Greenacres

If you ask 100 Missoulians today where Missoula Greenacres was located, 99 would probably shake their head and say they never heard of it. It wasn’t always that way.
Lots of local residents in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s could have shown you where Greenacres was – about as easily as today’s Missoulians can direct you to the Rattlesnake. Seventy-five years ago, Greenacres was similar to Grass Valley or E. Missoula today – almost a Missoula appendage. If an old-timer tells you Greenacres was south on Highway 93, or near the Bitter Root Highway, they are right, but it included a lot more than that. In modern terms Greenacres encompassed a good chunk of what is now Missoula – south of the Missoula river that is. Sadly, Greenacres has disappeared. So, what happened?

2 Lost Schools – A Vexing Problem

An intriguing article in the Sunday Missoulian newspaper on January 2, 1949, mentioned Greenacres and Sussex schools, presenting a mystery that took a while to solve. After living in Missoula 60 some years I’d never heard of Greenacres school. Sussex school, yes, but not the one referred to in this article.

The article was even accompanied by a map that displayed Missoula County’s school district #1 and the areas encompassed by the district’s 10 current schools. At the bottom of the map were 2 new districts, and two new schools, Greenacres and Sussex, each neatly drawn with their name placed in little rectangular boxes. They would be located in what was then called South Missoula.

No new schools had been built in district #1 since 1935. School enrollment was declining somewhat up until 1945, but since then enrollment increased by more than 30 percent. Few citizens disputed that new schools were needed.
The county school board and Superintendent, C. S. Porter, who later had a school named for him, were in the process of submitting a $1,000,000 bond issue to county voters for these 2 new schools, and for a new Prescott school since the old one was being replaced. Sites for the new Greenacres and Sussex schools were already selected by the trustees.

The article said the following about the 2 new schools:

“The proposed Sussex avenue school, bounded also by Hollis street on the east, Central avenue on the north and Bancroft street on the west is to relieve overcrowding at the Paxson school principally.”
“Currently the Paxson school enrollment of 530 is about 200 above the capacity for which it was designed, the superintendent stated.”

The new Greenacres school was addressed separately:

“Greenacres – Daly Addition.”
“To better serve the Greenacres-Daly addition section, a new school is proposed for a site on South avenue three blocks west of its intersection with the Bitter Root highway and extending two blocks north of South avenue, he [Porter] said. This school would serve all of the Greenacres and extend north to South 14th street.
“Enrollment at the Greenacres would be about 248 pupils in 1952, none of whom would live more than a mile away, Mr. Porter estimated.

“The Franklin school has been unable to house the school population in its district for the past four years, according to the superintendent. For the past three years, pupils from the Greenacres district, about 85 in number, which it is supposed to serve, have been transported by bus to four schools, Willard, Roosevelt, Central and Whittier, he said. It has been necessary to drop them off wherever there is room depending on the grade in which they are enrolled.

“For the three years prior to 1948 – 49, Franklin eighth grade pupils have had to go to Willard school, he said.”

Obviously, Mr. Porter was a busy man. He started teaching P. E. in Missoula in 1929. He became superintendent of Missoula schools in 1944 and continued that for close to 20 years, retiring in 1963.

Later in 1949, following the above Missoulian article in January, there appeared several more articles discussing these new schools, all of them using the new names, Sussex and Greenacres. A detailed drawing of one the new schools then appeared in the Missoulian in March of 1949. It was immediately recognizable that these schools were identical to today’s Jefferson and Washington schools. Clearly, something was amiss with regard to the new Greenacres and Sussex schools, at least with respect to their names. It should be mentioned here that the new Prescott school kept its old name.

By November 30, 1949, contractors were pouring footings for Greenacres and Sussex schools and the Missoulian newspaper continued using the proposed names. H. E. Kirkemo was the architect, Hitz construction, the contractor.

By January 1950, construction on the new schools had slowed as the weather got colder. The 2 schools were still addressed by their original names in a Missoulian article in January 1950, but on February 15 the county school board launched a surprise.

In addition to the notification of a school election for district #1, the Missoulian abruptly announced that names for the 2 new schools were now scrapped, and a short process for picking new school names would now be made by citizens’ suggestions – which needed to be in the county clerk’s office in one month. No explanation for this was given.

Suggestions of new names to the county Clerk had to be accompanied by a reason. This article was prefaced with a current list of election precincts for school district #1, a list that ignored Greenacres and Sussex since they didn’t exist. If there was resistance to this, the Missoulian didn’t report it.

Another Missoulian article the following week again mentioned the construction process of the 2 new schools using Greenacres and Sussex, but that edition featured a separate article, quoted below, which attempted to clarify what was happening with the names:

Names Sought for Two New Schools Being Built in Missoula District No. 1
What shall two new Missoula schools be name (sic)?
That question is proving a vexing problem for the board of trustees of school district No. 1. It has been puzzling them for some months.

Feeling that it should be answered in the near future, they decided to turn it over to the public for suggestions. Not only adults but children are welcome to send in their ideas.
Trustees hope to have a sizable list to consider at the time of their next monthly meeting which is schedule (sic) for March 14. Ideas should be submitted to W. H. Swearingen, clerk. People are asked to include brief reasons with their suggestions.
The schools in mind are those now known as the Sussex and Greenacres buildings. It is not proposed to change the name of the replacement for the Prescott building. Construction on all three was undertaken last fall.

 

No address was provided for contacting the clerk, Swearingen, and no further explanation was offered.

Missoulians were now getting a taste of the heavy hand sometimes wielded by Missoula’s local school boards.

Results of the naming contest appeared in the Missoulian on March 15.  Listed comments included the famous and not so famous. Both the Great Falls artist Charlie Russell and G. A. Ketcham, the long-time Missoula school administrator, received 3 votes. Jeanette Rankin and Chief Joseph were mentioned. The beloved Sentinel pine tree, (located on Mount Jumbo and cut down a year prior) was mentioned. Many others were submitted and recorded by the clerk.

The winning names were Jefferson, replacing Greenacres and Washington, replacing Sussex.

“The names were submitted by persons residing in school district No. 1. According to Mr. Swearingen the two names were the ones most popular. He added that the name Dickinson, in honor of Mrs. W. H. H. Dickinson, Missoula’s first teacher, was third on the list of most desirable names.”

No final numbers were provided by the clerk.

It turns out that Greenacres area was already familiar with this type of treatment and would encounter more of it in the following years. “Ghosted,” gets a nod here.

Greenacres and Bitter Root Road

Often Greenacres was just called the south area on the old Bitter Root road, implying that bordering areas were included. Any discussion of Greenacres needs to include the Bitter Root Highway.The original Bitter Root Wagon road followed a trail from the southern border of Missoula to its junction with the Bitter Root River at, or near, what became Buckhouse bridge. Over the years more than one bridge was built in that area. The first bridge was built in 1870/71 by John Rankin, another one in 1888 and a third one in 1925. The Cold Springs area near the bridge was likely the original destination for the earliest travelers. An early ferry was located near there.

The creation of Fort Missoula in 1877 meant that the road swung in the Fort’s direction. The Bitter Root railroad, in operation since 1888, surely followed parts of the original wagon road. At one time, before 1892, a traveler got access to the wagon road by crossing the main city bridge which had a southwestern slant, different than today. The road then met 3rd street and headed south on a diagonal that led across what is now Sacajawea Park to Stephens Avenue, which led to the fairgrounds. After 1892 access to the road became more difficult since Missoula citizens opted for a ‘straight’ bridge, running north and south, that connected with South Higgins Avenue. The powerful Higgins family led by the dynamic Frank Higgins sponsored that effort.

From the fairgrounds area, the traveler usually followed a road west to Fort Missoula and then turned south to Buckhouse bridge. Old accounts frequently used the terms “southerly” and “south westerly.” Fences did not seem to be an issue. A portion of this route was called “the Flat,” which was an area that was peppered with the time-honored Bitter Root flower. The early Missoula teacher Minnie Spurgin talked about crossing this flat as she traveled to town from her father’s ranch in Orchard Homes.

The flat hosted native American visitors for centuries who camped in the area to harvest the roots of this plant. Tepees and native Americans here were a common sight, even into the 1950’s. Many of Missoula’s older generation can still recall these people.

Brooks Street Extension

The above was most often the route to the Bitter Root until 1929 when Brooks street was extended to the ancient road. This development had a huge impact on Missoula’s growth while enhancing Greenacres’ development. The Brooks street extension went 2.6 miles, allowing Brooks street to join the Bitter Root road and was really the true beginning of Greenacres. The extension started near the fairgrounds and went almost straight southwest to reach what was called the ‘new country clubhouse,’ not far from the Bitter root river. The Missoulian Sentinel called it the “straight line across the flats.” Brooks street would soon be designated U. S. Highway 93 when markers were finally placed on Higgins Avenue and Brooks street in 1931. Previously the route turned 45 degrees west at the fairgrounds, using what is now South Avenue to reach Fort Missoula.

Car Line Addition

Another good argument could be made that Greenacres started with the Car Line addition in 1909. For those not entirely familiar with the term, an ‘addition’ was an official piece of property that had been named and mapped by an expert of some kind, often a surveyor or an engineer, who set up divisions and boundaries according to the rectangular survey system and then filed the finished product with government officials.

Initially the southern border of the city was defined by the platted additions that were filed by the various early land developers. An important one was the Car Line addition, platted in 1909 and developed by J M Rhoades, in conjunction with the W H Houston Land Company. Mr. William Houston, the proprietor, was formerly Missoula County’s most notorious sheriff, having hanged 5 souls, including 4 native Americans, all the while claiming he cleaned up the whole county after jailing dozens of people. Beginning in the 1890’s controversy followed Houston like a kite tail, and he would later be removed from office for various offenses, but not before he accumulated a large estate.

Much of the Car Line addition was later considered to be Greenacres territory. On the official map the Car Line addition in Missoula started small at 11th street, bordered by Eaton and Schilling streets and got bigger as it moved south. Like a trickster’s balloon it widened to border Clark and Eaton streets and then widened again, to meet Reserve street and Johnson street to the east. Crossing South Avenue, it then ran into the Bitter Root Railroad tracks. Thence a two-block wide swath of it went south nearly all the way to the huge junction of what’s now Brooks street and South Reserve street. While it was doing that it added several sections to the east that took it nearly to Russell street and then south to 34th street.

It featured several streets you’ve never heard of like McCullough, Ellis, Davidson, and Cannon. There was even Maude Avenue a couple of blocks south of South Avenue West. In 1909 Maude McCullough was one of Missoula’s notable young ladies, Massey McCullough’s sister, and a daughter of Dr. G. T. McCullough, one of the Car Line addition’s well-heeled backers. Massey McCullough, a well-known and highly respected early Missoulian, became somewhat the reverse of Sheriff Houston in Missoula’s history.

How significant was Car Line addition? In 1931 an astute investor, A. R. Puyear, bought about 1600 empty Car Line lots because he saw what was likely to happen after the Brooks street extension was finished in 1929. Missoula was guaranteed to grow in that direction, but, given the looming depression, the development took a while.

Car Line addition preceded the introduction of 21 miles of electric car lines in 1910. This, along with electricity from Bonner Dam, marked the transition of Missoula from a frontier hamlet to what would become a respectable small city. Citizens could eventually ride the cars the entire length of the city, plus all the way to Fort Missoula and to Bonner. The car barns for the electric cars were located at the junction of Johnson and 14th streets.

Fourteenth street became Mount street as it coursed to the east. This was the effective southern border of what was then known as South Missoula, which is termed the “Slant Street” area today. The creation of South Missoula addition in the late1880’s was a high drama, godforsaken curiosity which is another great story in itself. By 1935, go south from Mount street and you were in Greenacres. As the city grew in that direction, especially after WW2, the effective border seemed to become South Avenue West.

Bitter Root Traffic

To put those days in better perspective, take a look at what Missoula’s southbound traffic looked like in the late 1920’s. The Daily Northwest newspaper began reporting in 1926 that local officials were worried about confused Missoula tourists unable to find their way south to the Bitter Root Highway:

Daily Northwest – 3/5/1926
“The Missoula Realty board has urged the county commissioners to build a new road connecting the city of Missoula directly with the new Buckhous (sic) bridge and the bitter (sic) Root road. The proposed road would start at the end of Brooks street, and would be about two miles long. It is pointed out that the present roads are confusing to strangers.” [Occasionally, mistaken travelers arrived at Fort Missoula believing they were in the city center.]

Daily Northwest – 7/21/1928
“Of the projects that will be let in this section, and in which Missoula is particularly interested is the Brooks street extension within the city limits of Missoula which was let to Nelson Rich of Missoula for $16,512. The construction is for 2.653 miles of road which will connect with the Missoula-Florence highway up the Bitter Root.”

Daily Northwest – 1929:
“A street and highway marker has been erected at the intersection of South Higgins avenue and Brooks street by chief of police Ira Johnson following a request by the Missoula chamber of commerce association. The sign, ‘Brooks street, Bitter Root road,’ will enable tourists to find the right highway to the Bitter Root valley.”

The Brooks street extension connecting with Bitter Root Road was not completed until early 1929. Signs marking the road as U. S. Highway 93 were finally placed at Higgins Avenue and Brooks street in 1931.

Extension War – Battle of Brooks Street

The Brooks street extension caused tension with Orchard Homes residents who felt that the route would deprive them of business, and they were right. Today’s behemoth Reserve street was little more than an ordinary arterial at that time. Over 100 Orchard Homes residents signed a petition to county commissioners protesting the use of government funds for the Brooks street project because they believed their area already provided a highway to the Bitter Root. Federal money paid for more than half of the Brooks street project. The controversy was even profiled in the local Missoulian in 1929 where it was deemed “The Battle of Brooks Street,” by the columnist French Ferguson.

The affair reached a fever pitch of absurdity when 2 automobiles were reportedly racing down the new Brooks street road while firing weapons at each other. The Daily Missoulian headline on October 16, 1929, read: “Mysterious Battle On Brooks Street May Be Gang Warfare.” Witnesses reported that shots were fired machine gun fashion from 2 racing vehicles, and investigating officers found signs of gasoline leaking on the road. The same day the newspaper had a large headline and article which detailed a Chicago killing by mobster, Al Capone. The evening Missoulian Sentinel later that day reported that police had investigated the incident further and believed it was a “hoax” put on by either college or high school kids who threw firecrackers from racing vehicles.

Greenacres – Intended as a Suburb

An article, in the Missoulian newspaper in May of 1931, quoted below, explained the growth of the Greenacres area better than any that I’ve found yet:

 

Water Blown From Earth To Irrigate Tracts Once Intended For City Lots

Once intended for city lots in the bustling metropolis of Western Montana, land south and west of the fairgrounds which has lain idle since the boom days of 20 years ago was springing into activity last week.
The old Car Line addition, platted when the streetcar line to Fort Missoula was built in 1910, is being plowed into sugar beet fields, orchards and truck gardens. Saturday men were working all over the 200 acre tract, setting out trees, preparing grain and beet fields and getting ready to irrigate the soil with water blown out of the ground by compressed air.
In 1910, when the addition was laid out, Missoula was growing rapidly. The street car system had just been finished in the city, the new Milwaukee railroad was starting through passenger service to the coast, the Higgins avenue bridge had just been built and many of the larger buildings were under construction. The city was spreading in every direction.

Intended As Suburb

Among the developments under way was the Car Line addition, promoted by the Houston Land company with the expectation that within a few years it would be a well populated residential suburb.
It would have, too, if the activity had continued. But in the nature of things the boom slackened to the moderate growth which has been going on ever since. The addition, flat as a table and ideal for farming, remained idle prairie, of interest only to the tax-gatherer.
For 20 years the addition remained tenanted only by a few scattered gardeners. Then the Brooks street extension was cut through the middle of it, and W. H. Houston, head of the land company, and a few other Missoulians conceived the idea of making it available to those who wished to combine the advantages of both the city and country.
Under the direction of A. M. Kennedy, who has taken over the land under contract, the idea seems to have taken [hold]. Already a number of small tracts ranging from two acres to 20, have been sold. Purchase of the farms is made easy and some buyers have made arrangements to work on the unsold land to help get a start on their own places.

Air Solves Water Problem

All told, some 75 acres will be under cultivation this year, Mr. Kennedy said Saturday. All the land is irrigable and water will be available for every part of the tract.
Supplying of water, indeed, was the first problem Mr. Kennedy faced. Some water from the old Kelly-Cave-Gannon ditch was available but more was needed. Drilling of wells appeared the only solution.
The first well was drilled through hardpan and at 70 feet struck a sheet of water which Mr. Kennedy said underlay the whole area. Next came the question of getting the water on the land without prohibitive expense for pumping.
This was solved by the purchase of a compressor, originally intended for mining purposes. Driven by a tractor, this machine forces air under pressure into the outer casing of the well, literally blowing the water up through the inner pipe. The capacity of the outfit is estimated at some 1,000 gallons per minute.

Outfit Is Portable

Five wells in all will be drilled, more than enough for irrigation of the whole tract. The compressor outfit, mounted on wheels, can be moved to each as it is needed.
“We are trying to make it possible for the working man and business man to get back to the land without sacrificing city comforts,” Mr. Kennedy said. “With the building of the oiled Brooks street extension we are only a few minutes from the center of the city and of course the street car line running through the tract provides additional transportation. A man can keep his business or his job in town and at the same time have a country home with a garden and fruit trees or, if he wants to make his living from the land, he can easily do so with one of the larger tracts. The city water mains already are here and so is electric current, making modern conveniences available along with the benefits of country life.”

 

Sadly, Aaron Kennedy was hit and killed in his car by the Bitter Root rail train in 1931. The incident occurred within sight of his residence, about 3 miles south of Missoula. He was 47 years old and left a wife and five children.

Triangle

Greenacres was never officially annexed, but it was still a well-known community.  My description of it is almost totally derived from local newspaper articles, and from interviews with a cousin, Jerry Maclay, who lived there. It was sometimes thought of as a large triangle of land south of Missoula, with South Avenue West as its northern base and Highway 93 South and Clark street as its legs, the apex meeting near today’s huge junction of Reserve street and Highway 93.

Another later version of this triangle sometimes defined South Russell street as the eastern border and Reserve street as the western border. By 1954 the description, reflecting growth in the area, included land bordering South Russell street clear to 39th Street. It also included all the area west of there until cojoining Highway 93 South to its junction with Miller Creek Road. Some areas on both sides of 39th street were also considered as part of Greenacres. It also sometimes included land farther south to the road’s junction with Miller Creek Road, and even to Buckhouse Bridge. The slices of land going west to Fort Missoula and to the east, abutting the County Fairgrounds, formed its borders. As the city grew so did Greenacres.

Welcoma Club

The Welcoma Club, which still exists, was considered the center of Greenacres. In fact, it was initially known as Greenacres Community Club. It is located at 3108 Clark street, a few blocks north of Brooks street. It was conceived by a small group of Greenacres people in 1936, with the idea that a club would provide a meeting place for local citizens and serve as a place for entertainment and community functions. My wife and I have danced at Welcoma and had great times, as well as attending family functions there. Designed, built, and paid for by many of its original members, the place is a blessing to that area. Names associated with founding Welcoma Club include Mr. and Mrs. George Dillon, Harry Dore, Mrs. Jess W. Owens, G. H. Collins, and Harry Lafrinire. The first trustees were W. J. Dickson, L. R. Smith, and H. F. Jackson. Mrs. George Smith was the original secretary. One of their first objectives was obtaining a speed limit for Highway 93 through the Greenacres area. Most of the above Welcoma Club information came from a Daily Missoulian article on June 8, 1940.

Greenacres Name

Giving the area its name, Greenacres, appears to have been the work of a black Missoula citizen by the name of Edwin ‘Ed’ Leroy. This came from an article in The Missoula County Times newspaper on December 25, 1931, which said, “Mr. E. Leroy, our highly respected colored man, the one that named Green Acres, was in a car accident when a car driven by a woman hit his car in the rear.”

Mr. Leroy died in Missoula in 1936 at the age of 77. He is listed as one of the first purchasers of a Car Line lot in 1909. His name appears often in local newspapers in conjunction with Missoula’s A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) church. An article in The Sunday Missoulian in October 1935 said that E. N. Leroy was elected as a trustee in the A.M.E. church along with two other well-known Missoula black people, Richard Taylor and Blount Tulloss. These two were black veterans of the Spanish American war as were some other men from that church. Several men attending there had also served as soldiers at Fort Missoula.

2 Taverns

Farther south on Highway 93 were 2 Greenacres taverns, the White House (later Vince’s 93 Club) and the (original) Dog House, both of which managed to account for numerous affrays and accidents related to the inhibited physical coordination and diminished mental acuity of their clientele. One unfortunate customer, Henry Svendsen, was finally located in 1954, a year and a half after he went missing off the Buckhouse Bridge. He and his submerged car were found when they were spotted in the Bitter Root river by two Greenacres fishermen who notified the county sheriff.

While these 2 establishments certainly didn’t enhance the Greenacre reputation, some of the vehicle accidents in this area were blamed on the ‘S’ curve associated with Highway 93 as it crossed the Bitter Rood railroad tracks near there. A convenient nearby ditch also sometimes played host to the occasional unsuspecting tavern customer who was having alphabet troubles.

Anti-gambling County officials seized a slot machine at the Dog House in 1957. Also, in 1957 the White House Tavern was robbed by 2 armed men who then locked 6 people in a storage area before fleeing. Two people were hurt but nobody was killed. It wasn’t a good year for these Greenacres taverns.

The Blue Ox Farm

Even farther south on Highway 93 was the vilest one of the bunch: The “Blue Ox Farm.” It was a tavern conveniently located adjacent to the Country Club golf course and more importantly within crawling distance of Fort Missoula. No one remembers the place today. Since prohibition was in effect in 1929, the proprietor placed an anodyne ad in the Missoulian newspaper that read thus:

“Blue Ox Farm” – Dancing and Lunches Served – Open Day and Night – Phone 066-J-1 – Four Miles South of Missoula on Bitter Root Road.

More than lunch was served at the Blue Ox Farm. On the Fourth of July 1929, Federal agents raided it after receiving reports that customers were purchasing moonshine there. Iva Wohler and C. R. Popiolik were arrested. Later that year, Butte Judge George M. Bourquin issued 35 nuisance abatements for Missoula area businesses, one of which instructed that the Blue Ox Farm be padlocked for a year.

Another mention in the Missoulian newspaper of a seedy Greenacres tavern also occurred in 1929 which may have been referring to the Blue Ox Farm:

“Two Minor Girls Taken In Raid On Greenacres
“A raid on Greenacres, an alleged roadhouse on the Brooks street extension south of the city, was made Sunday by sheriff’s officers, who arrested two men, and two girls said to be under18 years of age.
“Evidences of a bloody fight were to be seen in the place, the officers stated. No disposition of the prisoners has yet been made.”

A personal story from an old-time member of the Cold Springs community, related to me many years ago, recounted a tale of an area youngster who discovered a cache of buried liquor not far from the old Blue Ox. After digging it out of the ground he and others then proceeded to heartily imbibe, without realizing the consequences. The boy subsequently didn’t come home for a long while, and after nearly dying outdoors, he finally managed to find his way back. That story was almost forgotten until reading about the Blue Ox Farm and the Federal Agents in the Missoulian newspaper.

Greenacres and Cold Springs – Conspicuous by Its Absence

In December of 1960, Cold Springs school district was described as a part of Greenacres in a Missoulian newspaper article (12/17/1960). Not all Cold Springs residents would have agreed that they were also Greenacres residents. The article discussed an election in which Cold Springs school district #5 voters were about to vote on whether or not to join Missoula’s school district #1. The voters then did agree to join the new district, and it was soon followed by the Cold Springs school’s expansion in 1962.

One Cold Springs resident, Arlyne Craighead, wrote a book about the area: “A History of the Cold Springs Elementary School And A Brief History of The Miller Creek Area.” It was published in 2010 and edited by Julie Kahl.

This book features 126 pages of news clippings, photographs, and numerous detailed sketches of the 2 areas (Miller Creek and Cold Springs) and their associated schools and families (including mine). The book examined these areas in an entertaining and thorough manner.

It also mentioned a broad spectrum of other things associated with these areas including Fort Missoula, and its Military history, Samuel Clemens, the Missoula Country Club golf course, Linda Vista golf course, Larchmont Golf Course, Evel Knievel, the Missoula auto racetrack, Five Valleys Archery Club, Cowboy Polo, University of Montana’s Army Air Corps training during WW2, K-O Rodeo Grounds, Oral Zumwalt, Reg Kessler, and a lot of other things seemingly not closely related to the book’s main subject.

One small section of the book (p 74) is titled – “Business, Churches, And Bars.”

Below this appears an article written by Donna Syvertson for the Missoulian newspaper which discusses the infamous Four Mile House which sat between Buckhouse Bridge and Fort Missoula, and which served liquor to customers from the nearby Fort Missoula, beginning in the 1870’s. This establishment is well known in Missoula’s history and was no doubt a precursor to the “Blue Ox Farm,” a tavern which was probably located in the same spot, close to today’s Miller Creek turnoff.

Four Mile House was established by William ‘Billy’ Boyle in 1877 in conjunction with the origin of Fort Missoula. Boyle first arrived in Missoula in 1868, residing for a while at pioneer David Pattee’s ranch. A notable Missoula character, Boyle was later involved with another notorious “red light district” proprietor, Mary Gleim, who had invested in LoLo Hot Springs property. In 1888 Boyle filed a patent on nearly 160 acres of land bordering what later became the Missoula Country Club. Post Trader George Briggs later owned a few acres of Boyles’ property and continued operating a version of the Four Mile House, in addition to his liquor businesses. By the mid 1890’s the Four Mile House was in close competition with West Front street as a place of human depravity. Its proximity to Fort Missoula was especially harmful to its soldiers. A scathing article in The Anaconda Standard newspaper in 1896 related that seven Fort Missoula soldiers lost their lives there, calling it one of the “vilest dens in the state.”

The main text in this section states:

“Schools are just one anchor for a community. Businesses, churches and dispensers of spirited beverages are others. There are mentions of a 4 Mile House by the old Buckhouse Bridge that reportedly had a saloon. Old Timers don’t remember there being any other bars or churches in the area. . . Of course, Wal Mart and the Safeway Grocery Store are in the Miller Creek area.”

Here it should be mentioned that despite her extensive research into this area the author totally sidestepped the subject of Greenacres. Nowhere is Greenacres mentioned in her book. Given that it was adjacent to Cold Springs the author seemingly chose to avoid this subject deliberately. Her book touches on myriad minor topics that are not directly related to Cold Springs or Miller Creek. At the back of the book are 8 pages of indexes that feature references to hundreds of people and subjects. Given the breadth of her research, it seems impossible that she was unaware of Greenacres.

Hence an interesting question is why the avoidance of Greenacres? Not just Arlyne, but Missoula’s local historians in general seem to have let Greenacres die an unaccountable death. Does this omission destroy the value of Arlyne Craighead’s work? Not at all, but, conspicuous by its absence, it presents another example of ghosting Greenacres as a Missoula entity. Did Arlyne Craighead dance around the subject of Greenacres entirely? Yes. Had she waded into the topic, it would likely have required a lot more work on her part, most of which was not central to her theme.

But don’t lament too much for good old Greenacres. You’ll see in a minute it might not be totally dead and buried.

Businesses

For many years local businesses and individuals placed ads in the local newspapers with no other address than Greenacres. Everything from apartments and houses for sale or rent, to individuals offering free vegetables and fruits, selling automobiles and myriad other items, including planer shavings (and lumber) from Greenacres Planing Mill – $2.50 for a large load.

A very popular restaurant, Bug’s Bar-B-Q, was located in Greenacres, across the street from Curley’s Tavern on old Highway 93, directly across Brooks street from today’s Southgate Mall. Its owner, Lawrence ‘Bugs’ Dwyer, a Missoula native was sometimes called the ‘Mayor of Greenacres.’ When he started his restaurant in 1947, it was considered “too far out.”

“93 Stop and Go” the Brooks street drive-in that served devoted customers hamburgers and fries was another popular place that advertised “Greenacres – Highway 93 South,” as early as 1947. Founded by Art Harr and later run by Gwyn and Kay Watkins, it originally had a small motel along with the drive-in. It finally closed in 2001. Across the street was “The Whistle Stop,” another popular drive in.

One early grocery business advertised in the Missoula County Times newspaper in 1933: “Hill’s Green Acres Grocery – Serves Green Acres With a Complete Line of Staple Groceries.”

Twenty-five years later Tremper’s Shopping Center, Montana’s first shopping center, was built at the corner of Brooks and South Russell street in 1958. Its address, 2301 Brooks, put it at the south edge of Missoula at the time. The founder, William G Tremper, was a professional engineer who was convinced that the Brooks street location, even though far from the city center, would prove successful. He was right.

Many businesses simply relied on the Greenacres name alone while advertising in the Missoulian newspaper: “Greenacres Auto Court – 15 Strictly Modern Cabins.” “Quality Cleaners in Greenacres.” “Gagner’s Service Station – Next Door To Quality Cleaners.” “Curley’s Tavern Directly Across the Street From the New Quality Cleaners in Greenacres.”

Others included Highway 93 or Bitter Root Road: “Brown and Campbell Garage Highway 93 in Greenacres.” “Lobdell Service Station – Greenacres – Bitter Root Road.” “The Haven – Formerly Happy’s Inn on Highway 93,” “Ed’s Service Mobil Gas and Oil – Highway 93-Greenacres,”

A curious notice appeared in the Lost and Found in the Missoulian in 1946: “Found – Brown Parker pen, on the Bitter Root tracks in Green Acres. Owner may have same by paying for this, at Lobdell Service, Green Acres.”

Missoula’s earliest Humane Society Animal shelter was located where the Brooks street McDonald’s Restaurant is today. The district headquarters for the Montana Fish and Game Department was also located near there from 1955 to 1983.

Fire Protection

In 1947 the Missoulian newspaper reported that local residents wanted fire protection:

“[S]ince deactivation of Fort Missoula, which had furnished assistance with modern fire equipment at various times, the community has been without any organized protection, Greenacres residents say.” The Fort Missoula fire department was later reactivated.

Official Fire protection for Greenacres didn’t exist for many decades. One of the first reported fires was noted in the Missoulian newspaper in 1930. Thomas Upham, who lived on Brooks street “just past the Fairgrounds,” had his house completely destroyed by fire. No local fire department responded to that fire.

In August 1949 there was a 4-acre grass fire that luckily only burned a wooden flume, about 2 blocks from the State Drive-In theater. It was put out by citizens, a forest service tanker and a county road maintainer. Another 1-acre grass fire was put out with assistance from the Fort Missoula Fire Department in 1957. Cliff Evans Sr. lost almost everything in a house fire in 1948. Howard Pulliam’s house on Clark street was completely destroyed by a fire in 1957. Firemen from the Fort Missoula fire department tried to contain it but couldn’t. In 1950 almost 3,000 chickens were killed in another Greenacres fire. Neighborhood men put that fire out. A fire occurred at the John Rehder trailer home in 1960. The Lloyd Lange family home, outside the city on Agnes Avenue, was completely destroyed by fire in 1961. Fort Missoula firemen were not able to stop that fire.

Two large fires occurred at Greenacres area’s lumber mills.

A large fire hit the L A Hamilton Lumber Company in September 1956. Their 15-acre site was located on South Avenue and Houston (Grant) streets. Most of the damage occurred to cut lumber that was stored at the mill. Both the city fire department, which contracted with the mill, and the rural fire department responded to this fire. A witness believed the fire started when a spark flew in a heavy wind from the teepee burner at a neighboring mill. Traffic on both South Avenue and Highway 93 was hampered. The Hamilton Lumber property eventually became the site of the South Gate Mall which opened in 1978.

In 1972 a fire destroyed the Elk Horn Lumber Company located at Buckley and Dixon streets. Owned by the Delaney family, Elk Horn employed about 100 people. Fire fighters from both the city and rural fire departments fought this fire to no avail. The Delaney family also owned the Mount Lolo Lumber Co. which was located on Russell street.

1950’s Growth

In July of 1953 Missoula’s city council served notice that it would attempt to incorporate several additions surrounding Missoula in every direction but north. If successful it would add 5,000 new citizens to the city. Missoula’s mayor Ralph Starr pointed out that the city invested a lot of time and resources servicing people who were not living within the city limits.

No earlier city addition or subdivision encompassed large pieces of Greenacres until the Bellevue district was platted in 1954.

From that point on the area experienced tremendous growth. One Missoulian newspaper photograph taken from Whitaker Hill (11/7/1954), looking west down 39th Street, shows a barren landscape for at least a mile. It was then known as Stallion Road, courtesy of Cold Springs horse trainer Elma Fike from Rainbow Stables on 39th street.

Accompanying that photograph was an article titled “Subdivisions to Replace Farms in Missoula’s March South, West.” The article predicted 500 new building sites occurring in several new subdivisions. Attesting to this it introduced Wapikiya and Tahoe Drives, explaining that Wapikiya was Montana’s first architect designed subdivision “with landscaping and paved streets and utilities in place. . .” The Wapikiya and Bellevue additions would not be annexed by the city until 1989.

The new subdivisions in the 1950’s did indeed eliminate agricultural land. The Bellevue development used 72 acres; nearby Treasure State Development used 12 acres; and Wapikiya 104 acres.

After 1954 the race was on. Although A. J. Mosby had started his Farviews development to the east of this area on Whittaker Hill in 1948, the new road connecting South Higgins with 39th street was not in place until 1957. That year Missoula County auctioned 98 lots from the former site of Hale Field airport which was closed in 1954. These lots bordered Bancroft , Benton and Pattee Creek Drive. The new $2,500,000 South Avenue high school was occupied in January 1957. The new high school was rightly described as “big,” which it needed to be since Missoula’s student population was exploding.

Over the period from 1935 to 1960 Greenacres’ distance from Missoula shrank from 3 miles to one and area businesses pretty well dispensed with it. By 1960 Greenacres was overridden by nearby developments.

SouthGate Crossing

Amazingly, a renaissance of sorts has occurred recently in the old Greenacres area, although the name as usual is left out. If the principals involved are aware of Greenacres’ connection, they are not acknowledging it. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency has authorized the purchase of what is today called Southgate Crossing, which is a blighted13 acre segment of land left over from the triangular area of the Southgate development that resulted in the Southgate Mall in 1978. At one time it featured the Elkhorn lumber mill. The triangular shape of the property is eerily reminiscent of the entire old Greenacres area.
Cathy Scribner, a neighbor and commenter at a recent planning meeting for the Southgate Crossing area said the following, “I see an opportunity for a really cool interpretive greenway in there, we can put in some sort of history for the land…It used to be the place where people picked Bitterroot, it’s been a sawmill, it’s been in our community as undeveloped.”
Maybe Greenacres’ ghost isn’t dead yet!