The Northern Pacific passed right by its best potential customer when it built through the Clark's Fork Valley, primarily because the topography wasn't amenable to the construction of a railroad main line. As a result, the railroad built this station (about 75 feet from where it now stands) and built a small spur line into the mine. The town of Gebo was already flourishing near the mine, but when the station was built here, the population moved to the vicinity and the town of Fromberg was born. Incidentally, legend has it that the town was named after Northern Pacific stockholder Conrad Fromberg by the railroad.
Serving as a passenger and freight depot until 1970, the building was later moved 75 feet away from the tracks and ultimately turned into the centerpiece for the Clark's Fork Valley Museum. Termed a "work in progress" in 1993 when the depot was entered in the National Register, it seems still to be, with piles of lumber, dirt and gravel here and there.
Three other historic buildings have been moved onto the site to flesh out the museum, as well as several old pieces of agricultural iron. Now with a bit of company, this is the only remaining Northern Pacific station in the Clark's Fork Valley.
The depot was constructed in 1899 from standardized plans developed by the Northern Pacific for its fourth class combination station. It originally accommodated a small ticket office and passenger waiting room at the north end, agent's living quarters at the center, and a large freight room at the south end; the building stood at the east end of the town's main street. In 1909, the depot was slightly remodeled; the ticket office and passenger waiting rooms were apparently enlarged, taking over the space formerly occupied by the living quarters. The depot was abandoned for rail-related purposes in 1970, and remained unused for many years thereafter. It is currently being adapted for use as the Clarks Fork Valley Museum. Within the last few years, the depot was moved from its original location-between the main line on the west and a side line on the cast-about 75 feet to the east.
From the NRHP Registration Form
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD DEPOT
The Gebo Mine, founded in the Clarks Fork Valley in the late 1890s, brought the tracks of the Northern Pacific to this area. The railroad, however, bypassed the coal mine and the town of Gebo that flourished near it because of difficult accessibility. A spur line to the mine was constructed in 1898, and by early 1899, a small wood-frame depot stood ready north of where the Gebo spur left the main tracks. The railroad named the station “Fromberg” after Northern Pacific stockholder Conrad Fromberg, and it immediately provided local ranchers with a link to distant markets. William Swallow recognized that his land near the depot offered potential for a new townsite. The original six-block townsite of Fromberg was platted in “T-town” form, with the main street perpendicular to the tracks. The depot, constructed by the railroad from standardized plans for “fourth class combination stations,” originally included a ticket office and waiting room on one end, freight room on the other end, and central living quarters for the agent. Remodeling in 1909 expanded the waiting area into the central apartment, and clapboard siding was applied over the board-and-batten walls. The depot served passengers and freight until 1970. Later moved seventy-five feet to its present location, the building today is the only remaining Northern Pacific depot along the historic Clarks Fork branch line and the last railroad building in Fromberg. In its new function as the Clarks Fork Valley Museum, this railroad veteran is an appropriate ambassador of the region’s rich history and a significant reflection of Fromberg’s roots.
From the plaque at the depot