Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-12-16
OLD DIRECTORY
OF GREAT FALLS
SHOWS POPULATION WAS 1900 IN
1887 AND GROWING RAPIDLY
AT THAT RATE
Some OF Firms Then Established Are Still
Doing Business; Murphy-Maclay Hard
ware Store at That Time Handled Gro
c%eries, Liquors, Wines, and Hardware

Great Falls was visiOned as the me-
trOpOlis of the northwest 40 years ago
by community leaders of the city,
which wa then growing by leaps n
bounds but was still a small frontier
town. This fact is found in the FORE
word Of a city directory published In
Great Falls in 1887 by W.. F. KassOn.
The directory. its pages yellOwed with
age, is the property of L. F. Rutherford.
While it contains only SO pages. the
directory shows the population OF Great
Falls on July is. 1887, to have been
1900 persons. Two years before, In 1885.
the population was 100. The directory.
bound with paper only slightly heavier
than that on which 1t is printed, Is about
the size OF the ordinary agricultural or
advertising pamphlet that is common
today.
Many business firms that were located
IN Great Falls 40 years ago stuck with
the city throughout its growth. he d.
rectory shows
The Murphy-Maclay Hardware COM
pany, then Murphy. Maclay & Co, is n
of these. w. P. Wren. now city treasurer,
was manager Of the store in 1887, and 1t
builders hardware n liquors. The store
has retained its present location since
that time.
Some Old Timers
A.. Nathan operated a 'one price cloth
ing store" here then on Central avenue
between Park drive and Second street"
Lapeyre Brothers had a drug store at
Contra avenue between Fourth and
Fifth streets. dealers in fresh drugs, pat
ent medicines, paints, oils, lamps, wall
and building papers, cigars, etc"
The Park hotel was the big hostelry
of the city when the directory was
printed, advertising a fine billiard room
and bar, stocked with choice liquors and
cigars" D.. c. Erhart was the proprietor.
William Albrecht was a dealer in
household and office furniture" In 1887,
and was located On Central avenue be-
tween First and Second streets.
The townsite company then was known
as the Great Falls Power and Townsite
company. Paris Gibson, founder of the
city, was the vice president; G. A. Broad
water was president, and Sam II. Nichols,
secretary and treasurer.
The directory evidently was published
before houses or business establishments
were given numbers as they are today,
for addresses were given as between
Fourth and Fifth streets" or similarly,
They We're Boosters
A statement in an advertisement OF the
townsite company gives some idea Of
Great Falls as 1t was in 1887, without
railway transportation and with the
power resources OF the Missouri as u..
undeveloneo. -
che town OF Great Falls is beauti-
luliy located at the famous ser,ea of
caIaracts OF the Missouri, at the function
% tne latter river with Sun river. 1t is
,suirounded With picturesque scenery,
anu occpples q natural townsite upon
broad, gently sloping bench lands III Is
laid ont with miHn pfraotu -.n1 y0xm xn 49,
$50 feet. Over s4O0. 900 gill be expended
Here IN improvements saring the present
year. =
by the first 81. October, aaa7 croot
Falls VIII be the western terminus of tha
OF. raul, Minneapolis g. Manitoba rail-
q the eastern terminus of the Mon
tana Central. Here at Great Falls will he
erected the western machine shops OF the
main Tine Of the Manitoba railroad.
Inc talls OF the Missouri furnish the
largest avsilable water power on the
estinAtfd to be equal to at
least one million horsepower. It ia the
Intention Of the Great Falls Water Power
sud Townsite company to Commences ~
once the erection OF works for reducing
and refining gold. silver and copper ores,
Ind for the manufacture of iron and
steel. In close proximity to Great Falls
lie the vast coal, iron and limestone de-
ooe1ts OF Sand Coulee, covering so far as
Known. an area of about 900 square
~
Describes Glowing Future
II a description OF the city, contained
u the introduction to the directory. is
forth its future possibilities:
Great Falls, tbs future metropolis OF
ne northwest, the city Of wealth and
piendor, is situated IN 6houteau county
aonbana. on the Missouri river. AZ q
~ ITO miles almost directly north Of
'eiena, and is the very heart OF the
,cnest grazing and agricultural lands
I the country. ~
When we AXE into consideration +hot
years ago this city was merely a
Tue settlement. the growth and progress
mas mazda q HI