Cultural Resource Inventory and Evaluation, West Bank Urban Renewal District, Great Falls, Montana

Renewable Technologies, Inc.; Hufstetler, Mark; McCormick, Mary; Rossillon, Mitzi

From introduction: "In 2006, the City of Great Falls, Montana began to study the infrastructure and development issues related to a portion of the city known as West Bank. The area, located across the Missouri River from the city's Central Business District, had seen historic use for a variety of primarily industrial activities, and also served as a transportation corridor. Many of these uses were in decline by the early 21st Century, however, leaving a legacy of decaying buildings, under-utilized land, and potential environmental issues... RTI inventoried the entire project area to locate and record all cultural resources within the defined West Bank area. Because of the area's urban setting and long history of intensive Euro- American use, the inventory was focused on the standing buildings and structures in the area, although less-developed areas with a potential to reveal archaeological remnants were also examined. This inventory resulted in the recordation of a total of 32 architectural sites, each including one or more standing buildings. An historic bridge across the Missouri River was also recorded. Twenty-two of the sites included buildings and/or structures that were over 50 years old in 2009; in contrast, the buildings at two of the recorded sites were still under construction in 2009. The bridge and four of the architectural sites were found to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and a tentative National Register historic district was identified in the area of the eligible buildings. No historic or prehistoric archaeological sites were identified. The remainder of this document outlines the full results of RTI's cultural resource inventory. The report includes a discussion of the area's geographic setting, as well as a brief historic overview of the project area. (No prehistoric context is included because there are no related sites in the project area.) The field methods employed for this inventory and the summarized results of RTI's survey are presented in the final sections of the report." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2007 Preserve America grant to the Montana State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 30-08-PA-4024) administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Cultural Resource Inventory and Evaluation, West Bank Urban Renewal District, Great Falls, Montana

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