Cross Ranch Headquarters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cross Ranch Headquarters
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 Location in Montana
Location in the United States
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| Location | East of Montana Highway 59, roughly 26 miles south of Broadus, Montana |
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| NRHP reference No. | 96000118 |
| Added to NRHP | February 23, 1996 |
The Cross Ranch Headquarters is a historic ranch building located in Montana, USA. You can find it about 26 miles south of Broadus. This important building was finished in 1893. It was built by a rancher named Spencer Fullerton Baird Biddle.
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Cross Ranch Headquarters: A Historic Montana Ranch
The Cross Ranch Headquarters is a special place. It shows what ranch life was like long ago. The main building was built in 1893. This was just one year after Spencer Biddle bought the ranch land.
Who Was Spencer Biddle?
Spencer Fullerton Baird Biddle came from Philadelphia. He moved to Montana in 1881. He quickly became a very successful rancher. By 1885, he was an important person in the ranching world.
He was an early member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. This group helped ranchers work together. Biddle also served in Montana's government. He was a representative in the territorial legislature. This group helped make laws for the Montana territory. Ranchers had a lot of influence back then. Biddle's group passed laws that helped the ranching business.
The Ranch Building's Unique Style
The main building at Cross Ranch Headquarters has a special look. It is designed in a style called French Colonial architecture. This style is quite unusual for a ranch building. It shows a high level of design for its time.
The building has a porch that goes all the way around it. Wooden columns hold up this porch. The walls are built using a method called piece sur piece. This means logs are stacked horizontally and joined at the corners. The roof is a hip roof, which slopes down on all four sides.
Recognized as a Historic Place
The Cross Ranch Headquarters is very important to history. Because of this, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened on February 23, 1996. The National Register lists places that are important to American history.
