Located about
30 miles southeast of Helena, Townsend was created by the Northern
Pacific Railroad In 1882. The city was named by railroad officials,
in honor of the wife of Charles Barstow Wright (1822-1898), President
of the Northern Pacific from 1875 to 1879.
Bird's Eye View of Townsend, 1912
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Cedar
Street, Townsend, circa 1900
Probably the 200 block of South Cedar
Potato
Race, Main St., Townsend Montana, July 4 1914
Broadway Street, 1916
Broadway Street, 1947
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Broadway Street, circa 1960
Golden
Jubilee, Esther Chapter No. 3., Order of the Eastern Star
May 24, 1938 • Broadwater High School Gymnasium
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The woman sitting
next to the flag is, Viola
Myrle Brisbin, née Spear, (1892-1962)
Town Talk Cafe 205 Broadway
The Town Talk Cafe opened around 1938 at 205 Broadway. It is pictured above in 1946 or '47. The figure of a parrot tops the sign.
The original two-story building that occupied the site housed the Patriarchal Circle Hall on the top floor, and businesses below (The Patriarchal Circle was an offshoot of the Odd Fellows). In February of 1936, a fire destroyed the P. C. Hall and adjacent buildings, including the Home Cafe, which was on the ground floor of the Hall. The 1977 book "Broadwater Bygones, A History of Broadwater County" describes it this way (thanks to Charleen Spalding for the excerpt):
Town Talk Cafe Interior, Circa 1947
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A real-photo postcard view of the Town Talk Cafe interior. The date is probably 1947. There are interesting details in the photo which help to date it. For example, advertisements for the "Bank Club" punch board seen on the left-hand side of the photo appeared in Billboard Magazine in 1947. The counter-top jukebox selector units are for a 1947 Packard Pla-Mor jukebox. 1947 was also a year when the Town Talk changed hands, being purchased by Charles and Verna Adams from Mr. & Mrs. M. B. Ness, so it's quite possible that the new owners had these postcards made for advertising purposes.
Other owners over the decades included Ira Richardson, Emma Morrison, Betty and Gene Thom. The last mention I find of the Town Talk Cafe in online Helena newspaper archives is from 1976.
The hanging mirrored fixture in the 1947 photo is a speaker for the Packard Pla-Mor jukebox. Here's a recent photo of one such speaker, and a video of one in action...
A Mission Orangeade Syrup Dispenser, As Seen on the Counter
Trout Derby, 1950
The
River Inn Nite Club and Motel
Just north of Townsend • Opened in 1941 -- Building Moved to Lakeside,
1965
The River
Inn was built in 1941 by Lester Goodwin (1897-1986). He later
built six motel cottages adjacent to the Inn. Situated near the
bank of the Missouri River, the building suffered repeated damage
from ice-jams after the construction of the current Canyon Ferry
Dam. In 1965, the property was apparently purchased by the Bureau
of Reclamation, and the buildings were sold to be moved, The Inn
was purchased by one Gary Smith for $1,111, and is now at Lakeside.
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