Bigfork, Montana
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 48° 03.747 W 114° 04.407
11U E 718033 N 5327385
On Electric Avenue in Big Fork stands one of the oldest remaining buildings in the town, the old brick bank. A large sign relating the town's history is mounted on the south side of the building.
Waymark Code: WMN1HK
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 12/07/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member ZenPanda
Views: 1

Bigfork, Montana
The story of a town far from the common place Grab a map and take a short walk. See life as it was and how the village grew from a place that was "nothing more than cut-over stump land" to the nature, art and culture center it is now.

In 1889, Event Sliter purchased 140 acres here for $1380. With his wife, Lizzie Osborn, he planted 4000 fruit trees, rented out their 14-bedroom house and established a trading post. In 1901, he platted Bigfork into 100 lots and opened the first post office. Some of the streets, Osborn and Blenn, are named for his family members. Descendants of the Sliter family still live in the Bigfork area. Throughout the century, the buildings of Bigfork have come and gone, burned and built, changed and grown. Two of the oldest still standing are the Bank building (operating as a restaurant) and the Bigfork Mercantile (a shop and gallery). Electric Avenue was named for the first street to get electricity from the Power Plant located just across the Steel Bridge.

As for the name Bigfork... that is still a mystery. Some say it originated with an early resident from Bigfork, Minnesota. Others say it is named for two great rivers, the Flathead and the Swan, which meet here. To this day, no one really knows.
From the Sign
Describe the area and history:
Reading this sign, one is looking right at some of the town's history, its first bank. We believe this to have been The State Bank of Bigfork, built in the early 1900s. The 1930s depression hit the town hard and by 1937 the bank had failed. It's now an upscale restaurant, The Showthyme.


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