Mount Olivet Cemetery opened to serve the Catholic community of Great Falls and central Montana in 1928. The first Catholic cemetery in the city, Calvary Cemetery, was established a generation earlier in 1896. When the Diocese announced the establishment of Mount Olivet, it also announced that families would be free to move the graves of their loved ones from the older cemetery to the newer cemetery. It is uncertain how many families moved graves and/or grave markers. Calvary Cemetery still exists to the south but is only periodically maintained.
Mount Olivet is well maintained and the trees first planted in the late 1920s have matured and grown to lend dignity and beauty to the property.
The grave of Frank Rafferty dates to the summer of 1927 about eight months before the opening of the cemetery was announced in the Great Falls Tribune.The Rainieri grave marker is a beautiful Art Deco-influenced design, a popular style in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Mount Olivet also has a large dedicated section to veterans from the 20th and 21st century conflicts.
Good news this week from the Montana Heritage Commission as it begins the restoration of the stonewall Hall, the first permanent home of the Montana Territorial legislature in Virginia City from 1865 to 1875. The first image is from 2012.
I next visited the place in May 2023 while planning for the restoration was underway. The images below come from that visit.
As the images document, Stonewall Hall is barely hanging on, with particular damage at the rear corner that threatens to take the entire building with it. The Montana Heritage Commission has raised 3/4 of the funds necessary for the work. Let’s all pitch in and what what we can so this very historical places lives to teach our future generations.
The most spectacular urban cemetery along U.S. Highway 2 is just off of the historic road in Kalispell. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Conrad Memorial Cemetery has 87 acres in is nominated property. Designed by architect Arthur Hobert, the cemetery began in 1902-1903, similar to other city cemeteries of the Hi-Line. But most comparisons stop there. A private non-profit, established initially by Alice Conrad, administers the cemetery.
From the gates a long ceremonial drive leads you to a winding drive that takes you past the cemetery office onto the bluffs that define the property.
There you encounter on one side a large obelisk, placed by the State of Montana, in honor of former Governor Robert Smith (d. 1908). Former Governor John Erickson is also buried here.
Smith memorial is on the left
On the opposite side of the drive is a memorial to the military veterans of Flathead County, a splendid modern classical statement.
It’s an impressive opening to a beautiful landscaped, and well maintained, city cemetery. Hobart’s rural cemetery movement design has few parallels in Montana. You can get lost in many lanes, creating multiple large sections for burials.
The quality of the early 20th century grave markers equal the beauty and creativity of the grave markers from those years.
The Richardsonian arch of the Burton memorial is unique for this region.A much more recent mountain theme memorial
As you might expect fraternal lodge themes are common throughout the cemetery’s sections.
Other markers share poignant stories of loss and memory, in both words and symbols.
As you explore the different sections you finally encounter why this cemetery exists at this particular place: the long landscaped approach to the mausoleum for Charles is E. Conrad (d. 1902)
Alice Conrad wanted her husband’s final resting place to overlook the town he had done so much to develop in the prior decade. He was only 52 at the time of his death. His many investments separated him and his family from other civic and economic leaders in Kalispell. Thus the cemetery design placing Conrad’s mausoleum in such a honored place reflected the reality of his times.
The stone Classical Revival building still is alone, afforded a place of honor and hierarchy within the property. the circular drive from the mausoleum connects to every other part of the cemetery.
Markers date from 1903 to the present. it is a property that takes hours to assess, due to the multiple sections and many captivating markers. But the time is so well spent and rewarding.
The Chester Cemetery is among the oldest historic places in Liberty County. The town of Chester was incorporated in 1910 during the homesteading boom of the northern plains. Liberty County was formed in 1919. But the cemetery dates at least to 1904; the earliest marker I found dated to 1905.
Carrie Mitchell, d. 1805
As in other Hi-Line towns, the cemetery began as a Catholic cemetery, part of an early 20th century initiative from the Diocese to establish cemeteries throughout the region. I have not determined when the property took the name Chester Cemetery. But by 1910-11, and town growth, you find more grave markers from that decade.
Note the Catholic cross memorial at the center rear of this image.
The cemetery is northwest of town on a dirt road. A 1929 newspaper account of a winter funeral noted that the funeral procession had to follow a snowplow plus three heavy trucks, loaded with railroad ties, to clear and then pack down enough snow to be able to reach the cemetery. The cemetery location creates an interesting dialogue between spaces. Even in the smoky air of May 2023 you can see grave markers facing the town, visible by the grain elevators along the Great Northern corridor.
The cemetery has numerous artistic markers of note although most are smaller stone rectangles.
The Wallace family marker is interesting because both graves were covered with a concrete vault-like rectangle. I have encountered many concrete grave coVera in the south but not so many in the west. Chester Cemetery has many more than usually found in Montana cemeteries.
Military veterans are buried throughout the cemetery. Recently a special veterans memorial was installed near the entrance. Its plaque states: “The Price of Freedom. All Gave Some. Some Gave All.”
Chester Cemetery is worth a visit. Over one hundred years old, its markers document the historic ebbs and flows of this plains country town.
Lakeview Cemetery in Polson lies southeast of town on bluffs overlooking Flathead Lake. My assessment of the cemetery came during the mid-May 2023 period when smoke from Canadian wildfires had blown into northern Montana. But even on a smoky day the cemetery views are impressive.
The cemetery is one of the town’s oldest historic resources. Its drives hug the hilly topography and provide landscaped settings for a wide range of grave marker types.
Distinctive Woodmen of the World markerThe Tribble gravestone combines the gates of heaven and closed Bible motifsFraternal lodge designations on the Lovinger gravestone
The hilly nature of the cemetery, generally, means that different sections are associated with distinct chronological periods. You literally walk, or drive, through Polson’s history from the early 20th century to the 21st century.
The veterans section would be an exception to the cemetery’s general patterns. Here are veterans from World War 1 to the modern conflicts of the present cemetery.
A smoky day meant limited walking around this local landmark. Thus, my assessment is also limited. But as these images indicate, Lakeview Cemetery dates to the town’s founding generation. It’s range of grave markers reflect the impact of fraternal lodges and military service in local history. And the landscaping of the cemetery impressively uses the natural contours of the place itself, along with the ornamental plantings and trees, to identify a place of meaning and repose for local residents and visitors alike.
Shelby, the seat of Toole County, dates to 1892 and the construction of the Great Northern Railroad through this area. On the bluffs south of town stands the Shelby Cemetery, also known as Mountain View Cemetery.
Cemetery entrance
Burials here date to 1893 when Irene Hughes was interred and there were few burials in the next 7 years. But by 1903-1904, as the great homesteading movement began, the number of grave markers began to increase. By circa 1905 the Shelby Cemetery Association was established and a rectangular plan was introduced, giving the cemetery a formal, linear look common in Hi-Line cemeteries. The association provided irrigation and planted many trees and soon the cemetery took on the characteristics of a well-maintained and valued public space.
Among the highest points in the cemetery, and dominating it visually, is the World War I memorial that defines the large and impressive veterans section.
The local American Legion lodge sponsored the memorial marker of beautiful sandstone topped by a metal machine gun. It identified the local men who fought and died in the war.
The quality of the memorial—the machine gun motif is fascinating—together with its landscaping and low walled entrance gives a dignified aura to this central component of the cemetery.
Not far away is a second impressive stone memorial, installed c. 1938 to honor the achievements of Gordon Campbell (1873-1938) acknowledged then as the father of the Montana oil industry.
The inlaid stone details have weathered gracefully. Its stone design within a concrete base is so different than the grand classical statements found for so many of Montana’s economic titans. Perhaps that is a reflection of the Great Depression’s impact on Campbell’s fortunes. His great 1920s strike at Kevin, northwest of Shelby, had fallen on difficulties by the late 1930s. Campbell just didn’t live long enough to prosper from the great oil boom created by World War II that continued well into the 1950s. But the multi-color stone memorial also spoke to the place, the ground under which oil and gas were discovered by Campbell and others in early 20th century.
The Shelby Cemetery, now known as Mountain View, is worth detailed exploration not only for its two captivating stone memorials but for the many others markers and stories within its boundaries.
Polson’s oldest cemetery is the Beauvais-Decker Cemetery located on an old rutted road that ends at the cemetery southeast of downtown. Only in the last few years have a committed group of citizens undertaken the tough work of cleaning the cemetery and making it accessible. They hope to restore it fully in the forthcoming years.
Identified grave markers date to the first decade of Polson’s development (1898-1908) and into the 21st century. Thus the cemetery is associated with the settlement history of Polson.
Frank B. Decker, 1898. Polson became a town in that year. It was not incorporated until 1910 and did not become the seat of Lake County until 1923. Beauvais grave marker (the cross), a recent replacement
Once the cemetery fell into disrepair some grave markers were lost. Metal poles mark some graves. The original landscaping plan had a large burial area south of the circular drive, where a flagpole was installed, extending to the adjacent tree line.
Another large burial area is north and west of the flagpole.
As the ongoing restoration proceeds, a significant early Lake County cemetery comes into view. I look forward to seeing the progress on my next visit to Polson.
Recently there has been much needed discussion in the historic preservation field on the necessity of focusing of the many types of citizens and residents who created and sustained our historic landscape. Don’t be so building focused; think about place. Nestled behind an attractive public playground on Main Street, not far from the ultra-modern Bozeman Public Library, is such a place: Sunset Hills Cemetery. It is an absolutely compelling place to walk along its many rows and curvilinear driveways to find the stories of Bozeman, written in stone, concrete, and metal.
Within the cemetery is one of the oldest physical remnants from the city’s beginning: the marker for Lady Mary Blackmore, July 1872, when Bozeman was nothing more than a string of tents, log cabins, and false front buildings along the Bozeman Trail.
The metal plaque on the slowly decaying pyramid marker tells part of the story. Lord William Blackmore and Lady Mary Blackmore had a deep interest in the west and they came to visit newly designated Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Mary took ill and did not make the trip to the park. After her health markedly declined, citizens went to find Lord Blackmore and he returned, but Mary never recovered. Blackmore to honor his wife, and to acknowledge the support and kindness of local residents, purchased 5 acres for a public cemetery and had the pyramid marker installed. Today this oldest section of the cemetery is on the west side, The view from the Blackmore marker is impressive.
The Daughters of the American Revolution in 2020 addressed other early burials in the cemetery through this obelisk marker in memory of those without grave markers today.
Nearby is the very different grave marker for another important early settler and rancher, Nelson Story. Whereas the Blackmore marker is direct, dignified, the Story marker is designed to remind everyone that here lies an important person.
You walk through an overpowering classical-staled gateway to find the graves of Story and his family. And his employees. The marker for Tom Thompson (d. 1879), the son of Isaac and Barbara, tells the story of a young man who drowned in the Yellowstone River while “in the employ of the Honorable NELSON STORY.”
But Thompson’s story if far from the only one shared in Sunset Hills Cemetery. There are many gravestones that bear the emblems of fraternal organizations, some well known, some not so much.
Note here the designation of Ella Martin as an early Regent of the DAR chapterThis Woodmen of the World marker for Royal Paxton weds conservation.
Sunset Hills Cemetery has a dedicated veterans section at the rear of the property that is centered around a 1928 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) monument to those who served in the U.S. and Union Armies during the Civil War. It is unique because typically the GAR monuments date to the decades right after the war, or perhaps up to 1915, which was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.
Scattered throughout the cemetery are the simple standardized gravemarkers that the federal government provided to families of U.S. veterans. This place is another reminder of the impact of the Civil War on late 19th century America.
Almost all historic cemeteries in Montana have sections for veterans and special markers designate fraternal lodge membership and prominent citizens. Sunset Hills Cemetery has all of that over its 150 years of existence–and more. Whatever row of graves you choose to explore you will find markers of beauty, of memory, and sadness.
The Taylor cast metal marker is one of many artistic marvels in the cemetery.
I have explored many municipal cemeteries in Montana–but did not venture into this special place until 2021. Don’t repeat my mistake–here is a place worth exploring, just set aside plenty of time to do. It is not in the National Register of Historic Places–but it should be.
Nestled in the bluffs overlooking Havre are two adjacent historic cemeteries, Calvary (1903) and Highland (1906/7).
Entrance gate, Highland Cemetery
Catholics in north central Montana established Calvary first, taking advantage of newly located city water works to ensure that the grounds could be irrigated.
Looking north toward the Calvary Cemetery entrance. Note water works in upper right corner.
Calvary with its well manicured lawns, large mature trees, curvilinear drives and impressive view to the south set the tone for the landscaping and design of both cemeteries. Grave markers, for the most part, were modest, in keeping with the working middle class character of this Great Northern Railway division point.
Of course there were exceptions to the norm. A large Cross marks the gravesite of Judge Patrick McIntyre, one of the city’s early civic and real estate leaders who died in 1907. The classical styled marker to another of the city’s, and region’s, business leaders, Samuel Pepin, is nearby. Pepin, like McIntyre, was a Canadian who came early to Havre and developed businesses and ranches, all tied to the Railroad. Pepin died in 1914.
McIntyre markerSamuel Pepin marker
Highland Cemetery followed in the footsteps of thee catholic burial ground. Both have impressive views along the southern boundaries of the historic campus of Northern Montana University, now MSU-Northern (name change happened in 1994). The campus was established in 1929.
MSU-NorthernA panoramic view
By that year, Highland Cemetery was well established as the city’s primary public burial ground,and is still active today. Reflecting Havre’s middle class roots the cemetery is marked by rows of modest, dignified tombstones and low concrete walled family plots.
Many veterans from the 20th century are buried here, along with many tombstones marking membership in fraternal organizations from the Woodmen of the World to the Masons.
Highland Cemetery is a significant place that documents the city’s progressive response to public needs during its decade of sustained growth in the homesteading boom of the first two decades of the 20th century. Together the two cemeteries would be an excellent companion to Havre’s already established National Register-listed downtown residential district. The city does a fine job of keeping the property maintained and let’s hope that commitment stays in place for another 100 years.
The news came like a thunderbolt in the December 16, 2022 edition of the Montana Free press: the Izaak Walton Inn had been sold to LOGE Camps.
“Street” facade of the building
I must admit that the place is special to me because it was one of the first National Register of Historic Places nominations that I had ever worked on. As I have discussed earlier in this blog, my task was to document its extraordinary significance because at that time of nomination (1984) the building was not yet 50 years old.
Historic Great Northern yards next to the inn, May 2023
Making the case was not that difficult because when it was built in 1939, it basically WAS the village of Essex: lodging for railroad workers, food, bar, post office, etc., but I have covered these points earlier in the blog. I stopped in May 2023 to document the place one last time, before n auction of interior stuff and collections and before renovations began.
In that December 16, 2022 Montana Free Press story, LOGE Camps official Slate “Olson said LOGE was well aware of the inn’s history and is not planning drastic changes to the property. However, the company does plan to make upgrades. Olson said it’ was’s too early to know exactly what those improvements will be, but that new furniture and room amenities are likely on deck in the coming year. We have a ton of respect for the history of the Izaak Walton Inn,” he said. “We want to create a destination where you feel the history, but you also appreciate the updated touches and amenities.””
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Let’s hope so. A good part of the historic integrity of the property lies with its rough edges. The old boarding houses was upgraded to a degree in the mid-1980s, certainly. But you also had the right spaces, the post office boxes, and the laid back vibe of common areas. And wi-fi: well good luck once you left the link in the lobby.
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Believe me, I get it. Historic places are always changing. But here at Essex you have to accept that the building was a key part of a working landscape of the railroad. That its history will forever be tied to the tracks and the people who worked here. Take away that gritty reality, and you lose so much.
May 2023May 2023This covered pedestrian walkway led to other cabins and trails into the park. It was a great way to see the inn and the railway working together.
Here’s to the first 38 years of the Izaak Walton Inn as a National Register landmark adjacent to Glacier National Park. Let’s hope the next generations recognize and nurture the qualities that make it special.
Montana's Historic Landscapes 