersection with 1st Avenue North, 1953. Ford Building on the left, Rainbow Hotel on the right, with the tall First National Bank building in the distance partially obscured.

Photo: Color photo postcard looking north down 3rd Street from Central Avenue, circa 1948-1958. Rear of the Rainbow Hotel (at left) and Ford Building (at right) visible. The portion of 3rd Street in the foreground is now a pedestrian area with benches and planting areas.

2021 Google Street View of Ford Building and Rainbow Building.  

1st Avenue South

The remaining locations on this tour are south of Central Avenue, and feature some of the oldest photos of this collection. This circa 1900 photos looks east on 1st Avenue South, just a block from the Civic Center. This streets at this time were filled with horse-drawn buggies, not automobiles. Of note in this image is Axtell Stables on the right. This building is in the Arvon Block, and still exists today - even the decorative cornice and balls on the roof.

Photo: Undated photo of 1st Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana. Shows dirt street and horse-drawn vehicles, brick buildings line the street. Axtell Stables sign visible on building wall. The stables are located in the Arvon Block.

2021 Google Street View looking east down First Avenue South.  

3rd Street South

This view looking north up 3rd Street South was taken just a block or so from from the previous photo and likely around the same time. The exact location is unknown, aside from that it was two blocks south of the original post office location. At the time, this area was filled with smaller 19th century buildings, all of which are gone today. Note that 3rd Street is now blocked off north of Central Avenue.

Photo: Undated photo of 3rd Street looking north, second block south of Post Office, Great Falls, Montana. Photograph looks up a street with horse-drawn carriages, power poles or telegraph poles extend up the sides of the street. Signs are visible on the buildings: Meat Market, E. Dibble, Boston.

2021 Google Street View looking north up Third Street South.  

Baatz Block

The final item on this tour, and a bit further off the main path, is the Baatz Block. The large brick building at this location is currently dilapidated and boarded up. There are plans to convert this in to affordable housing in the near future. At the time of this photo 100 years ago, it was home to Harding Drug Company.

Photo: View of Baatz Block with unidentified man near Harding Drug Company on lower floor and another unidentified man under bar sign, Great Falls, Montana, between 1914-1923.

2021 Google Street View at the intersection of Second Avenue South with Fourth Street South.  

Photo Credits

Billings Public Library

Cascade County Historical Society

Montana Historical Society Research Center

University of Montana Mansfield Library



Map Credits

University of Montana Mansfield Library



More information on buildings including architectural details, from the City of Great Falls: Central Business District Walking Tour