The mural was painted by Verona Burkhard in 1939, receiving $20.00 per square foot for her efforts. Deer Lodge's first post office was established May 21, 1866, with the first post office building being built in the 300 Block of Main Street in about the 1870s, the second, also in the 300 Block, in 1911 and financed by a local banker. Groundbreaking for this post office took place in 1937 and the dedication of the building was held May 28, 1938. Ground for the post office cost $5750, a princely sum in 1936, the year the property was purchased by the government. This was one of eight post offices built in Montana in the New Deal era.
Neo-classical in design, the red brick building is a nearly square one storey, low hip roofed building with metal roofing. Apparently it was built in 1938 as a flat roofed structure.
Living New Deal has a listing for this post office at their site, as well as a
separate listing for the mural. Today the post office is a contributing building to the
Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District.
Further below is the text from a sign mounted in front of the post office, just to the right of the entrance.
Sometime between 1929 and 1944 the old dance hall/auto storage building was removed, leaving a large portion of the block vacant. This vacant area became the home of the current Post Office in 1937 (516 Main St.)
Ground was broken in 1937 for the construction of the current Deer Lodge Post Office building, and the interior was decorated with a mural by Verona Burkhard in 1939. Burkhard was commissioned by the WPA to paint the mural for twenty dollars per square foot, and the mural is entitled "James and Granville Stuart Prospecting in the Deer Lodge Valley—1858." The building contractor was B.H. Sheldon Company of Spokane and the building superintendent was L.B. McKinney, who was appointed by Sheldon. The dedication of the building was held May 28, 1938. The ground for the post office was sold to the Federal government by Frank Conley for $5750 in 1936, and was one of eight locations offered. According to the Silver State Post, Conley received $1750.00 as his share, with the rest going to the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company of Minnesota. Jacob is likely a descendant of Leopold Schmidt, the founder of the Olympia Brewing Company, who got his start at Valiton's brewery in Deer Lodge. The brewery was located on the north end of this same 500 block.
The current Post Office building displays characteristics that are common in Neo-classical architecture that include columns/pilasters, dentils, and the decorative doorway and window detailing. It is a relatively square, flat roofed, single storey building resting on a concrete foundation. The front entry houses a glass door with a long, glass light. It is surrounded by a common entablature that includes square Doric pilasters with square capitals, and a wide crown with
dentils. A long, false Shipped roof has been placed on the front of the building and is covered in metal. The windows and doors are symmetrically placed with a centered entry, and two 8/12 windows on either side. The same type windows are placed on the south side of the building. Access to the basement is from an exterior stairwell located on the southwest end. All of the windows are wood-frame with stone sills, and are crowned with a stone lintel.
From the Historic Places Registration Form
1938
Deer Lodge Post Office
The first post office in Deer Lodge was established on May 21, 1866. It was one of the earliest post Offices in Montana. Mail service to the early settlers of the Deer Lodge valley was expensive and very slow. Letters and parcels were either delivered by steamboat up the Missouri River or by pony express through Wyoming. Pony express trips took seven days, and a letter cost fifty cents to mail.
Long distance service was provided by private stage line from Kansas, taking 22 days to cover the 1900 mile route. Eventually, the steamboat and stage were replaced by trains, trucks, and planes.
In 1938, this building was dedicated as the new Deer Lodge Post Office. As part of the New Deal program, Verona Burkhard was commissioned by the federal Public Works of Art Project to paint a mural inside the post office. The painting depicts early prospectors and Deer Lodge pioneers Granville Stuart and his brother James. Mount Powell dominates the background.