Crouse Homestead, Barn, 9720 Walker Road, Belgrade, Gallatin County, MT

2014 Charles E. Peterson Prize
Significance: The Crouse Homestead is significant not only for its connection to a pioneering family of Montana's agricultural industry, but also as an example of a transitional period in the architectural structure of large buildings.

Homesteader, Henry Crous(e), arrived in the Montana Territory in 1864, only two years after the first gold strike. After unsuccessful attempts at gold mining, he became a leader in the emerging agricultural community of Springhill, 12 miles north of Bozeman, Montana. The Crouse barn was built at a time between 1900 and 1910, and uses a hybrid system of heavy timber and light wood frame construction. This experimental design signifies the transitional process Montana builders were undergoing as journeymen carpenters, and new milling technology became more widely available in the Gallatin Valley with the railroad's arrival in 1883. Experience with light wood frame construction at the time was limited in large buildings until it had been proven structurally sound. The Crouse Barn developed as a transitional hybrid between the traditional, sturdy heavy timber structure and light wood frame construction.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2055
Survey number: HABS MT-170-A
Building/structure dates: ca. 1900- 1910 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: after. 1910- before. 1919 Subsequent Work