CUT BANK MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AND ARMY AIR FORCE BASE, HAER MT-154-A TERMINAL BUILDING HAER MT-154-A (Cut Bank International Airport, Terminal Building) Approximately 390 yards west of Valier Highway (Montana Route 358), three miles southwest of Cut Bank Cut Bank vicinity Glacier County Montana

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD INTERMOUNTAIN REGIONAL OFFICE National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 12795 West Alameda Parkway Denver, CO 80228 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD

CUT BANK MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AND ARMY AIR FORCE BASE ,TERMINAL BUILDING HAER No. MT-154-A

I. INTRODUCTION

Location: Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building (Cut Bank Inten1ational Airport, Tenninal Building) Approximately 390 yards west of Valier Highway (Montana Route 358), three miles southwest of Cut Bank Cut Bank Vicinity Glacier County Montana

Quad: Cut Bank Southeast, Montana (1966)

UTM: 12/399274/5384639

Date of Construction: 1949

Present Owner: City of Cut Bank/Glacier County Cut Bank, Montana

Present Use: Airport Tenninal

Significance: Built in 1949, the Cut Bank Municipal Airport Building is representative of the type of Modem­ style tenninals constructed at airports throughout rural Montana in the years immediately following World War II. It has not been significantly changed since its construction and displays its original footprint, materials, decorative features, and the distinctive control tower overlooking the airport's runways. The building is a primary component of the National Register of Historic Places-listed Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Base.

Historian: J on Axline, Private Consultant July 2014 Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 2)

II. HISTORY

Early History of the Cut Bank Area 1 Cut Bank is located within lands historically associated with the Blackfeet. The Blackfoot Confederacy consists of four different tribes, the Pikuni/Piegan, North Pikuni/Piegan, Blood/Kainai, and BlackfootiSiksika. Members of the Blackfoot Confederation presently live in Montana, the United States and Alberta, Canada. Before the arrival of non-Indians froin the East, the tribes had long controlled a vast territory.

Our traditional territory extended from Ponokasisahta (Elk River, now called the North Saskatchewan River) south to Otahkoitahtayi (the Yellowstone River). We lived along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and eastward beyond Omahskispatsikoyii (the Great Sand Hills in what is now called Saskatchewan). It is an immense land with some of the richest natural resources in the world. We knew every detail of this land. Our people traveled constantly throughout it, and their trails were well marked across the grasslands. They lived by hunting game and collecting plants. By moving camp frequently, they were able to avoid depleting the resources in anyone area. Our people knew the places where different plants grew and where game was plentiful. Their lives were nomadic, but their movements were not aimless; they always traveled with a purpose?

As non-Indian trappers and traders began to filter into their territory, the Blackfeet way of life altered significantly. By the mid-1800s, decimation of the buffalo, smallpox, and other scourges took their toll on the tribes' ability to retain their traditionallifeways and territory. In 1855, the first of a series of "treaties" between the U.S. government and the tribes resulted in the eventual establishment of the Blackfeet Reservation. Subsequent agreements greatly reduced the Blackfeet-controlled lands. The buffalo had disappeared by 1880. A drought and a worldwide depression made it hard for us to be successful fanners. We were forced to rely on government rations for survival. This increased our dependency on the kinnoona (Indian Agent). It was another blow to our morale. 3 The Great Northern Railroad Arrives

1 This and the following four sections of the historic context are taken from National Register of Historic Places, Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Army Air Force Base Historic District, Glacier County, Montana, National Register #07001494. 2 "Our Traditional Territory," Glenbow Museum Website, http://www.glenbow.org/blackfootlEN/htmllhow_we_lived_with_the_land.htm. 3 Ibid. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 3)

In the autumn of 1890, Great Northern Railroad crews reached the site of present day Cut Bank. While construction crews stopped to construct the wooden trestle over Cut Bank Creek, a small telnporary railroad construction cmnp emerged. After the crews cOlnpleted the bridge and track, they moved on.

The Great Northern soon established a station at Cut Bank, located on the west side of the trestle. A slnall settlelnent grew around the station, which was nothing more than a box car converted into a depot. In the depot, a telegrapher Inanned the telegraph over which he copied train orders and gave instructions to each train. During this period, stations were located every five to ten miles apart. On December 14, 1892, a post office was established with John K. Stauffer as postmaster. The post office was located in the salt box style section worker's house. Sections gangs were stationed at intervals along the Great Northern. Each gang was responsible for the repair and maintenance of an assigned section of track. There was also a water tank to provide water for the steam engines. The 1894-1895 Montana Business Directory listed Cut Bank having a general store operated by G. H. Kurdvek but this business didn't last long. During these years, Cut Bank's population was 26, with most of the people except for the railroad workers living on nearby sheep and cattle ranches.

During the summer of 1900, the Great Northern employed 250 men at Cut Bank working on track improvements, working in the quarry and building a new steel bridge to replace the wooden one. Rumors were out that the railroad planned on moving the roundhouse and division point from nearby Blackfoot to Cut Bank and expanding the facility. In those days division points were located every 100 miles to keep the steam engines in repair. Businessmen began locating in Cut Bank to serve the temporary workforce present but hoped that the rumor would become reality. The August 23 edition of the Shelby News announced that the bridge was completed and that engine 522 with twenty-five cars of dirt was the first train to cross the new bridge. The paper also announced that parties in from Cut Bank state that the Great Northern railway had a large force of men at work at that point grading side tracks preparing the ground for the erection of a roundhouse, etc., and that before many months end, the division will be changed from Blackfoot to Cut Bank. If this is true, and we have no reason to doubt it, Cut Bank will be one of the best little towns in Northern Montana. 4

The Great Northern finished the thirty-two stall roundhouse, coal chute, hotel, and other facilities by mid to late December 1900. Cut Bank's population grew to about 300. Two years later in February 1902, Choteau's Montanian described that quite a nice little town has sprung up there, and today, although scarcely two years old, it boasts of two hotels, one run under the management of Archie McDonald, and the other conducted by the Great Northern Railway for the convenience of its employees; two well-conducted merchandise establishments -the P. P. Lee Mercantile Company and the Cut Bank Mercantile Company owned by Halverson and Titus; three saloons- the "Owl",

4 Shelby News, August 23, 1900. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 4) run by Philip Gilboe, the "Maverick" owned by George T. Brown, and John F. Tholnpson's place, a livery stable owned by A. E. Allison; a barbershop and bathrooln run by O. E. Crowley. George W. Walker, one of the Great Northern Railway Company's operators, is the justice of the peace and Mrs. Walker is postmistress.5

Cut Bank Expands Besides being a railroad cOlnlnunity, Cut Bank was a supply point for open range cattle and sheep ranches. The Circle, DHS, Narrow Gauge and F outfits were some of the larger cattle ranching companies. Some of the sheep ranchers included Potter, Miller, MacRae, and the F Company. Each June for about a month a shearing plant with 20 shearing machines operated in Cut Bank. In 1904, between 40,000 and 50,000 sheep were shorn at the Cut Bank plant. Just a mile east of Cut Bank was Baltic, a shipping point for cattle and sheep. Cattle outfits would ship anywhere from a carload to a trainload of beef at a time from the Baltic stockyards. In the fall, these cattle outfits would conduct their annual roundups.

By 1910, Cut Bank grew to a population of518. In 1909, the area around Cut Bank was opened up to homesteading. A transition was taking place. The open range cattle and sheep ranching industries were being replaced with fenced-in homesteads and ranches. Homesteading brought fann families, many of whom had northern European backgrounds that included Gennan and Scandinavian. Many people moved in from the Midwest, especially Wisconsin and Minnesota. These homesteaders hoped to create prosperous fanus from the arid prairie. Despite the dry conditions, they saw advantages in free land as well as land that was already free of trees. Homesteaders depended upon the merchants of Cut Bank to supply their fanns with lumber, household goods and food. In return the homesteaders shipped their fanu produce from Cut Bank. Many fine masonry commercial buildings were built during these years.

Walking the streets of Cut Bank in 1910 was a Inulti-cultural experience. The railroad found a shortage of workers in the area to staff its division point. Homesteaders were too busy developing their fanus to want to work for the railroad. To solve the problem, the Great Northern encouraged ilnmigrant labor. Besides hearing English, you would hear Japanese, Bulgarian and Italian as well as a host of other languages.

Area fann families struggled through an agricultural depression that began in 191 7 with a long­ tenn drought and drop in grain prices. Many fanners lost their fanns, either unable to afford taxes or repay loans. Others kept their fanns but had to find supplemental incomes. Now they welcomed the railroad jobs.

5 Montanian, February 1902, Choteau, MT. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 5)

By 1920, Cut Bank's population had grown to 1,180 people. Through the years, the Great Northern gradually expanded and improved its railroad division point. Then on May 4, 1928, the Cut Bank Pioneer Press atmounced

Whistle (at the roundhouse) will toot for the last tilne tomorrow (Saturday) promptly at 12:00. Preparations are going steadily ahead for the abandonment of the local tenninal. Track is being taken up rapidly now. The "Beanery" (The GN Hotel) one of our ancient shrines, closed Wednesday and the management distributed dozens of delectable pies and other perishable things to patrons. 6

Soon after this announcement, Cut Bank saw its population fall by 300 down to 874. In addition, many fanners lost their supplemental income eanled from railroad elnployment. These were challenging times for the residents of Cut Bank. However, prosperity for Cut Bank was on the horizon. In the early 1920s, the oil and gas boom began north of Shelby, Montana, in the Kevin/Sunburst/Oilmont area. By 1928, exploratory wells were being drilled around Cut Bank, 24 miles to the west. Production began in the summer of 1931. The residents of Cut Bank quickly realized the positive economic implications and rejoiced with a community Gas Day celebration.

While most of America suffered through the Great Depression, Cut Bank grew and prospered during the 1930s. At first, Cut Bank was an oil boom town. Many oil workers came north from the Oklahoma and Texas oilfields to work for the small wildcat companies that were operating in and around Cut Bank. When they arrived they found housing shortages. Houses were being built and moved in from other locations. Oil camps, like Santa Rite, Adams, and Tipville, sprung up around Cut Bank. Local fanners found work in the oilfields, so once again they could supplement their fann incomes and continue to build their fanns.

During the 1930s, the population of Cut Bank rose from 847 to 2,509 in 1940. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, larger oil cOlnpanies began buying out smaller ones. These companies began to invest in Cut Bank, building pennanent facilities and bringing stable employment. Cut Bank advertised itself as the "Oil Capital of Montana."

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Inany homes were built to house the incoming popUlation. Cut Bank strived to build prestigious new public buildings to reflect its new preeminence as an "oil city." The city tried to convince the Great Northern Railroad to build a new railroad station that would emulate the city's prosperity. The GN, however, struggling through the great depression, objected. Cut Bank had to settle with the railroad remodeling and modernizing the old Cut Bank station.

6 Pioneer Press, May 4, 1928, Cut Bank, MT. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 6)

As Cut Bank prospered, local entrepreneurs looked for ways to improve the comlnunity's economic position even more by further establishing it as a transportation hub by developing an airport. Aviation and the Establishment of Cut Bank Municipal Airport The Annistice ending World War I in November 1918 brought forth a new era in civil aviation, as a large number of trained fliers were released from the lnilitary back into civilian life. Their military careers may have ended, but their love of and desire to fly stayed with them as they returned to their hOlnes and jobs.

These "footloose" pilots began to appear all across the country. Some were referred to as "barnstonners," lnainly due to their daring and quite often reckless antics, while others were aware of the many potential commercial and profitable uses for their aviation talents. The most prevalent problem of the time was that there were no laws or regulations in place, at either the federal or state levels, to control or protect the aviators and the public.

The first laws to regulate civil aviation appeared in Montana in 1929. At that time, Dr. Carl H. Minette, a prominent dentist from Cut Bank, was elected to the state legislature and served on the state's first aviation committee. Dr. Minette was also a recently discharged veteran and was a member of the newly fonned American Legion. This gave him opportunities to come in contact with many of the new civilian aviators and gain knowledge of their problems and needs. There were several private aviators in the area around Cut Bank. Dr. Minette visualized a need for private and commercial aviation projects in the area to help support the agricultural economy and the new and rapidly growing oilfields surrounding Cut Bank. He started a campaign to establish a commercial airport near Cut Bank. He realized that it would be a difficult battle to win recognition for such a slnall rural community, but he and his allies felt it would be a battle worth waging. Minette remembered in 1955: About this time, and even before, Tag Mulumby, TOln Busha and Earl Vance, all of Great Falls, with lnany others of this area, discussed the possibility of an airline to Alaska. It was with grandiose idea in mind that we, here in Cut Bank, took the initiative to try and be part of such a venture. Naturally it was difficult to receive recognition in aviation circles. However, through persistence and close friendship with the n1en in those circles Cut Bank eventually was given recognition in the development of aviation in the northwest. 7

In 1930, local oilman and pilot Tip O'Neil leased a parcel of land southwest of town and constructed a private airstrip there. O'Neil allowed local pilots to use the runway and to construct slnall shelters for their planes. Until 1937, Cut Bank was unable to spend monies

7 C.H. Minette, "Cut Bank Airport- Community Project," Pioneer Press, July 21,1955. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 7) outside the city limits, so a Inunicipal airport was not feasible. Later in 1938, the city was able to negotiate its first lease for the airport land.

As early as 1932-33 Western and Inland Airlines were interested in establishing an international flight connection between Great FaIls and Alaska. Western Airlines operated a franchise in Browning but only utilized it during the sutnmer months. The Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA -later the Civil Aeronautics Board, CAB) denied their requests until March 1941. Voters in Cut Bank overwhehning supported a $17,000 bond for airport expansion the following month. Negotiations had been in progress with Western Airlines, which had been asked to provide commercial service to the new airport. Simultaneously, a dialog had been started with the federal govermnent to establish the airport as a "port of entry" which would require stopping at Cut Bank for customs services. The new facility would then be a logical point for flights into Canada with connections to Alaska. Dr. Minette's hard work came to fruition when Western Airlines, with much fanfare and ceremony from local townspeople, made its inaugural flight to Cut Bank on June 1, 1941. Service from Western Airlines, using the venerable Douglas DC-3, would continue through the war, and into the mid-1950s.

Cut Bank Army Air Force Base Just over two mothers after the inaugural flight, on August 22, 1941, Secretary of War Henry L. Stinson and General George C. Marshall landed in Cut Bank. After "encirclin~ the field in company with Donald S. Libby and Inembers of the local airport comtnission" the men continued on for a Glacier Park vacation. A month later, the United States Congress approved the purchase of reservation land by the City of Cut Bank.

The United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Secretary of the Interior, under such regulations as he tnay proscribe, is authorized to sell to the City of Cut Bank, Montana, all right, title, and interest of the United States and of certain individual Indians of the Blackfeet Tribe of Indians, upon obtaining the consent of such individual Indians to such sale ... 9

The city acquired the 760 acres grass and hay fields frotn the Blackfeet on October 20, 1941. On Decetuber 8, 1941, Cut Bank offered the airport for "any use possible" to aid in the war effort. General "Hap" Arnold accepted the next day, and the United States government set about acquiring additional land around the airport. In two takings, the United States seized 931.09 acres, and purchased an additional 15.97 acres. The project also used 1,934.02 leased acres and 33.73 acres in easement. In June 1942 plans were ilnplemented for the construction of the "Cut Bank Anny Air Force Base." On July 6, 1942, the 2nd Air Force authorized the construction of

8 "War Secretary, Head of Army Land Cut Bank: Airport; Vacation in Park," Pioneer Press, August 29, 1941. 9 [Public Law 257J 55 Stat. 731. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 8) the Great Falls Anny Air Force Base (GF AAB). It would be the Inain base, with three satellite bases to be located at Cut Bank, Glasgow, and Lewistown.

The Anny assigned Major John L. Eaton base cOlnlnander over all the Montana bases, and, for the most part, he remained in Great Falls. Each satellite base had two pennanent staff officers to oversee their installations. The GF AAB was designated as the 352nd Squadron and was policed by the 994th Guard Squadron. Lt. Claude D. Stanley and Lt. Bruce B. Raymond were Cut Bank's first staff officers. Major T. K. Meyers became the base commander of Cut Bank Anny Air Force Base (CBAAF) in October 1942. Basic plans for air base construction had been previously developed, as many such projects were going on throughout the United States. Plans had been made well before the nation entered the war. Usually, just a few changes Inight be necessary to adapt to the different locations and specific assignments. Construction began in July 1942 at all four locations. Capt. G. C. Cooper was in charge of construction, and authorized to make any changes to the original plans as he deemed necessary. These changes would invariably benefit or speed the project along and improve the conditions for the flight crew training that was soon to follow. One of the unconfinned changes at the CBAAF was to raise the ceiling and enlarge the huge hangar door in anticipation of possible use to house the B-29 Super Fortress. The B-29's tail was nine feet higher than that of the B-17.

The CBAAF "satellite" base was located three miles southwest of town. The location was ideal as there was plenty of room for very long runways to accommodate the B-17s. One of the runways, which runs parallel to U. S. Highway 2, is 8,400 feet long. There was also plentiful rOOln to house and maintain the needed base personnel and flight squadrons that would be arriving even before the base was completed.

The usual size of the squadrons was expected to be nine B-17s, with crew training of37 officers and 229 enlisted men. One B-17 fit inside the hangar, and the other twelve parked outside on the hardstands. The officer's quarters were 100' x 20' and were to house 16 Inen, while the enlisted men's quarters were the same size and housed 32 men. The enlisted men's mess could seat up to 500. The base dispensary was 120' x 24' and included quarters for the base surgeon. The administration building was 100' x 20'. Base contractor was the finn of Askevold and Ruud.

The water tower, located near the hangar and recreation hall, was 111' in height and was topped with a 100,000 gallon water tank. The contract for the tower and tank was awarded to local oilfield contractor, J. Hugo Aronson. After the war, Aronson, sometimes known as the "Galloping Swede," would eventually becolne Montana's governor. A large rotating beacon was installed on top of the tank. Later, the beacon was Inoved to the top of the control tower, at the southwest comer of the hangar. After the conclusion of the war, the beacon was relocated to the top of the western end of the hangar, where it still operates today. The tower was tom down after the new commercial administration and control tower were completed in 1948. Airport Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Terminal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 9) administration officials reused the large glass window in the tower in the 1948 control tower atop the tem1inal.

For water supply, Glacier Construction Company was hired to drill wells to provide 100 gallons per minute. These wells, located at the nearby Cut Bank River, were connected to the tower and the base distribution system by 7,000 feet of six-inch water line. This system is still in use today. The sewer system contract was awarded to another local company owned by Frank Haas. In typical war-time style the work progressed very rapidly, with a workforce that numbered over 350 local men and military engineers. By the end of October 1942, the base was nearing completion with only furnishings remaining to be delivered.

An "Open House" for the public was authorized for three hours on Sunday, Novetnber 1, 1942. A second open house was allowed on Annistice Day, November 11, 1942, when the base was officially activated and declared ready for duty. It had taken less than four months to complete the base and on November 29, 1942, the first troops arrived via the Great Northern Railroad. The B-17s were delayed two weeks due to bad weather.

The Base Closes, but the Airport Continues After 1943, the Anny retained much of the tnilitary base at the Cut Bank Municipal Airport, but in 1948, conveyed its unsalvaged property - the leased land, buildings, and structures, to the City of Cut Bank and Glacier County. Western Airlines continued regular commercial service to the area through the post-war era. The ongoing commercial service is indicative of the relative prosperity enjoyed by region after 1945. While Cut Bank, due to its proximity to the Kevin­ Sunburst oilfields, endured the Great Depression with more prosperity than other communities, it continued to thrive as a railroad, oil field support, agricultural, and commercial center in the late 1940s through the 1950s. Increased detnand for petroleum products across the nation fueled the oil production economy in north-central Montana immediately after World War II. This, together with a general trend in greater agricultural production through the tnid-1950s resulted in a post-war economic and population "boom." This prosperity is reflected the infrastructure of the airport, where the Anny Air Force Base buildings were stabilized with metal and asbestos siding, and a new modern tenninal building was constructed in 1949.

However, after 1951, the state's oil industry shifted from the north central fields to eastern Montana's Williston Basin and Powder River area fields, and Billings' refining center. Reflective of the general trend in the local economy, the airport provided regular comtnercial airline service until 1958, when Western Airlines eliminated its flights there. Over the subsequent decades, the airfield continued to serve as a port of entry, custotns center, airfield to private aviators, and a locale for local business. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 10)

Cut Bank Municipal Airport Terminal The Cut Bank Airport Commission promoted the construction of an airport administration building at the airport in June 1941. The United States Anny Air Force's developlnent of the airport in June 1942, however, included the construction of an adlninistration building. When the Air Force turned over administration of the airport back to the Airport Commission in 1948, the comlnission assulned ownership of the military's adlninistration building. The structure, however, proved inadequate for the cOlnmission' s operations and its chainnan, Dr. Minette, lobbied the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) for funding for the construction of a lnodern building. Minette worked through Montana's Congressional delegation, Senator James E. Murray and Representative Wesley D'Ewarts, to obtain the necessary federal funding. By January 1948, Minette's efforts began to see results when Murray wrote him that Cut Bank was in line to receive $36,000 in federal funds froln the CAA to build an administration building at th e aIrport.· }O

Federal assistance for airport improvements was available through the National Airport Act of 1948. The act provided funds for the construction and improvelnent of airports and associated buildings through the CAA. The federal share of airport projects was fifty percent, with state or local authorities required to provide the other half of the project costs. In land grant states like Montana, however, the federal share was 53 percent of the cost for improvements. Cut Bank was one of eight qualifying airport projects in Montana, the others being Billings, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, Miles City, Lewistown, and Glasgow. In February 1948, the CAA announced that Cut Bank would receive $36,100 under the Act. Glacier County officials provided $11,000 to match the funds, while the Cut Bank Airport Commission added $22,000 to the amount. Relnaining funds were obtained through local donations. Upon announcing the grant, a CAA official in Seattle congratulated the airport commission, city, and county, stating that it was "the finest project in the nation so far under the National Airport Act for a city of cOlnparable size."}! The airport commission hired long-tilne Great Falls architect George Shanley to design the tenninal.

The Cut Bank Airport Comlnission advertised for bidders to construct the tenninal building in th early Septelnber 1948 and opened bids froln two contractors on September 28 . Two finns bid on the project, the Modem Construction Company of Havre for $81,000 and Jmnes W. Stack of

10 "Federal FundsAppear Likely for New Structure at Airport," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 23 January 1948; "Cut Bank is Officially Designated as Pennanent AirpOli of Entry," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 30 January 1948. II "CAA Asks Congress for Big Sum for August Program," The Kalispell Daily Inter Lake, 29 April 1948; Janet Rose Daly Bednarek, America's Airports: Airfield Development, 1918-1947, (College Station: Texas A & AM University Press, 200 1), 178-181; Funds Allocated by CAA for New Structure at Airport," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 6 February 1948; "Community to Raise $11,000 for New Structure at Airport," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 13 February 1948; "Commission Asks Bids on New Airport Building," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 10 September 1948. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 11)

Cut Bank for $79,195. The comlnission awarded the contract to Stack and authorized him to proceed with the project on October 22, 1948. 12

Stack began work on the tenninal in late October 1948 and shut down his operations during the winter. His crews had resumed work by mid-May 1949. In July, the Cut Bank Chatnber of COlnmerce announced plans to dedicate the tenninal building on September 1. Unforeseen delays, however, postponed the completion of the building until October. Chatnber of Comlnerce chainnan George Pendergraft announced in the pages of the Cut Bank Pioneer Press that the formal dedication of the building would occur on Sunday, October 14. The dedication, according to Pendergraft, would mark the kick-off of the third annual Montana Air Tour from the new tenninal building. The tour, sponsored by the Montana Pilots' Association, the Montana Flying Fanners and Ranchers Association, the Montana Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, and the Commercial and Private Pilots' Association, would fly first to Lethbridge, Alberta, and then stop at airports in northern Montana before ending the tour in Helena. The newspaper announced that the dedication would include the "glamour of top military officials in the area, high government officials, music, and the latest in private and military aircraft.,,13

The dedication, however, took place over two days with the first day consisting of a meeting in the building of the Montana Aeronautics Commission and the Northern Air Route Development Association on Saturday. The dedication festivities opened on a cold and windy Sunday Inorning with a breakfast at the new tenninal hosted by the Cut Bank Saddle Club, which was followed by an inspection of private and military aircraft parked on the runway. The cold weather forced the celebration indoors. Blackfeet elders "in full regalia" blessed the event and the keynote address was given by Montana governor John Bonner. The event wrapped up at 10:45 so attendees could attend church services. The tenninal building has functioned in its original capacity since 1948. 14

III. THE CUT BANK AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING

A. DESCRIPTION

The Cut Bank Airport Terminal Building waS designed by Great Falls architect George Shanley and built by James W. Stack in 1949. The Modem-style building consists of three levels: the ground level held the customs, managers', and immigration offices along with a medical

12 "Stack's Bid is Recommended for New Airport Building," The Cllt Bank Pioneer Press, 1 October 1948; "Airport Building Contract is Signed," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 22 October 1948. 13 "Airport Officials Plan Long Range Improvements Here," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 13 May 1949; "Ad Building at Airport to be Dedicated in August," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 8 July 1949; "Date is Set for Airport Dedication," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 16 September 1949; "Aircraft Show Featured for Airport Dedication," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 30 September 1949. 14 "Airport to Draw Crowds for Dedication Sunday," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 14 October 1949; "Highlights of Dedication Sunday," The Cllt Bank Pioneer Press, 21 October 1949. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 12) examination rOOln, baggage rOOIll, and a lunch counter. The second floor functioned primarily as storage, a pilots' debriefing room and the comIllunications and meteorological center of the tenninal. The third floor was the airport's control tower. The tenninal has a full basement that has historically functioned as storage. The Cut Bank Pioneer Press described the ten11inal in October 1948 as having "atnple room for customs and immigration inspections, Civil Aeronautics Administration cOIllmunications and weather offices, atllple lobby space, office space for two airlines and space for a cafeteria and lunch rOOln. It will measure 85 feet facing the ramp, 71 feet facing the west and 36 feet in width on the ground floor." Images published in the Pioneer Press show the building in the same configuration and fenestration as it now dISP· Iays. 15

The Cut Bank Municipal Airport Tenninal Building is oriented northeast to southwest and faces northeast toward the runway. The building occupies an L-shaped footprint. It is a good example of an airport tenninal building constructed in the mid-twentieth century. It is both utilitarian and aesthetically appealing in its association with the emerging passenger airline industry in the years after World War II. The tenninal' s architecture is characterized by large window openings that allowed plenty of natural lighting, the pennanence of brick walls, and the distinctive control tower that allowed observation of the expansive vistas surrounding the airport. All of those distinctive architectural characteristics are intact, rendering this a recognizable airport tenninal building.

The airport tenninal is 85' in length across the northeast facing fayade and 71' on the southeast side. The southeast and northwest sides are 36' in length with the "L" opening to the southeast. The second floor is 24' x 44' and the control tower is 14' x 14'. The control tower is wider at the roof line than at the base.

The foundation of the tenninal building is poured concrete with a full basement. The building is framed in wood with walls comprised of red brick placed in running bond. The second floor and the control tower are sided in stucco over wood lath. An exterior brick chiIllney is located on the southwest side of the building. The chimney pierces the roofs of the second story and the control tower. The chiInney's red brick is also running bond.

There are four doorways on the northeast fayade. None have their original doorways and all have been partially in-filled. One doorway is now partially in-filled and contains a casement window. The fonner double door on the south fayade has been partially in-filled and now contains a small double-light door. There is a door centrally located on the northwest side - it has been in-filled. The doorway on the southeast side is original, but the tranSOIll has been in­ filled. An entry is centrally located on the west side and has its original metal door with single fixed light.

15 "Stack's Bid is Recommended for New Airport Building," The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 1 October 1948. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Army Air Force Base, Terminal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 13)

There is one doorway on the southeast side of the second floor leading out onto the roof of the first floor of the terminal. The door is not original. It is metal with two lights. Original windows on the ground floor consist of I5-light caselnent units. There are also 9-, 8-, and 6-light casement windows. Most windows are single units, but there are paired windows on the southwest and northwest sides. Replacement windows are not historic age and are either two­ light casements or combination fixed light/casement windows. All of the window openings have soldier coursed brick sills.

Three of the original seventeen windows on the second floor have been replaced. The replaced units are casements in partially in-filled window openings on the northeast side of the structure. The remaining fourteen windows are the original multi-light casements with no alterations to the openings. There are eleven green-tinted fixed windows on the control tower.

All three levels of the building have flat roofs sheathed in asphalt. The roof on the first floor is L-shaped and conforms with the footprint of the building. The roof of the second floor is rectangular in shape and the roof of the control tower is square. The three roofs are extended well beyond the facings of the walls.

Northeast Side The northeast side of the terminal is the fayade. It faces toward the airport runway. The fenestration is symlnetrical and consists of 6 nine-light casement windows, a 15-light fixed window, and a combination fixed light and casement window on the west fayade. There is also a 3-sided bay window west-of-center on the fayade. The lower zone of the bay is brick, while the upper zone is masonite. The bay has three fixed light windows. A window opening to the east of the bay is in-filled with tongue-in-groove siding. There are four doorways. Three doorways have been partially in-filled and have modem metal doors with fixed lights. The doorway on the west fayade once held a metal door with a full-length fixed light, a sidelight, and transom. The sidelight and transom have been in-filled. Two other doorways also have in-filled transoms. One doorway is in-filled.

There are three windows on the fayade of the second floor. All have been partially in-filled and all have non-historic 2-light caselnents. There are three fixed windows on the northeast side of the control tower.

Northwest Side There are seven window openings on the northwest side of the tenninal building. Three have been in-filled and two have non-historic cOlnbination fixed light and casement windows. One window opening is partially in-filled with a casement window. The entry is north-of-center on the side and has been in-filled. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 14)

The northwest side of the second floor has five window openings each with their original 6-light fixed windows. The control tower has three fixed windows.

Southwest Side A doorway is centrally located on the west wing of the southwest side. It has a metal door with a metal stonn door. There are five 7-light casement windows on the west side of the southeast wIng.

The southwest side of the second floor has a 9-light fixed window and a 4/4 double-hung window. The control tower has two fixed windows.

Southeast Side The southeast side has a wide doorway that is the primary entry into the tenninal froin the building's adjacent parking area. It has its original multi-light double doors. The transom, however, has been in-filled. There is a narrow 111 double-hung window to the west of the doorway and I5-light fixed windows on the west side. Four window openings are on the south side of the southeast wing. One is a 7-light casement unit and two are 5-light casement windows. One window opening is in-filled.

The southwest side of the second floor has three window openings with their original 6-light fixed windows. A smaller window has a 3-light fixed window. A doorway has wood door with a metal stonn door addition. The control tower has three fixed lights.

Interior The tenninal has an L-shaped floor plan. Offices are in the northwest-southeast section of the L, while the lobby, airline desk and restrooms are in the northeast-southwest leg of the floor plan. The occupation of the offices has changed as the airport's functions have changed over the years. The basic floor plan is, however, intact. Stairways lead down to the basement and up to the second floor and control tower in the southeast comer of the interior adjacent to the parking lot entry of the building. A stairway once led to the second floor froin the southwest side of the building. It has since been removed. The doorways are original, but interior doors are replacements of the original units.

Interior Flooring is linoleum and indoor carpet. The walls are sheet rock and painted, while the ceiling is comprised of fiberboard acoustic tile. There are no distinctive features on the within the building's interior.

B. MODIFICATIONS

The fenestration of the building is intact, but the Cut Bank Airport's Board of Directors replaced many of the original multi-light caseinent windows by the existing casement or casement/picture Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 15) windows in about 2009. 16 The replacement windows are smaller than originals, which necessitated the partial in-fill of the window openings with tongue-in-groove siding. All but one of the entries have modern metal doors with fixed lights and the openings partially in-filled with tongue-in-groove siding. All doors originally had sidelights and tranSOlTIS. Only the doorway on the southeast side has its original doorways, but the transom has been in-filled. The tenninal once displayed plate glass windows on the northeast fa<;ade and northwest side. They have all been partially in-filled as has the bay window on the northeast fa<;ade. The directors intended the alterations to make the building more energy efficient. The changes, however, have altered the visual appearance of the building.

C. OWNERSHIP AND FUTURE

The City of Cut Bank and Glacier County administer the Cut Bank Municipal Airport. The City and County have decided to make upgrades to the runway and other modifications that would have an adverse effect to the tenninal building. The work would be done through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Because the airport and many of the buildings and structures on the property are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the FAA, Montana State Historic Preservation Office, and the Cut Bank Airport Authority implemented a Memorandum of Agreement on March 27, 2014, stating that Historic Alnerican Buildings Survey documentation would be completed for the airport tenninal building and an interpretive marker would be installed detailing the building's history and significance to the Cut Bank Municipal Airport.

IV. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL

George Shanley One of Montana's most prolific architects, George Shanley'S work in the Treasure State spanned over six decades. Born in Vennont in 1875, he received his architectural training in the offices of Gerhart Tenbush in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1898, he moved to Kalispell, Montana, and fonned a partnership with Joseph Gibson, designing buildings in Kalispell and Butte. The expansion of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in Butte eventually drew the young architect to the Mining City in 1900. He and architect John Kent opened an office in the city. Kent was already well known as one of the architects of the State Capitol building in Helena. Shanley and Kent designed throughout southwestern and central Montana, including the National Register of Historic Places-listed Rainbow Hotel in Great Falls. After inspecting the building, Shanley relocated to Great Falls in 1908. A hard-working perfectionist "who personally inspected the construction of every building he designed," Shanley spent the next six decades in the Electric City, leaving a distinctive look to the city in the central business district that yet persists. He was

16 E-mail to Jon Axline from Roy NollKamper, Cut Bank Airport Manager, 21 June 2014. E-mail on file at the Montana Department of Transportation, Helena, Montana. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 16) also active in other Montana cities during his career, designing buildings in Helena, Cut Bank, Lewistown, and Bozelnan. 17

Many buildings designed by Shanley are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In Great Falls they include the Ursuline Academy, Great Falls High School, 10th Street Bridge, Rainbow Hotel, Civic Center, and the Liberty Theater to name just a few. He also designed the National Register-listed Finlen Hotel in Butte and the Baxter Hotel in Bozelnan.

Shanley partnered with several architects over the years including B. M. Priteca, C. H. Baker, Fred Willson, and Roscoe Hugenin. Perhaps through his association with other architects, Shanley embraced a wide range of architectural styles from Beaux Arts to Modem during his long career. Shanley was a member of many civic and professional organizations. He was the recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Service Award as a member of the Architectural Registration Board, first chair of the Montana Board of Architectural Examiners, and vice president of the Montana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AlA). He served as a state legislator, city councilman, and city planning board chair, and remained active until his death in Great Falls, in Novelnber 1960. 18

James W. Stack Credited with building many of Cut Bank's homes and commercial structures between 1919 and his death in 1957, James W. Stack was an active local contractor. Born in Bozeman, Montana, in July 1890, Stack obtained his training in carpentry at Walla Walla, Washington. From 1909 to 1917, he was "engaged in bridge, sidewalk, and paving contract work in Helena, Montana" before joining the military when the United States entered World War I in April 1917. Upon his discharge in 1919, he filed on a 272-acre homestead north of Cut Bank and supplemented his income for several years by working as a contractor in Glacier County. It is not known how many buildings and structures Stack constructed during his long career in the Cut Bank area. When he died in August 1957, the Cut Bank Pioneer Press praised him by stating that "[Early] residents of Cut Bank will remember the periods of setbacks in the city and its supporting community, when many had misgivings about our future ... Jim Stack was one who never lost faith in the eventual progress.

I. BIBLIOGRAPHY

17 "George Shanley, Falls Architect, Dies at 85," The Great Falls Tribune, 5 November 1960; Paula Wilmot, "George H. Shanley: Architect Left His Mark on Great Falls," The Great Falls Tribune, 12 November 2006; A Newspaper Reference Work: Men ofAffairs and Representative Institutions of the State ofMontana (Butte: Butte Newswriters Association, 1914), 156. 18 "George Shanley, Falls Architect, Dies;" Wilmot, "George H. Shanley;" National Register of Historic Places, Great Falls Central Business Historic District, Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana, National Register #04000374. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 17)

A. BOOKS

Abbott, Newton Carl. Montana in the Making. Billings: Gazette Publishing Cotnpany, 1964.

Burlingame, Merrill G. The Montana Frontier. Helena: State Publishing, 1942.

Burlingame, Merrill G. and K. Ross Toole. A History ofMontana. Three volumes. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1957.

Cheney, Roberta Carkeek. Names on the Face ofMontana: The Story o.f Montana's Place Names. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing, 1990.

Federal Writers' Project. Montana: A State Guide Book. Helena: Montana Department of Agriculture, Labor and Industry, 1939.

Hamilton, James McClellan. History ofMontana: From Wilderness to Statehood. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Morte, 1957.

Malone, Michael P., Richard B. Roeder and William L. Lang. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. Rev. ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1991.

Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman: A Montana Historical Society Guide. Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 2009.

A Newspaper Reference Work: Men ofAffairs and Representative Institutions of the State of Montana. Butte: Butte Newswriters' Association, 1914.

Spritzer, Don. Roadside History ofMontana. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing, 1999.

Stout, Totn. Montana: Its Story and Biography. Three volumes. Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921.

Wiley, Frank E. Montana and the Sky: Beginning ofAviation in the Land o.f the Shining Mountains. Helena: Montana Aeronautics Commission, 1966.

B. PERIODICALS

C. NEWSPAPERS Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 18)

"Charles Shanley, Falls Architect, Dies at 85." The Great Falls Tribune, 5 Novelnber 1960.

The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, January 1, 1948 to December 31, 1949. Microfilm copy at the Montana Historical Society Research Center. Helena, Montana.

"J mnes W. Stack Services Held at Presbyterian Church." The Cut Bank Pioneer Press, 15 August 1957.

Wilmot, Paula. "George H. Shanley: Architect Left His Mark on Great Falls." The Great Falls Tribune, 12 November 2006.

D. MISCELLANEOUS

Architectural Drawings. Federal Aid Airport Project No. 9-24-036-801. Cut Bank Airport Administration Building. August 11, 1948. The original architectural drawings housed at the Glacier County Museum in Cut Bank, Montana. A photocopy of the drawings is in the possession of the Cut Bank Airport Authority.

National Register of Historic Places. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Army Air Force Base. Glacier County, Montana. National Register # 07001494.

National Register of Historic Places. Great Falls Central Business Historic District. Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana. National Register #04000374. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 19)

Figure 1: Photograph of October 16, 1949 dedication of the Cut Bank Airport Terminal Building. View looking southwest. Photographer unknown. Original photograph in possession of the Cut Bank Airport Authority. Cut Bank, Montana. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Army Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 20)

Figure 2: Photograph of interior of Cut Bank Airport Terminal Building. Photograph was taken in the nOliheast comer of the ground floor. Photographer and photograph date unknown. Original photograph in possession of the Cut Bank Airport Authority. Cut Bank, Montana. Cut Bank Municipal Airport and Anny Air Force Base, Tenninal Building HAER No. MT-154-A (page 21)

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Figure 3: Cut Bank Southeast USGS Quadrangle Map, 1966