Green Meadow Ranch, Helena, Lewis and Clark County, MT

Significance: Harry W. Child arrived in Helena, Montana, in 1878 to stay with his uncle, W.C. Child. He was first an agent for a stage line to Corinne, Utah, then became involved in mining and smelting operations. In 1887, acting as trustee for a group of business men in St. Paul who were associated with the Northern Pacific Railroad and a few Helena men, Child purchased the Fant and Benedict Ranches just outside Helena for speculative purposes. A few months later the land was sold to the St. Paul and Helena Land and Improvement Company for $250,000. With S.S. Huntley and E.W. Bach, Child organized the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company. Huntley was manager until 1901, when Child took over and held the position until 1917. In 1914, Child purchased Green Meadow Ranch from the St. Paul and Helena Land and Improvement Company, and developed it as a stock ranch. A residence, a large barn and several smaller buildings were distinctively designed by Robert Reamer, an architect working for the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company. Reamer was the architect for Old Faithful Inn and a number of other buildings built in the Park during this period. The house and the big barn have burned, but the granary and blacksmith shop of similar design, though smaller, remain.
Survey number: HABS MT-35
Building/structure dates: ca. 1914 Initial Construction