In the years after the Civil War, as settlers pushed further and further west, the Army established forts and outposts all over the vast wilderness. The Army's 7th Infantry set up a temporary outpost along the Carroll Trail in 1874, and named it Camp Lewis. In 1879 Metis families began to settle in the area. Located at the geographic center of Montana, the area has good grazing land for livestock, and nearby mountains which tempted ore prospectors. The discovery of gold in the mountains led to a rush of growth, while sheep ranchers swarmed the good grazing land. In 1899 Lewistown was incorporated, and soon the railroad ran through the city. The availability of nearby stone enabled the construction of significant stone buildings, many of which you can view on this tour. The city's architectural history is preserved through the designation of 6 historic downtown districts. Rapid growth in the area continued until drought and the Great Depression brought everything to a halt. 

Floods have been a problem in Lewistown since the early days of the city. There are waterways winding around, through, and even under the city limits: Little Casino Creek, Wolverine Creek, and Big Spring Creek. Heavy rains in June 1964 led to flooding all over Montana in what is still one of the worst natural disasters in state history, causing many deaths and millions of dollars of damage. Photos of the impacts on Lewistown from that event can be seen in some of the below photos, as well as other flood events in 1920 and 1953. Flood control measures have been put in place to improve the situation, but heavy weather events still cause flooding issues in Lewistown into the 21st century.

This exhibit is intended as a companion piece to the Montana History Portal walking tour of Lewistown, through our partnership with Adventure Lab. If you walk the tour, you will be able to compare the historic photos below with the views you see today in the 21st century. For those who don't have the chance to visit these places in person, we have embedded Google Street Views with each photo, which will allow you to compare Lewistown today to the Lewistown of history. In this exhibit, you will not only see evidence of the historic architecture still in place, but also the widespread and all-too-common floods of the 20th century in Lewistown. The images below are organized geographically moving along Main and Janeaux Streets.

You can take this walking tour for free with the Adventure Lab app using this link:

https://adventurelab.page.link/D5rE

Photo: Flood on Main Street and 1st Avenue, Lewistown Montana, July 4, 1920. Milner's Transfer building on the right is located on the NE corner of Main Street and 1 Ave South. The Culver Opera House is the third building from the left with the pointed roof. The view today is almost unrecognizable from the photo taken in 1920. Note the Judith Mountains off in the distance, in the same relative position on both the old photo and the 2013 Google Street View.

Photo: Don B. Deyoe Motors, located on the corner of 1st Avenue and Janeaux Street. This photo was taken during the 1953 flood. This block has changed in appearance, yet at the heart of it remains an automotive establishment. There is a second photo below showing the other automotive business on this block at the time: Nash Motors. In the background of both the 1953 photo and the Google Street View looms the back of 101 West Main Street, a joint 1914 construction by fraternal orders the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. The initials of both organizations can be seen if visiting in person, at the very top front of the building.

Photo: View from 100 block of Main Street during the July 4, 1920 flood of Lewistown. Cars traveling through the flooded street. The Knerr-Tubb building, built 1909 and sometimes referred to as Armory Hall, is on the right. In its early days, this building featured a restaurant, bar, and dancing. The Montana Building (built 1917) is the tallest building in the far distance of the the photo. On the right in the middle distance is the Mackey Building, constructed in 1911. Of note on the subject of flooding is that Big Spring Creek runs under this building.

Photo: Flood at the corner of Main Street and 2nd Avenue, possibly from the 1964 event. Buildings in the background are on the north side of the 100 block, which appears relatively unchanged in the Google Street View. The 1909 Knerr-Tubb building is in the far distance at right. Note the distinctive curved wall on the Fraternal Order of Eagles building, as well as the neon sign out front that appears unchanged many decades later.

Photo: View of 2nd Avenue South during the 1964 flood in Lewistown, looking towards Main Street. In the far distance is St. Leo's Catholic Church, built in 1916. The distinctive bell tower soars 95 feet in the air. Across Main Street on the opposite side of the street is the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Photo: Nash Motors, located on the 100 block of Janeaux Street. Photo taken during the Lewistown flood of 1953. There is another previous photo of Don B. Deyoe Motors - on the same block - during this flood. Just visible in the background is 101 West Main Street, the joint 1914 construction by fraternal orders the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows.

Photo: While most of the photos on this tour show flooded streets, it is important to consider the damage done to the interior of buildings during the many floods to hit Lewistown. This photo shows the flooded interior of the Judith Theater (built in 1914) located at 219 W. Main Street. The stage and balcony are visible, and the flat, still flood water has risen nearly to the tops of the first rows of seating.

Photo: Flood on the 300 block of Main Street, Lewistown. The buildings shown are on the north side of the street. The light-colored stone building in the foreground is the Power Mercantile Building, built in 1901. The next building on the block beyond that is the red Bon-Ton, a late 19th century building that started out as a saloon. The building name comes from the Bon-Ton Confectionery that opened in 1908, and the Bon-Ton Rooming House which opened in 1912.

Photo: Flood on 3rd Avenue South looking towards Main Street in Lewistown, 1964. The Montana Building can be seen in the far distance, as well as the back of the former Bank of Fergus County building (constructed in 1904) across the street from it. Many of the buildings along 3rd Avenue remain the same, including the now-white painted auto sales building. Note the former Studebaker dealer on the corner of West Janeaux Street.

Photo: Flooding in Lewistown on Main Street, viewed from the corner of 5th Street, possibly during the 1953 event. View shows the buildings on Main Street on the north side of the 500 block. The buildings housing the former Veterans Club all the way down to Lewistown Electric still stand, but the Wise Block at far left burned down in 1959.

Biblilography

Association of State Dam Safety Officials. "Case Study: Swift and Two Medicine Dams (Montana, 1964)." Accessed June 2023. https://damfailures.org/case-study/swift-and-two-medicine-dams-montana-1964/

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. "Lewistown, Montana." Accessed June 2023. https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/lewistown-montana

Hidden Montana. "A Tour of Historic Lewistown." Accessed June 2023. https://hiddenmt.com/a-tour-of-historic-lewistown

Montana Historical Society. "Bon Ton." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/349

Montana Historical Society. "Knerr-Tubb Block / Armory Hall." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/344

Montana Historical Society. "Mackey Building (Montana Tavern)." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/354

Montana Historical Society. "Montana Building." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/357

Montana Historical Society. "Power Mercantile Building." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/359

Montana Historical Society. "St. Leo's Catholic Church." Accessed June 2023. https://historicmt.org/items/show/388

Reynolds, Brad.  "The Flood of 1964." Treasure State Lifestyles. https://treasurestatelifestyles.com/the-flood-of-1964/

Photo Credits

Lewistown Public Library