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Fort Peck Hotel

Introduction

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The Fort Peck Hotel has been offering lodging to guests since it was built in 1934. It is one of several historic buildings still standing in Fort Peck dating to the 1930s. Like some of these other buildings, it was designed in the Swiss Chalet style, which was popular in the early 20th century. The hotel is also significant for its connection to the construction of the Fort Peck Dam, which was a project overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and lasted from 1933 to 1940. The purpose of the hotel was to provide housing for Corps officers, government employees, and a place to stay for foreign diplomats. President Franklin D. Roosevelt even stayed here when he came to visit the dam's construction.

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Fort Peck Hotel was built in 1934 and is an excellent example of Swiss Chalet architecture.

Fort Peck Hotel was built in 1934 and is an excellent example of Swiss Chalet architecture.

Backstory and Context

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The hotel is two-stories tall and its Swiss Chalet architecture gives it a rustic appearance. Rectangle in shape, the hotel features exposed timbers, horizontal rough-sawn siding, a screened-in porch on the front (north side), and a large gabled entry that extends over the driveway to protect guests from the weather. The hotel, and the entire town, were meant to be temporary but the community remained once the dam was finished. Those who stayed at the hotel were either working on the dam in various capacities or inspecting it. Restored its original 1933 appearance, the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as are the dam and other historic buildings in Fort Peck.

Sources

"The Historic Fort Peck Hotel." Fort Peck Hotel. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.thefortpeckhotel.com/about.

The Montana National Register Sign Program. “Fort Peck Hotel and Garage.” Montana Historical Society - Digital Vault. Accessed July 23, 2020, http://digitalvault.mhs.mt.gov/items/show/20350.

Otto, Rebecca J. "Employee's Hotel and Garage." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 13, 1986. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/8c9e46a1-5ae2-4622-87dc-09096b805556.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Jon Roanhaus, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Employees%27_Hotel_And_Garage_NRHP_86002060_Valley_County,_MT.jpg

Additional Information