Stashed away at the rear of that array of machinery is this ground driven 6 row corn/bean seeder. We're not certain which crop it was initially designed to sow, but it's likely that it would handle corn, beans, and even peas with equal alacrity. It appears that it was designed to seed at five different rates with the change of drive ratios, accomplished by moving a drive chain from one sprocket to another. Seed furrows were opened by a pair of discs, behind which dropped the seed at a metered rate. The style of hitch on the seeder suggests that it was intended to be tractor drawn, not horse drawn. We were unable to find any maker's markings on the unit.
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.
Clarks Fork Valley Museum
This museum displays the history of the Clarks Fork Valley. It is in one of the last class four, small, rural area railroad depots in the country. The depot, which is listed on the National Register, was 100 years old in 1999. Exhibits include a one-room doctor's office and a traditional homesteader's cabin.
From Visit Montana