The building had served as officers' quarters at the fort, which closed in 1890. Originally built at Fort Maginnis sometime between 1880 and 1890, it was purchased by the Hogelands after the fort's closure, dismantled and rebuilt on its present site around 1898. The Hogelands had moved the building about 16 miles (as the crow flies) over wagon roads after dismantling it. This is actually one of two which they bought and moved; we're uncertain of the fate of the other one.
The two storey, wood framed building had stood empty for five years before the Hogelands purchased it. After its move it was reassembled to match as closely as possible the original building. We notice that it retains the original second storey dormers, which were characteristic of the officers' quarters at Fort Maginnis.
ABRAHAM AND MARY WALTON HOGELAND HOUSE
In the 1870s, ranchers and prospectors looking for gold in the Judith Mountains clamored for military protection as they settled a region recently controlled by the Blackfeet. In response, the federal government constructed Fort Maginnis in 1880. Garrisoned by three cavalry and three infantry companies in 1882, the fort was home to five hundred men and ten women. Meanwhile, more Euro-Americans settled in the region, including Abraham Hogeland, who first traveled west as a surveyor for the Northern Pacific Railroad. According to his great-granddaughter, the author Mary Clearman Blew, Abraham loved the Judith Basin: "having seen no better country between Pennsylvania and Montana, [he] decided to make it his." Hogeland established a ranch on Spring Creek; his wife Mary and their oldest child joined him from Pennsylvania two years later. In 1895, the Hogelands purchased two officers' quarters from the recently closed Fort Maginnis. He had the buildings dismantled and moved twenty miles to Lewistown. This gable-front-and-wing residence was the larger of the two, reassembled as closely as possible to the original design. The Hogelands used it for a "city house," occupying the residence during the school year, so their children could receive an education. As time passed, Abraham and Mary, while still continuing to ranch, spent more time here. Abraham became increasingly involved in the Lewistown community, serving as superintendent of schools and justice of the peace as well as county surveyor. As of 2007, family members still own and maintain the property.
From the NRHP plaque at the building
Abraham and Mary Walton Hogeland House
The L-shaped building features an intersecting gable roof covered with modern asphalt shingles. The roof features boxed eaves, with full gable returns and raking molding. Its gable-front and wing, two-story plan is interrupted by a c. 1945 two story, wood-frame garage. While the garage reads as a separate building, it is connected to the house at its southeast corner. Wood clapboard, original to the residence, covers the exterior walls. In 1942, asbestos shingle siding was added to the front (southeast) and side (southwest and northeast) elevations. On the northwest elevation, the original narrow clapboard and cornerboards are exposed.
The Abraham and Mary Walton Hogeland House originally stood as officers' quarters at nearby Fort Maginnis. After the fort closed at the end of the nineteenth century, Abraham Hogeland purchased and dismantled two buildings, and had them reconstructed in Lewistown in 1900. This property at 620 West Montana is the larger of the two buildings, rebuilt as closely as possible to the original design.
Abraham and Mary Hogeland were early settlers in Central Montana, with a ranch on Spring Creek. Their purchase of property "in town" provided opportunities for themselves and their children during a time of burgeoning development. Indeed, the Hogeland's decision to reconstruct the house and establish tangible ties to the town is indicative of the increased permanence of the community and patterns of development. Specifically, the family's tenure there is a significant representation of historic local trends...
In its infancy, Lewistown existed only as a trading post for a nomadic way of life, serving Indian traders, hunters and trappers. Company F., of the 7th Infantry, selected a site near Story's Fort for Camp Lewis, in 1874. Established to protect commerce on the Carroll Trail, the temporary military post was named in honor of a former Major W. H. Lewis, and it is likely the name "Lewistown" selected ten years later, was derived from the post.
In 1879, some 25 Metis families, descendants of the French and Indian, established the first permanent settlement and before any appreciable white migration occurred, "Big Spring Creek" had 150 Metis families. The present site of Lewistown was taken as homesteads by Francis A. Janeaux and Paul Morase. Many Lewistown streets bear the French names of these first settlers.
Cattleman began to take advantage of the "open" range in Central Montana in 1880 and the timely discovery of gold in the Judith and Mocassin Mountains spurred the growth of several nearby mining camps. Janeaux was encouraged by these developments to build a store and to plat a portion of his land for a village. Dr. L. A. Lapalme, Lewistown's first M.D. laid out the townsite in 1882 using a fence for a starting line, which is probably the reason the streets of Lewistown run southeast - northwest.
The sheep industry, which began around 1882, was a major contributor to the permanent prosperity and the steady development of the area, and many sheep ranchers were to enter banking, land, and/or commercial ventures in Lewistown. George W. Cook, David Hilger, Bernard Stack, James Fergus. William Fergus, S.S. Hobson, J.D. Waite, F.R. Warrem. J.S. Huntoon, R. B. Thompson, Samuel Phillips, John Brooks, A. C. Green, and G. M. Stone were among the pioneers sheepmen whose names are linked to many businesses and residences within the Multiple Resource Area. Abraham Hogeland is also counted among the early influential ranchers with connections to town.
From the NRHP Registration Form