Monday, April 18, 2011

Montana Library Postcards

Some of you may have wondered if the Library Postcard project got buried in New Vienna and all the excitement over New Vienna history and European travels in 1954.  Never fear – Carnegie Libraries are still alive and well and we'll now move on to another "M" state after previously featuring Maine and Massachusetts.
The Carnegie Library, Great Falls, Montana c1908
Captioned: Great Falls, Mont. The "Cascade City" on the upper Missouri, Population 22,000.  Seat of Cascade County.  Head of navigation on the Missouri River.  Has unsurpassed natural resources of all kinds. [unmailed]

Great Falls, located in north central Montana on I-15, is the county seat of Cascade County, with a 2010 population of 58,500, received a Carnegie grant of $31,700 on June 21, 1901.  Although visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, the city was not founded until 1883 as a potential industrial city due to the falls on the Missouri River.

According to Wikipedia the Great Falls Library was replaced in 1967 and was later demolished.  Previous to the Carnegie Library, the City's first library, the Valeria Library, named for the mayor's wife opened in 1890 and charged $1.00 per family.  The City took over in 1892 and the library became a free public library.  Great Falls is also known as having the first black Public Library Director in Montana, Alma Jacobs (1916-1997) who was Director from 1954-1973.
Carnegie Public Library, Dillon, Montana [Uncaptioned]

Dillon, the county seat of Beaverhead County, received a Carnegie grant of $7500 on January 22, 1902. In 1900 the population was 1,530 and more than doubled by 2000 to 3,752.  Dillon is home to the University of Montana Western founded in 1893.  Dillon is located in southwestern Montana, south of Butte, on I-15.

The Carnegie building, located at 121 S. Idaho St., continues to operate as a library.  The library's website states the following about the history of the building: "The Romanesque Revival structure was completed in 1902.  A steep gable, octagonal tower, semi-circular arches and carved faces lend a medieval quality to this dignified library."

Carnegie Library, Miles City, Montana c1905
[Card was mailed to Miss Irene Clureman in Green Bay WI - August 6, 1915]

Miles City, 2000 population of 8500, is in southeastern Montana on I-94 and is the county seat of Custer County.  They received a $10,000 grant from Carnegie on June 21, 1901, for this library located at 1 S. 10th St.  The town later dropped the Carnegie part of their name when they decided the City has provided more funds for the library than had Carnegie.

The architect of the Carnegie Library (and the Miles City Ursuline Convent) was Charles S. Haire (b. 1857), of Helena.  Haire was born in Hamilton County Ohio, and after graduating from Cincinnati schools and working in Ohio as a draftsman, took a job with the Union Pacific Railroad and later the Great Northern Railroad Company, which led him to Montana.  He also designed the Billings Library, which is not a Carnegie Library.

In 1965 the library was renovated and expanded to 8000 square feet from the previous 4000 which still serves as the community library today.  The architect of the Carnegie Library (and the Miles City Ursuline Convent) was Charles S. Haire (1857-1925), of Helena.  Haire was born in Hamilton County Ohio, and after graduating from Cincinnati schools and working in Ohio as a draftsman, took a job with the Union Pacific Railroad and later the Great Northern Railroad Company, which led him to Montana.

Miles City was the site of a fort created by the U.S. Army after the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 and was named for the commander, General Nelson A. Miles.   In 1900 the population was 1,938 and reached a peak population in 1960 of 9,665.  Estimated 2010 population is 8,100.

*****

In other library postcard news, I found a blog called Library Postcards, which has lots of library postcards on display.  One of the more unique Carnegie Libraries is the Lee Wall Library in Crawfordsville, IN.

Carnegie Libraries in Montana = 17
Catherine's Collection = 3 (18%)

Total blogged to date = ME, MA and MT
Carnegie Libraries = 83
Catherine's Collection = 6 (7%)

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