Intermountain Transportation Company
A number of buildings in Anaconda were specifically constructed to meet the motorized transportation demands of the community.
Garages and repair shops, service stations, car dealerships, and bus stations began to shape the Anaconda landscape as early as 1908. Of these original automobile and bus-related resources, only a few exist, the most noteworthy of which is the Intermountain Transportation Company building and bus station at 7 Main Street.
Norwegian immigrant Emil Torgerson is credited with starting the first successful transportation company in Anaconda. The Intermountain Transportation Company opened its doors in 1917 when Torgerson purchased a second-hand, seven-passenger touring car, offering a taxi service between Butte and Anaconda for a fare of $.80. The headquarters for this company still remain at the bottom of Main Street. In 1921, Torgerson built a bus body on a lengthened out Pierce Arrow 66-inch chassis. Equipped with side door entrances, the bus carried twenty people. A similar contraption was built in 1922, and bus service began in Anaconda. Torgerson treated Anaconda to a wicker-seated deluxe parlor coach in 1925 with two-wheel air brakes. Bus routes were later expanded to Phillipsburg, Drummond, Missoula, Polson, Kalispell, Dillon, Idaho Falls, Butte and Great Falls.
From the National Register Multiple Property Document Form
One of the first automobile repair shops and gas stations established in Anaconda was located in the building at 227 East Commercial Avenue. Operated by George H. Merhoff, the business was established sometime between 1910 and 1913. Merhoff was joined by the Intermountain Transportation Company in 1917. The current Intermountain Transportation Company building at 7 Main Street was constructed during the 1940s, and one of the original buildings utilized by the Torgerson brothers, who established the company, remains at 15 Main. The original Joseph Lepke cigar factory at 15 Main Street was renovated into a repair shop for the company. A number of other short-lived automobile-related businesses appeared in the Commercial Historic District, from tire shops to dealerships.
7 Main - Brick Front - Vernacular - 1940 - Estimate - Contributing
From the NRHP Continuation Sheet, Section 8, Page 8