National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: _Homestake Airway Beacon____________________________________ Other names/site number: _24JF2092/24SB1079_________________________________ Name of related multiple property listing: __ Sentinels of the Airways: Montana’s Historic Airway Beacons, 1934-1969__________ (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Location Street & number: __N/A ____________________________ City or town: Butte State: __MT_______ County: _Jefferson/Silver Bow Not For Publication: Vicinity: X ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _X_ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national _X_statewide ___local Applicable National Register Criteria: _X A ___B _X_C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Homestake Airway Beacon Jefferson & Silver Bow, MT Name of Property County and State 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: Public – Local Public – State X Public – Federal X Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) District Site Structure X Object Sections 1-6 page 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Homestake Airway Beacon Jefferson & Silver Bow, MT Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____ _______ _____________ buildings ____ _______ _____________ sites _____3_______ _____________ structures _____________ _____________ objects _____3_______ ______0________ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ____N/A____ ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _TRANSPORTATION/air-related=navigational aid ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _TRANSPORTATION/air-related=navigational aid_ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Sections 1-6 page 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Homestake Airway Beacon Jefferson & Silver Bow, MT Name of Property County and State _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) _No Style___________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: METAL: Steel, CONCRETE, WOOD Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph The Homestake Airway Beacon consists of three features associated with the operation of the nighttime airway beacon: the beacon tower, the generator shed, and the powerline connecting the beacon to its power source. The Homestake Airway Beacon sits on the boundary line between Jefferson and Silver Bow counties, Montana about six miles southeast of the City of Butte, the Silver Bow County seat. Erected in 1935, the beacon was part of an historic system of lighted beacons that provided guidance to aircraft pilots as they flew both north-south and east-west across Montana during nighttime. The beacon is at the junction of the National Parks Airway route between Salt Lake City and Great Falls, Montana, and the Northern Transcontinental Airway cutoff between Three Forks and Gold Creek, Montana. The Homestake Airway Beacon functioned as a critical component of both airway routes in Montana. A metal platform surmounts the 15-foot steel tower and provides access to the revolving beacon at the top. Formerly powered by a gasoline-fueled generator, the beacon now derives power from a Northwestern Energy power line. The generator and fuel tank were removed from the generator shed sometime after 1960. The generator shed is accessed via a Forest Service road branching off Homestake Road. The road is accessed off the Interstate 90 Homestake Pass Interchange (#233) and is only accessible by foot. The Homestake Airway Beacon sits within the Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Homestake Airway Beacon Jefferson & Silver Bow, MT Name of Property County and State Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and is maintained and operated by the Montana Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division. The Homestake Airway Beacon retains a very-high level of all aspects of integrity including the virtually unchanged setting since the beacon’s construction in 1935. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The Homestake Airway Beacon sits atop a granite outcrop of the southern Boulder Range at an elevation of 7,200 ft., literally on the crest of the Continental Divide at Homestake Pass. The outcrop rises nearly 700 ft. above the surrounding terrain. Interstate 90 crosses Homestake Pass east-west about one mile to the north, and Butte, Montana lies six air miles to the northwest and is visible from the tower’s platform. The beacon straddles the Silver Bow-Jefferson county line and the Continental Divide. A dirt road approaches the beacon’s generator house from the north and west, providing vehicular access to that feature; the tower is accessible by foot from the generator house. The vantage of the Homestake Airway Beacon features spectacular views of the Silver Bow Valley and Butte to the west and the Jefferson Valley to the east. The Continental Divide stretches to the north and south and functions as the boundary between Silver Bow and Jefferson counties. The property occupies about three acres of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest land on which the MDT has held a Special Use Permit since 1935.1 The Homestake Airway Beacon consists of three features: the beacon tower (F-1), the generator house (F-2), and power line. Homestake Airway Beacon Tower (one contributing structure) The beacon tower is comprised of steel angle sections, bolted at the connections. The tower stands 15 feet in height. It is 4½ feet square at the base with each corner resting on a buried concrete footing. The tower tapers to 16 x 16 inches at its top and partially supports a platform. Additional pieces of angle iron bolted to the upper tower legs also support the platform (this configuration is unique to shorter towers). The tower’s structural elements were fabricated by the Jones & McLaughlin

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