Bigfork has always been a place for trade and commerce – in its own right.
Even before pioneers George Lakin, C.D. Morton, T. Hilling, and E.L. Sliter, homesteaded in and around “the Big Fork,” fur-trapper Lige Mounts made camp and traded with the natives at the mouth of the Swan or Flathead River (Salish: Ntxwetkw, ntxwe).
In the early 1900s, the town of Bigfork was platted and came into its own. It didn’t take long for both the Great Northern and the “Milwaukee Road” to survey railroad routes through Bigfork. And as the decade of the nineteen-aughts came to a close, the sleepy fishing hole and timberjack town seemed poised to become the bellwether town along the east shore of Flathead Lake.
While Bigfork may not have kept the promise of its early speculators, it has kept its own place – with its own charm, in its own way. Yet only one original brick building remains today: the State Bank of Bigfork building at 548 Electric Ave. The “bank building” is one of the two oldest commercial buildings in Bigfork (the other is the mercantile building next door). Despite several renovations, the bank building appears remarkably unchanged from the front, save for a concrete sidewalk in place of the original wood-planked one, and the menu boards flanking the entrance (the ShowThyme Restaurant is now at the location).
Historically, the bank started as the Fodness International Bank – the namesake of Carl E. Fodness, who converted it to The State Bank of Bigfork around 1911. For the next 30 years, the bank would be a fixture of the town.
While the façade of the bank was distinctive brick, its face was perhaps Philip G. Peterson, who since about 1917 served as postmaster and cashier of the bank until 1940. Peterson stood by as WWI hit home. He passed many a deposit receipt across the counter during the lofty 1920s. And during the Great Depression, Peterson became perhaps a reluctant face of hardship, even though most bank customers saw him less, and under trying circumstances when they did.
For much of the 1930s, the bank kept parity. That is, if it had $7,000 on hand, it typically had outstanding liabilities about the same. However, despite the delicate balancing act of fiscal prudence, the Great Depression proved far too dire and bank operations folded.
In the early 1940s, the Montana Preparedness and Advisory Commission conducted its voluntary “human skills” registration at the bank building. And during WWII, it served ominously as a registration place for Selective Service.
After the war, it was clear that Bigfork was a town rich in amenities and its natural surroundings – but noticeably did not have a bank (or a good dentist). Many chamber of commerce meetings during the 1950s concluded with mention of how “Bigforkians” made slow and steady progress: they took care of their own problems, put in a group effort, and ultimately re-instated their own bank.
The 1970s witnessed the completion of a “new bank building” while the “old bank building” moved on to host other ventures (some long-time residents may recall the bank building as the Sea Star Gallery, for example).
Nowadays, the bank building remains busy (albeit more with entrées instead of earnings). And serves as a reminder of Bigfork’s past: an era of grand ambition and “make or break” times – times that mattered most to those who are all but forgotten now.
Jaix Chaix is a columnist and author of Flathead Valley Landmarks and other local history books that are available for sale at the Flathead Beacon at 17 Main St. in Kalispell.