Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 20 Old churches, and schoolhouse, and barns. Old brick build- ings that were once a mercantile in some small town, tipi rings, and homesteads. They are all a testament to Montana's past. But every year more and more of them are lost forever. Many old wooden grain elevators, like the ones in Hobson, once carpeted the countryside throughout the state. Then larg- er, bigger, and better grain elevators began to replace them. With the loss of train stops along many routes, the fate for many was all but sealed. But in the rural parts of Montana, even long after these structures had served their intended purpose, they continued to stand over the plains and scrape the sky. Few who lived in these parts ever wanted to see them go. Luckily for all Montanans, the good people of Hobson de- cided they wanted to save their grain elevators. The railroad gave the people of the Hobson six months to come up with a solid plan to preserve the structures and bring them up to code, raise the necessary funds to do so, and enter into a property lease with BNSF Railway. And without a moment to spare, the community raised the necessary funds, sealed off the entrances to the elevators, made the necessary repairs, and finalized a lease with the railroad. And hopefully the el- evators will stand another hundred years. Other grain elevators in the state, however, have been less fortunate. Elevators in Culbertson, Laurel, Lothair, Suffolk, Belt, Sacco, Clyde Park, Ryegate, and many other places have been torn down and lost forever in recent years. These cathedrals on the prairies are historical markers. For some they are the tallest buildings they will ever see. Architecture, regardless of how simple or utilitarian, is a poignant expression of human progress and the passage of time. It documents the struggle of pioneers and settlers and the people who built Montana on the sweat of their brow. Thankfully there are those who work every day to try to pre- serve our historical and cultural sites. Since it began in 1966, more than 95,000 properties across America have been added to the National Register of His- THE SACRED HEART LUTHERAN CHURCH LOCATED ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE FORT BELKNAP INDIAN RESERVATION IN BLAINE COUNTY, FAMOUSLY KNOWN AS "THE PINK CHURCH." IT HAS NOT SEEN A CONGREGATION IN YEARS, BUT IT IS A VERY POPULAR LANDMARK ON MONTANA'S HI-LINE.

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