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The Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Great Falls, Montana, is one of the first built and longest- used churches for African-Americans in Montana and is crucial because it represents Blacks efforts to grow their community in the west. The church played a crucial role in the development of the Great Falls' Black community. After the emancipation of Blacks after the Civil War many freedman and women joined the nation migration west. The Union Bethel African Methodists Episcopal church was a monumental fixture in the Black community, and served as one of the first landmarks in the west where Blacks could congregate freely. 
The Union Bethel Church served as a diverse social and civil fixture in the Black community. The women of the church formed organizations to benefit the church and the community, including a Ladies' Aid society and a missionary group. Later some of the women in the Church formed the Dunbar Art and Study Club, which promoted literacy and did much to promote civil rights. In the 1950s the church reached a turning point when Black airmen brought in new Black residents. 
The Union Bethel AME Church is an interesting landmark in African- American history. Its location in Great Falls, Montana truly captures how wide spread the freedom movement in America was. The church was truly an important aspect of the Black community and served as a communal dwelling place of the Black residents of the area. So if you want a unique experience of African-American history, come to the Union Bethel AME Church.

Union Bethel AME Church

This tour starts with the place of entry for new arrival and residents of Great Falls for many decades, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Passenger Depot. The tour includes the statue of Paris Gibson, the county courthouse, several historic downtown buildings, the community's AME Church, and museums dedicated to history and art. Also, be sure to check out nearby Clio entries like the Ursuline Center and Collins Mansion.

Great Falls Montana History Tour

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The Milwaukee Road was founded in the late 1840s and grew steadily in the subsequent decades. It the last of the great railroads to cross Montana, which it did by 1909. As noted above, the depot helped transform the city into a major economic hub in central Montana, and it attracted large numbers of homesteaders to the central plains of the state. However, after the First World War, Montana suffered under four years of drought which caused a severe agricultural depression. Many homesteaders lost their farms and left. As such, the depot's most historically important years were between 1915 and 1925. The depot continued to operate as a passenger station until the 1950s. It sat vacant for 15 years before being renovated into mall. It became an office building in the 1980s and remains so today. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The historic Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Passenger Depot is one of the most prominent landmarks in Great Falls. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, which was also commonly referred to as the Milwaukee Road, built this depot in 1915. The building's most distinguishing feature is the tower, which reaches a height of 135 feet and is visible from a great distance. When it was built, railroad officials regarded the building as the finest depot on its railroad line between Chicago and Spokane. The creation of this stately passenger train station also helped the city's status as a key regional center. The economy and population grew in the city and the surrounding area as a result of the rail line and depot. In terms of design, the depot is a good example of Mission Revival architecture, and the tower features the Milwaukee Road's trademark on all four sides. The depot is now used as an office building.

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Passenger Depot

Paris Gibson was born on July 1, 1830 in Brownfield, Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1851 and started to work in real estate. Three years later, he was elected to the Maine House of Representatives. He then moved to Minneapolis in 1858 where he built flour and woolen mills. These were apparently unsuccessful and Gibson moved west in 1879, settling in Fort Benton. There, he engaged in coal mining, sheep ranching (he was the first to introduce large-scale sheep ranching in the state), railroads, and hydroelectric development.The next year he visited what would become Great Falls. Upon seeing the waterfalls in the Missouri River, he was convinced that they could be harnessed into hydroelectric power. He founded the town in 1882 and encouraged his famous friend and owner of the Great Northern Railway, James J. Hill, to build the railroad through Great Falls. The railroad quickly helped establish Great Falls as a major economic center.Gibson continued his business ventures and was elected mayor in 1882. He later served as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention in 1889, and was elected state senator in 1890. The next year he became a U.S. Senator in 1901 and served until 1905. He continued his business activities until he died in 1920.While Gibson achieved great success in his public life, he experienced tragedy in his personal life. He and his wife, Valeria, had four children. Only two sons, Theodore and Philip, reached adulthood. In 1900, Valeria died in mysterious circumstances. According to the official account of her death at the time, she committed suicide by falling out of the window of their apartment in the Park Hotel. It appears that what actually happened was that Theodore became suddenly enraged and threw her down the stairs, killing her. Her body was then, apparently, thrown out of their apartment window to make it look like a suicide. However, there was speculation that Gibson was involved somehow in Valeria's death. He was never tried but rumors of his role continued for the rest of this life. Philip died in 1912 at a mental hospital and Theodore died there as well some time later.

Situated along the east side of of Gibson Park stands a statue commemorating Paris Gibson (1830-1920), the founder of Great Falls. Born in Maine, Gibson became a successful entrepreneur and politician. He engaged in a number of business activities, including sheep ranching and hydroelectric power, and served in a number of political positions including mayor of Great Falls and U.S. Senator. The park is named after him.

Paris Gibson Statue

Cascade County was founded in 1887, two years before Montana achieved statehood and around thirty years after the first settlers arrived in what is now Great Falls. County government offices were first located in a hotel and then were moved to another building. In 1891, efforts to build a courthouse began when the county bought the property on which the courthouse now stands. However, it took another ten years until construction got underway (there wasn't enough money available). Residents approved a bonds sale of $120,000 to fund the project and the county hired architects H.N. Black and Frank Longstaff. Construction began in November 1901 and was finally completed on July 4, 1903. An interesting anecdote about the courthouse is that during World War II, lookouts were stationed in the dome to watch for Japanese attacks.

Located prominently in the heart of Great Falls, the Cascade County Courthouse has served as the seat of county government since its construction in 1903. The building is a beautiful example of French Renaissance architecture and features a grey sandstone exterior, a large copper dome topped by a Statue of Justice, and a main entrance with a marble-columned portico and a pair of stairs leading to the front doors. The dome rests on a structure circular structure with columned porticos and reaches a height of 135 feet at the top of the statue. The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing property of the Great Falls Northside Residential Historic District, which is also on the register.

Cascade County Courthouse

William Roberts was a well-experienced carpenter and contractor when he arrived in Great Falls in 1886. He had previously worked in California and Butte, Montana before moving here. During the next few decades Roberts built a number of prominent structures including commercial block buildings and the opera house (which was later demolished). The Roberts Building initially operated as a hotel called the Elmore Hotel, offering 99 guest rooms when it opened in 1917. Amenities included gas and electricity, steam heating, private telephone hookups, and porter and maid service. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Today it appears that the upper floor are offered as public housing.

This stately building is significant for its architecture and association with its builder, William Roberts, who was one of the city's leading builders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Roberts constructed a number of commercial and residential buildings in the city including this one, which is considered his best work. In terms of architecture, the Roberts Building is a fine example of Classical Revival architecture. Its most prominent feature is its elaborate cornice with decorative paired supports. Various businesses occupy the first floor and apartments are located on the upper floors. 

Roberts Building

The group that currently occupies the building is the Euclid Lodge No. 58, which was established in September 1903. Its members initially met in a commercial building on Central Avenue. When Euclid Lodge was created, it joined a few other masonic lodges that had been established many years prior. Beginning in 1908, they began debating the idea of building a grand lodge for all of them to use. They bought the property in February 1909 but construction didn't begin until June of 1914. The lodges moved into the building in the early part of 1915 even as work continued. The building was officially dedicated on September 15th.

Local freemasons have called the Masonic Temple home since it was built in 1915. The historic building is three-stories high and was designed in the Tudor Revival Style—with elements of the Elizabethan, Moorish, and Gothic styles—by Dutch architect Johannes Van Teylingen. Interesting features include decorative polychrome brickwork, a gabled entry tower with flanking arched entrances, and a pair of small balconies. The temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. 

Masonic Temple

By 1893, Great Falls was an established, prosperous community whose economy was driven by the thriving railroad and agricultural industries. The city decided to build a grand high school to not only provide a place for learning but to also project the city's optimism for the future. The Silver Panic of 1893 delayed the start of construction so the school was not finished until 1896. The building is large, boasting 45,000 square-feet of space and originally had an impressive four-sided clock tower, which was later removed twenty years later because it was too heavy. A new building was erected for the high school in 1930 and the old building became the Paris Gibson Junior High School. It closed in 1975 and the museum opened two years later. Since then, museum has been the main cultural and educational center in the county.

Opened in 1977, the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art showcases contemporary art created by artists from Montana and the Northwest region. The collection consists of more than 800 works of art and also includes American Indian contemporary art, American self-taught art, and 234 sculptures created by self-taught artist Lee Steen. The museum is housed in the historic 1896 Great Falls Central High School building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the state's best-preserved schools dating to the late 19th century. It operated as high school from 1896 to 1930 and junior high school from 1930 and 1975. The building is named after Paris Gibson (1830-1920), the founder of Great Falls and one of Montana's prominent business and political figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Architect William White designed the old school in the Romanesque Revival style.

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

Charles Marion Russel was born in St. Louis in 1864 and&nbsp;was raised
in Oak Hill, Missouri, where his family’s estate is located in present day
Tower Grove Park. At the young age of 15, Russell moved to Montana to start his
life as a cowboy. By 1893, Russell was already a well-known artist, revered for
his accurate paintings as well as&nbsp;his storytelling. World famous American Humorist Will Rogers stated
that Russell was the best storyteller he had ever heard. 

May 19th, 1991
Charles Marion Russell was inducted to the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Russell was
recognized for preserving the frontier in his paintings with a great deal of
accuracy. Because Russell was born in St. Louis, Missouri where he lived with
his family until he was 15 it is only right that he is honored for his
contribution to the art world in the state in which he was born and raised.

While Russell lived in Great Falls, Montana where he started his claim
to fame as a professional painter, cowboy, and storyteller it was not until
after Russell’s death in 1953 that the C. M. Russell Museum was opened. The
museum was opened in 1953 and dedicated to Russell after the Russell’s family
close friend and neighbor Josephine Trigg donated the family’s personal small
gallery collection. In 2001 the C. M. Russell Museum became the home of
Russell’s personal home which was built in 1900.&nbsp;

This museum offers visitors an opportunity to view the personal collection and learn more about the life of Charles Marion Russell, artist of the Old American West. Russell completed more than 3,000 paintings that seek to capture the essence of the American West. Russell was born on March 19th, 1864 in St. Louis Missouri and died in Great Falls, Montana at the age of 62 on October 24th, 1926.

Great Falls Montana History Tour

Union Bethel AME Church

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