William H. Tracy House, 5 West Mendenhall Street, Bozeman, Gallatin County, MT

Significance: This house was built in 1882 for William H. Tracy, one of the earliest pioneers in the Gallatin Valley. Tracy settled on three forty-acre tracts in what is now the city of Bozeman in 1864-65. In addition to farming, he engaged in freighting goods to the new town from Corinne, Utah, before the railroad was pushed west, he operated a general merchandising store in Bozeman, and he established a brick kiln which produced 350,000 bricks in 1882 and one million bricks in 1883. The residence was built by W.H. Babcock, another early pioneer, who served as architect as well as builder. It was described as "one of the finest in Montana." The bricks came from Tracy's own brickyard. The house, built in Victorian style, is an example of the characteristic leap from log cabins and small frame houses to mansions that marked the transition of early frontier towns to stable communities.
Survey number: HABS MT-29
Building/structure dates: 1882 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1898 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1928 Subsequent Work