Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 21 toric Places. It is the official catalog of historic properties in America. Created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of His- toric Places was intended to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological treasures. In Montana, there are over 1,100 listings in all 56 coun- ties on the Register. Flathead County has the most with 147, while Garfield and Teton County have just one each. The list includes many exemplary forms of architecture, including such landmarks as the Cathedral of Saint Helena in Helena, the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, and Hotel Metlen in Dil- lon. The list also includes historic locations, such as the Ban- nack Historic District, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Pompey's Pillar, and various buffalo jumps and native American Indian heritage sites. And while there are many other buildings and historically significant sites in Montana already on the list, many never make the list, risking oblivion and ensuing dis- appearance from the landscape. Peter Brown is Montana's State Historic Preservation Of- ficer. He is responsible for helping to identify historic prop- erties, review nominations for new properties, and survey them. He has worked in the field of historic preservation for more than 20 years and takes great pride in helping to pre- serve Montana's historic landmarks and properties. "I have always been interested in history and my attention naturally gravitated to old places," Brown says. "My earli- est memory is of a fort that was rebuilt and preserved near my hometown. I was amazed at how things used to be, and I always spent a lot of time on my bike checking out old build- ings and historic properties." Asked why he thought historic properties eventually dis- appear, Brown says, "It boils down to priorities. First, you need the financial means to maintain a building that has no obvious use. Combined with a low population in the state, finding a use for many of these old buildings is next to im- possible unless they are used for storage." LOCATED ON MONTANA ROUTE 396 IS A DIRT ROAD THAT RUNS PARALLEL TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS BETWEEN HARLEM AND DODSON, MONTANA IS THE SMALL TOWN OF SA- VOY AND THE SAVOY SCHOOLHOUSE, WHICH WAS ABANDONED IN 1974.

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