Postcard History Series

Name: Billings
Brand: James M. Reich
SKU: 9780738570464
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

The American Postcard history series books explores the history of an area through vintage postcards. Go fishing in the Salton Sea, tour the iconic Hollywood Studios during their golden age, and then take one of New York City’s subways back in time. From early Denver to the Grand Canyon National Park, these postcard books send greetings from the past to eager readers with a passion for history. [View all Postcard History Series books]

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Billings

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Butte

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Missoula

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Cascade County and Great Falls

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Glacier National Park

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Fort Benton

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Helena

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Little Bighorn

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Billings

9780738570464

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Billings is sometimes called "The Magic City" for its rapid growth that seems to change the skyline overnight. Located in the heart of the Yellowstone Valley, it is Montana's largest city and the state's premier business destination. From 1900 to the 1960s--Billings's "Golden Years"--locals and tourists alike enjoyed a variety of hotels, fine restaurants, and retail and wholesale shopping, while businesses such as sugar and oil refineries, banking, and brewing kept the economy running. Surrounded by unparalleled natural splendor, Billings has always had the stark juxtaposition of a modern city set amid wilderness, as these vintage postcards attest.

Butte

9781467106542

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Butte, Montana, began in 1864 as a small placer gold mining camp. By 1870, the placer deposits were depleted, and most miners left. A few remaining miners found significant silver ore in the nearby quartz lodes, but by the late 1870s, copper was the major ore in the district, and Butte became "The Richest Hill on Earth." Thousands of immigrants came to Butte from throughout Europe to operate the underground mines, and the city grew to an unofficial estimate of about 90,000 residents in 1917-1918. The population of Butte slowly declined to about 35,000 residents when fewer miners were necessary after open-pit mining began in 1955. Today, Butte remains a city of great character and cultural diversity. The postcards in this book illustrate some of its history.

Missoula

9780738558882

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Missoula began in 1860 as Hellgate Village, a trading post located about 4 miles west of what is now downtown. In 1864, the construction of a mill powered by water diverted from Rattlesnake Creek drew residents of Hellgate to the new town, and the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 assured Missoula's future. The establishment of the University of Montana led to growth on the south side of the Clark Fork River, and the timber industry drove the economy. Missoula has evolved into a trade, medical, educational, and governmental center of western Montana.

Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley

9780738570846

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

By the time picture postcards came into popular use shortly after 1900, Bozeman was almost 40 years old and prospering, and the Gallatin Valley was becoming settled. The region is well documented in the 20th century by postcards, many of which are published here for the first time. Initial chapters include Bozeman's downtown, Sweet Pea Festival parades, the Bozeman Round-Up, the state university, and the town's continuing expansion. The second part looks at the Gallatin Valley, from Three Forks to Belgrade, and south to Gallatin Canyon.

Cascade County and Great Falls

9780738581927

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Great Falls, on the Missouri River, began as a city of sun, water, and future. Long a crossroads for Native Americans, in 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition portaged the great falls of the Missouri. Early development combined electrical power from dams with mineral resources from nearby mountains to power smelters and refineries. The railroad stimulated growth as Great Falls became a dynamic "Electric City" at the heart of the mountains and valleys of Cascade County. Today the river, ranching and farming, regional retail, and medical facilities combine with cultural and recreational tourism and Montana's largest military presence. Great Falls boasts Montana's greatest ethnic diversity, with the state's largest Native American and African American populations. A world-class symphony and the renowned Charles M. Russell Museum help round out Great Falls as Montana's "All-American City."

Glacier National Park

9780738580807

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Pres. William Howard Taft signed the bill creating Glacier National Park in 1910, and a wilderness paradise in northwestern Montana was born. This book illustrates the park's evolution, from the Great Northern Railroad days, Native American presence, lodges, chalets, and camps, to majestic scenery and wildlife--all in vintage postcards. The opening of Glacier National Park coincided with the popularity of postcards across the nation, and hence this visual documentation of Glacier's many wonders is thorough and encompassing. With the celebration of its centennial in 2010, Glacier National Park continues to provide us with one of the last best places to visit.

Fort Benton

9780738570280

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Fort Benton, the head of navigation on the Missouri River, is known as the "Birthplace of Montana." Its history spans every era in Montana's development. Founded in 1846 as a fur-trading post, it is Montana's oldest continuous settlement. Arrival of the first steamboats and completion of the Mullan Road in 1860 heralded the steamboat era, bringing gold seekers, merchant princes, scoundrels, soldiers, North West Mounted Police, and eventually women and children to the wild frontier. Then came the railroads, open-range ranching, and homesteaders by the thousands. Today Fort Benton serves the agricultural Golden Triangle and presents its colorful history through cultural tourism.

Helena

9780738559773

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Helena began in 1864 as a mining camp with the discovery of gold along Last Chance Gulch (soon to become Helena's main street). In 1875, Helena became the territorial capital of Montana, and in 1894 it outpolled Anaconda in a statewide election to become the permanent state capital. Postcard images captured many of Helena's landmarks and events over the past century, including the magnificent Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium, pre-urban-renewal Main Street, and the ravages of the 1935 earthquake. This book features postcard images of the Helena area, the majority of which have never been published in book or magazine form.

Little Bighorn

9780738570075

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876, is one of the most controversial and studied events in American history. While of relatively minor importance as military affair, the symbolic scene of "Custer's Last Stand" soon entered into the nation's public consciousness. First seen as the heroic sacrifice of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry against the combined forces of the Lakota and Cheyenne in the further settlement of the West, it has emerged as another tragic chapter in the treatment of American Indians. The battlefield in present-day southeastern Montana remains a popular destination for tourists and scholars alike.