Ben Greenough

The life of Red Lodge pioneer Ben Greenough was one adventure after another. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and arrived in Billings penniless and hungry in the winter of 1886. He courageously walked into the Headquarters Hotel, asked for a job, and was hired as the hotel’s yard man and porter. In this capacity, he met Martha Jane Canary, otherwise known as Calamity Jane. One of Greenough’s jobs was to build fires in the hotel rooms before the guests arose in the morning. He bought the cordwood from Calamity Jane who cut the wood and sold it for eight dollars a cord. Greenough would pay her, and Calamity would then give half of it back to Greenough for safekeeping. She would hit the saloon and drink up the four dollars, and when it was gone, Greenough would give her back the other half.

Library of Congress, LC-USF34-058658-E

Greenough later went to work for cattleman Nelson Story and then worked at a sawmill on Willow Creek. Here Greenough learned one of his trademarks—how to swear. This came about when he had to drive two stubborn bulls into the timber for several months. Greenough drove the mail stage from Billings to Red Lodge, worked on the railroad, ran cattle on the Crow reservation and learned to speak the Crow language fluently. He was good friends with Plenty Coups and knew Sitting Bull. In 1900, Greenough married and settled down, more or less, on a ranch on Rock Creek near Red Lodge. His seven children learned to ride by breaking horses. There were so many rocks in the corral, the kids didn’t dare fall off and all became exceptional riders. His son Turk and daughters Margaret and Alice were rodeo champions.

Friday Photo: Red Lodge Bakery

Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives

The snug interior of the Sconfienza Bakery and Grocery in Red Lodge looks like a cozy place to gather. The photo was taken circa 1910-1920.

Red Lodge Mausoleum

Above-ground burials in mausoleums are the norm in Europe and in some places in the United States. In New Orleans, above-ground burials are required to prevent cemeteries from becoming bone gumbo during frequent flooding. While private mausoleums dot Montana cemeteries, above ground mass burials were never common practice. After 1900, inexpensive concrete construction made building large multiple crypt facilities economically feasible. At the same time, Progressive-era ideology was encouraging individuals to join together for community improvement. Thus, the communal mausoleum movement was born, placing above-ground entombment within financial reach of ordinary citizens. In 1921, the Consolidated Mausoleum Company advertised communal mausoleums in Montana newspapers. “The present high state of civilization demands,” read the ad, “a more humane and sanitary method of taking care of the dead, than found in earth burial.” This opportunity intrigued Red Lodge, and construction of a mass mausoleum engaged the community. More than two hundred people subscribed to the project, and construction of the mausoleum with more than two hundred crypts, or burial spaces, began along Montana Highway 78. Designed as a “time-defying” monument, its simple, but massive temple front, heavy bronze doors, and enormous Tuscan columns emphasize strength and permanence. The reinforced concrete walls are durable and moisture tight, fulfilling the requirements for the mausoleum to survive in perpetuity.

Courtesy Montana State Historic Preservation Office

Nationwide, hundreds of communities joined the movement, but the Red Lodge Communal Mausoleum, recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is one of only three identified in Montana. True to plan, the mausoleum housed Red Lodge citizens of all classes. Wealthy businessmen, immigrant coal miners, and their families, lie entombed together “within the walls of one building… imposing and everlasting.”

Friday Photo: Dogsledding

Race to the Sky starts this weekend at Camp Rimini. Will you attend any of the events?


Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, PAc 2000-54.7

Dogsledder Celey Baum and his team race, possibly in Red Lodge, in 1939. Just look how excited those dogs are!

P.S. Are you a dog person? Here's a story to touch your heart.