IXL Building – 2707 Montana Avenue
[Home to the Bailey & Billings Bank]
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Block 109, located
on Montana Avenue
between 27th Street
and Broadway (28th
Street) had 24 lots for cash sale by
MMLIC. Most of these lots were resold, and the new investors constructed permanent
buildings on the premises. The original owners are listed in the diagram below.
There were several changes to the buildings over the years, and the ownership
path becomes very cloudy as time progresses. There is no apparent direct link
to establish the construction of the (Grissell?) IXL Building that was used in
part as the Bailey & Billings Bank. The originally assigned street
addresses for Montana Avenue
locations are shown on the bottom of the lots. There was one address for each
lot. The earlier buildings erected between 1883 and 1900 across the assigned
addresses are shown in color in the second plat. Although the lots were
originally established as shown, by 1903 buildings were erected across various
lot boundaries, and thus three new lots on 28th Street were created from
lots 8-12 when the Belknap Block building
was erected. Each lot was 25-feet wide, alleys were 20-feet, and streets were
80-feet.
J.E. Hendry &
C.S. Fell compiled a complete “Residence and Business Directory” for
Billings in 1883. Reynolds & Hammond of Minneapolis was the publisher.
There were almost 2,000 persons listed. This directory, along with the Sanborn
Maps helps to identify persons and locate businesses in the city. If there were
building permits issued in 1882-1883, they are not evident in City files. In
October 1882, Six months after the town was founded) 300 structures existed for
both residences and businesses. In 1883, the town of Coulson was incorporated
into the Billings townsite, along with other city additions. The actual
descriptions of these first few additions were not passed on to the City files;
only their existence was noted. Some Billings businesses, as of March, 1883
that were prominently displayed in the directory were:
·
D.
Holzman, “The Leading Clothier”
·
Mrs.
J. D. Russells, “Ladies’ Bazaar”, advertised, Gents’
Furnishings and a full line of hosiery and corsets.
·
Woolfolk
& Hersey, “The City Drug Store”, opposite of the Headquarters
Hotel, advertised, “paints, oils, glass and putty, toilet articles and
fancy goods, wines, liquors and cigars.”
·
H. H.
Bole, “H. H. Bole & Co.”, between 26th and 27th
Street, advertised, “Prescriptions carefully compounded at all hours, day
or night.” They were wholesale
& retail druggists.
·
R. J.
Anderson, “Windsor Hotel”, advertised, “First class house in
every respect.” Located opposite the depot
at Montana Avenue & 27th Street Boasted that it was located in
the heart of the city.
·
D.
Goldberg, “Park Hotel”
·
King
& Camp Bros. “General Hardware”
·
L. H.
Fenske. “Wholesaler of wines, liquors and cigars.”
·
Mrs.
M. T. Rooney. “Millinery and Dressmaking.”
·
Mrs.
Lemartine, “Dyer and clothes cleaner”
·
Mrs.
F. M. French. “Millinery and Dressmaking.”
·
Charles
Klambeck. “Mason & builder.”
·
H. H. Mund. “”Stebbins, Post &
Mund.”
·
John
W. Martin. “Printer, stationery and books.”
·
J. J.
Nickey. “Real estate.”
·
Benton,
Wells & Co. “Real estate.”
·
John
Tinkler. “”United States Land Office, deputy clerk-district
court.”
·
H. S.
VanCl;eve and P. L. VanCleve. “Van Cleve & Wadsworth.”
·
George
D. Rice. “Real estate and general contractor.”
·
Joseph
Ryan and J. N. Hannigan. “Ryan & Hannigan, saloon.”
Sale
of the lots in block 109 didn’t occur until a year after the first blocks
were released for sale. Since over 5,000 lots were sold within six weeks of the
original offering at the new townsite, it seems strange that this particular
block was withheld from sale for a year. After the lots were sold, there was
some restructuring of the lots by the new owners to better accommodate their
needs and business interests. Building permits apparently were not required,
nor issued for these early structures. In 1884, the Sanborn Fire Insurance
Company started creating maps of the city buildings. These are available in
Helena at the Montana Historical Society.
13
Mattie Rumley – 12-3-1885
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Alley
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19
F.
B. Kennard – 10-29-1883
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Mattie Rumley – 12-3-1885
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F.
B. Kennard – 10-29-1883
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Mattie Rumley – 12-3-1885
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George
B. Hulme – 10-26-1885
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M. C. Kimberly – 11-5-1883
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Henry
W. Rowley – 7-24-1883
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Walter Matheson – 4-19-1886
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J.
B. Clough – 6-14-1883
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18
Eugene V. Smalley – 4-19-1886
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24
J.
B. Clough – 6-14-1883
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Alley
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Anderson
6-11-83
Lot 12
2723
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Anderson
6-11-83
2721
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Mund
8-13-83
2719
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Mund
8-13-83
2717
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Lape
9-28-83
2715
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Ferrell
6-25-83
2713
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Mitchell
6-12-83
2711
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Garrison
5-23-83
2709
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Comer
7-10-83
2707
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Clough
6-14-83
2705
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Clough
6-14-83
2703
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Clough
6-14-83
Lot 1
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Montana Avenue
The transfer of
ownerships for the Montana Avenue lots started quickly, and after the dust was
settled, brick buildings started to emerge, as noted in the 1903 Sanborn Map
shown below (Parmly Library Holding). The 1894 street scene is from Haynes.
This shows the IXL Building, sandwiched between the original Losekamp
Building (on the left), and the three-story hotel & business building on
the corner of 27th street. The Losekamp building became part of the
Belknap Block complex after he acquired Lots 8 – 12. The corner building
became eventually the Billings Gazette building. During the ensuing years some
of the storefronts were changed, and the only real evidence of the buildings is
viewable from the alley behind the structures.
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The changes that occurred during the first few years
are as follows. Please note, that to fully understand the transaction events,
the reader must refer to the listed documents. This is only a partial compiled
listing, and a full linkage of the owners was not recorded in the land-deed
record books.
Lots1, 2 & 3 (Col. J. B. Clough)
Lots
1 & 2 on this corner eventually became the Billings Gazette Building
(34-feet tall), which expanded into the adjacent two buildings, and then became
a parking lot. Clough sold Lot 3 on 28 August 1884 to Edward H. Lee,
and then Lots 1 & 2 to John McGinness, who took out a mortgage from the
First National Bank to pay for the property, on 27 February 1885.
It is unclear as to what exactly happened here, since Robert J. Anderson
claimed ownership of Lots 1 & 2 in 1884.
He sold them to John McGinnis on 12 June 1884.
At that time construction of the corner building on Lots 1 & 2 commenced. Col
JB Clough was division engineer in charge of construction for the NPR track
section between Glendive and Livingston. Choice residential lots in 1882 were
on the flats at the south edge of the city, and this northern area proved to be
virtually useless for immediate financial growth. On 9 October 1886 Lee
transferred Lot 3 to Laura C. Lee.
In 1886 the 2-story corner building housed a bank,
drug store, general merchandise sales, a post office and rental rooms. Lot 3
had a small dry goods store on the west half of the land in 1884; the eastern
half was vacant. By 1886 the vacant lot was converted into a storage facility.
Lot 4 (James A. Comer)
A
small grocery store was originally erected on the lot after purchase. Comer was
a barber by trade, and left for Spokane Falls, Washington Territory soon
thereafter. He paid $188 for the lot, which had its tax base stated effective
as of 10 April 1882. On 21 July 1885 Comer, who was living in Spokane at the
time, sold the lot to Peter Larson for $1600, including the improvements, which
were not specifically denoted. In the following year, Bailey and Billings
evidently leased the structure and started their bank in that facility. Larson
later sold the property and building to the Yellowstone Bank of Billings on
1 Jan 1892.
Lot 5 (Neelie Garrison)
This
Lot had many anxious owners and partners. On 14 August 1883, OD Garrison sold
the lot to Thomas Mallon.
One-half of Lot 5 was then transferred from Thomas R. Mallon to Hiram Backus on
31 December 1884, the remaining half was sold to Backus on 2 April 1885. After having sold the lot to Backus, there
evidently was a judgment, and Mallon probably re-acquired the property and
transferred it on 19 January 1896 to Maggie Mallon,. Backus still claimed ownership and sold the
property to Omar Hoskins on 28 September 1887.
Hoskins sold 1/3rd of the lot to Thomas Mallon on 22 April 1887, and
2/3-rds to Thomas Mund on 26 September 1887.
Lot 6 (Abram P. Mitchell)
Abram
transferred the property on 22 May 1884 to himself and his wife. Immediately
thereafter he assigned the land by Decree to himself.
He then sold the land on the same day to Elsie N. Mund.
Lot 7 (H. Ferrell)
Not researched.
Lot 8 (F. Lape)
Lape
sold the lot to Peter Larson on 19 March 1885; Larson in turn sold the lot to
Henry Belknap on 21 August 1885.
Lots 9 & 10 (H. H. Mund)
Mund
sold the lots on 16 May 1884 to Henry Belknap.
Mund
arrived in Billings in 1882, and first
established a banking firm in Block 111, Lot
12. He was a banker, and when the NPR made its first arrival passing
through Billings,
August 22, 1882, flags were draped over the bank building to honor the
occasion.
He established the first bank in Billings,
pictured here, starting with $15,000 cash,
a branch of the Stebbins, Post & Mund Bank headquartered in
Deadwood.
Thomas
McGirl, a stockman from Huntley, made the first deposit into the bank. McGirl
had a flowing beard and was powerfully built. When he arrived he was fully
armed and called out for the banker, causing a great fear in Mund’s mind
that he was about to be robbed! McGirl stuck out a sack of gold and asked that
it be deposited. (Photo by Haynes, NPR photographer, from YGF Files).
This view shows four structures in 1883, looking east on Montana Avenue. The
buildings shown were built on lots 9-12. These buildings had false fronts
applied to make them more imposing. The corner one is the Mund bank, to the
east is Tully, Hart & Freese Hardware,
and next is The John D. Losekamp’s first clothing store, followed by the
Farmers Hotel (originally named the International Hotel until mid-1883.)
Losekamp had a large sign painted onto the vertical rimrock surfaces on
Sacrifice Cliff (across from Coulson), which read: “J. D. Losekamp Clothing, Hats,
Caps, Boots and Shoes.” When he
closed his business, the Yegen Brothers took over the sign, and replaced
Losekamp’s name with “Yegen Bros” and added “We Buy and
Sell Horses” to the sign. Portions of the red lettering for the large
sign are still visible today. In May 1883, the bank constructed an underground
vault so as to better protect their deposits and records.
It was a good thing that the vault was constructed since all buildings within
the block were destroyed in the 3 May 1885 fire that started in the
Farmer’s Hotel.
“LEWIS R. ZAHM, cashier of the bank of Stebbins,
Mund & Fox, Central City. This bank was organized February 17, 1880,
with a cash capital of $20,000. Mr. Zahm came to Central City in December 1879,
and engaged in the banking business. From 1863 to 1868, inclusive, he was
employed in the Union National Bank of Chicago, Ill. He went from there to Seneca,
Kansas, where he opened and took charge of the banking house of Lappin &
Scrafford, until he came to Dakota. He was born in Monroeville, Ohio, January
29, 1845. He was educated in Lockport, N. Y.; he took a preparatory course and
passed examination for Yale College, when he enlisted July 1861, and became
Adjutant of the Third Ohio Cavalry. He was mustered out as First Lieutenant in
February, 1863.”
“WILLIAM A. REMER came to Deadwood, Dakota, in 1880. He was born in Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y., in 1855; was raised and educated in his native county. Mr. Remer is cashier of the Bank of Stebbins, Fox & Co., of Sturgis, having the same officers as the Merchants’ National of Deadwood, Dakota; it was opened Tuesday, July 17, 1883, for business. They do a general banking business.”
“J.
F. SUMMERS, cashier of Stebbins, Fox & Co.’s bank. This bank
was opened for a general banking business December 18, 1882. The capital
employed equals $15,000. Mr. Summers came to Deadwood in February 1877, and was
connected with the Merchant’s National Bank of that city four years. He
was born in Liberty, Bedford Co., Va.”
“A.
FOX, cashier of the Merchants’ National Bank, came to Deadwood in
July 1877, and engaged as a clerk in the bank of Stebbins, Post & Mund,
until he became cashier of the Merchants’ National. He was born in Essex
County, Ontario, Canada. The Merchants’ National Bank was organized April
1, 1880, succeeding the bank of Stebbins, Post & Mund, W. R. Stebbins,
president; Seth Bullock, vice-president; A. Fox, cashier. The directors are, S.
Bullock, W. R. Stebbins, A. Fox, D. McLaughlin, F. Jensen, F. M. Allen, W. E.
Adams, J. Deetken and J. A. Harding. The capital is $100,000, surplus and
undivided profits, $70,000. They do a regular banking business in all of its
details.”
W.R.
Stebbins started the banking firm in Cheyenne, and then the First National Bank
of Deadwood. In 1880 he sold this bank, and along with Mund and others
organized the Merchant’s National Bank of Deadwood. He also owned banks
in Central City, Sturgis, Spearfish, and one in Buffalo, Western Territory. On
August 1, 1883, Ppost sold his share of the bank to Stebbins, and the name was
changed to Stebbins, Mund & Co. This team also had banks in Miles City and
Livingston.
Lots 11 & 12 (A.
Anderson)
Robert J. Anderson acquired
the lots and transferred them to Emma A. Anderson (A. Anderson). A. Anderson sold Lot 12 on 11 June 1883 and
then Lot 11 on 21 August 1883 to Belknap.
Henry
Belknap now owned five lots 8-12. These eventually became the Belknap Block,
which housed the Belknap building. Construction started in May 1883, ahead of
the final sale of the land
(currently the building location is a parking garage). The IXL Building was
erected c1883 on Lot 4. Adjoining it were two other buildings
Construction of
the IXL Building Complex
When
Bailey & Billings opened their bank on Lot 4, the building was listed as
housing a grocery business. In the adjoining Lot 3, the building erected on the
west ½ of the lot housed a dry-goods store with separate storage facilities,
and a fruit stand. The original buildings on lots 3 & 4 were separated by
about a distance of about a foot or more. A meat market was adjacent in Lot 5.
It was built tight against the Comer building. The building view (below) shows
the false front across these two building lots. The IXL bank building itself
was 25 feet wide, and initially extended partway into the lot. The front
encapsulates three windows on the second floor, between the small buttresses.
The adjacent buildings architectural design was created to match, and from the
front it appears as one building. After the building was merged with the one on
the corner (Gazette Building) the façade was changed, and all evidence of the
IXL trademark contained in the shallow well at the top, was destroyed. From the
available records, it appears that the IXL brand and the future name of the
Frank Grissell ranch on the Powder River area was only used by him. For some
unknown reason this name was applied to this structure’s façade. There
was evidence that Comer or Larson had an affiliation with the Lancers. The IXL
is a registered trademark, although it is also an archaic way to denote
“39.” More research is required to establish the complete
origination of the name.
Frank
D. Grissell was a Captain with the 9th Bengal Lancers Cavalry
Unit, when India was under British rule. Their unit was called IXL (meaning
9th Lancers), thus the name apparently chosen for the building false
front constructed on Lot 4. It is unknown how Frank became involved with the
building, but afterwards he bought 156.12 acres of ranchland in the Powder
River area, near Sheridan, WY under a cash sale on March 18, 1891. Construction
of the false front requires more research before this can be verified. So far,
he is the only person known to have been in the area, and was a former member
of the 9th Bengal Lancers.
In
May 1885 the building was occupied (in-part) by the “IXL Clothing
Store” and managed by Mr. Robertson. According to the May 22nd
edition of the Daily Gazette, he was an artist in decoration. Passer-byes
remarked about his ability. Shortly before the Bailey & Billings Bank was
opened, the IXL Clothing Store fell on hard times, Sheriff King under orders
(from the court) turned over the assets to Joseph Hanauer, pending litigation
of Hanauer versus Robinson & Crippen (former managers of the store.)
Notices were published in the Daily Gazette that the firm of Robinson &
Crippen was “unknown”, and anyone having business dealings with
them should be aware not to pay any debts owed to that firm.
On May 26th the Daily Gazette reported that Billings & Bailey
are putting in fixtures for their new bank in the IXL Building, and they will
open in a few days. “This is a temporary arrangement as they will erect a
brick or stone building more suitable for the purpose.” On the 27th,
E. H. Walker, cashier for the bank, arrived with the firm’s money. On the
29th Bailey and Billings received a desirable lot of horses from
their ranch near Fort Maginnis for disposing.
On June 1st, EG Bailey went to Park City to conduct business, and on
June 2nd, Parmly went west on the morning train.
The building had a combined 50-foot frontage
and was originally divided into three units with addresses of 2705, 2707 and
2709. Adjacent to it on the east is one other building with two units facing
Montana Avenue; 2701 and 2703.These became the Gazette. Adjacent to the IXL to
the west was a vacant ½ lot. Over time the storefront and door locations
changed to accommodate the various business ventures located there. Currently
the building is empty, boarded shut, and the upper façade structure is falling
away from the building. By the 1900’s the building was extended in size,
and fills about 90% of the lot. It was a two story building.
Parmly
& Bailey then established the “Bailey & Billings” bank in
that building. The bank opened on May 26, 1886, with funding
support from Frederick Billings. Parmly, the first child of Frederick Billings,
was born in Vermont
on 6 February 1863; and died in Chicago 25-years later, on 7 May 1888 after
completing an exhausting mining trip in the severe cold. Edward Bailey, 1st
cousin of Parmly, was then sole owner of the bank. (Photo on left from Gazette
files) Oddly, on 10 June 1889, Parmly received his 480-acre Coal Patent mining
claim from the US Government.
The
picture is a cropping from the original picture filed in the Western Heritage
Museum (photographer
unknown). It identifies Parmly & Edward standing in front of their door on
opening day. The small clothing business shown on the left of the bank
hasn’t been positively identified, but evidently has a 2709 address and
should be the IXL Clothing store; the bank would be at 2707.
On June 4th, 1886 the firm placed an ad in
the Daily Gazette that advertised their business as BANKERS.
[“Transact a General Banking Business. Special attention given to
collections. CORRESPONDENCE INVITED. Also agents for the Minnesota and Montana
Land and Improvement Co.”]
In 1891 the Billings & Bailey Bank was
succeeded by the Yellowstone National Bank, and maintained offices at
the same location on Montana
Avenue until 1922. In 1903, the bank shared the
building with the Golden Rule department store (address 2705 Montana
Avenue, Claude N. McCracken, proprietor). Shortly after 1912 the Golden Rule
department store became the Golden Rule Bankruptcy Company, managed by
Carl Friedman. The store was a sales outlet for various household furnishings
and clothing. It then changed hands and became the Golden Rule Clothing
and moved two doors west into a much larger space formerly occupied by a
billiard parlor at 2709 Montana Avenue. This left the entire IXL building
available for the banking business.
In 1918-1919 the Yellowstone National Bank
moved to the corner property on the northwest corner of Montana Avenue and
Broadway (28th Street) and operated from that location in the former
Donovan & McCormick Building (2803-2805 Montana Avenue.) Shortly before
1922 this bank merged with the Merchants National Bank (SE Corner 1st
Avenue North) and jointly became the “Yellowstone Merchants National
Bank.”
In 1923 this bank re-organized as the Midland
National Bank, and remained at the office location on Montana Ave and 28th
St until 1955. The building at that location was named the “Midland Bank.”
In 1943 there was a fire in that building complex, and the second floors, which
were used primarily by the Elks Club, were destroyed. The bank temporarily
moved into the Northern Hotel while the building was being reconstructed.
Shortly
after the bank moved from the 2707 location, various enterprises occupied the
building on Lot 4 for short periods of time, including Panos’ Billiards,
Jacob McKiniva’s Barbershop, Wright’s Red Top Cab service, and
numerous others. In the 1950’s the building was un-occupied for a while.
In 1922 “The Model”, a clothing store occupied part of the site; in
1925 the “Louis Melnick” clothing store was located in part of the
building. After that, the Billings Gazette, which had offices on the corner (2701
Montana avenue), in the Gazette Building, took over the entire local complex of
buildings. For most of the time, the address at 2709 was split into 2709 and
2709-1/2.
Partial listing
from 1922 through 1982 for the Montana Avenue two-building complex:
Year
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Address
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Business-Comment
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1922
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2707
2709
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The
Model
Golden Rule Store
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1925
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2707
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Panos
Bros – Billiards & Melnick Clothing
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1927
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2707
2709
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Panos
Bros – Billiards & Yellow Cab Co
Golden Rule Store
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1929
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2707
2707-1/2
2709
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Panos
Bros – Billiards & Jacob P McKiniva – Barber
Wright’s
Red Top Cab
Twin
Realty & Golden Rule Dept Store
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1930
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2707
2707-1/2
2709
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Yellowstone
Cafe
Frank
Kinnane – Jewelry Repair
Golden
Rule Store - Clothing
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1932-1934
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2707
2707-1/2
2709
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Jacob
P McKiniva – Barber
Turf
Cigar Store
Frank
Kinnane – Jewelry Repair
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1935
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2707
2709
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Vacant
Frank
Kinnane – Jewelry Repair
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1937
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2707
2709
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Frank
Kinnane – Jewelry Repair
Persian
Beer Garden
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1940
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2707
2709
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OK Café
Persian
Beer Garden
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1942-1957
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2707
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OK Café
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1958
|
2701
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Billings Gazette occupied two
buildings
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1959
|
2701
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Billings Gazette occupied two
buildings
|
1960-1961
|
2701 & 2705
|
Billings Gazette occupied two
buildings – Had two entrance doors
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1962-1967
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2705
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Billings Gazette occupied two
buildings – One entrance door
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1968-1971
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2705
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Corner two buildings vacant
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1972-1973
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2701
2705
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First Citizens Drive Thru Bank
(Corner Building)
Billings Chamber of Commerce;
Catering in Basement (2705 ½)
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1974-1979
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2701
2705
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First Citizens Drive Thru Bank
(Corner Building)
Billings Chamber of Commerce ((2705
½-vacant)
[200-350 Four Rooms Rented or
Leased]
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1980-1981
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2701
2705
2705 ½
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First Citizens Drive Thru Bank
(Corner Building)
Billings Chamber of Commerce ((2705
½-vacant)
[200-350 Four Rooms Rented or
Leased]
American Red Cross & Chamber of
Commerce – Basement
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1982
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2701
2705
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Converted into Parking lot
Billings Chamber of Commerce,
American Red Cross & Bent Montgomery Elevator
Co. (Basement)
[Additional rooms added; 121-350]
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