BILLINGS — Inside the doors of the historic Billings Depot, there’s a lot of history. There’s also a lot of notable people who’ve walked right through them, and there’s also a lot of work being done to preserve the iconic building for the next generation.
“The renovations kicked off just two weeks ago with the first project, which is the restoration, refinishing and securing and repair work to all of our doors in the main depot building,” says Michelle Williams, Billings Depot Executive Director.
Expect the doors to be covered in plywood at the Billings Depot the rest of this summer, and then beautifully restored from all the wear and tear they’ve seen over the years.
“This campus was built in 1909, and we’ve hosted celebrities, dignitaries, presidents, Teddy Roosevelt has done a number of speeches and presentations here on the depot campus. Even historical figures like Calamity Jane and Ron Howard, of course, filmed scenes from the movie Far and Away starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman,” says Williams.
From actors to the average person, anyone is invited inside the depot, a community gathering place even playing host to world travelers during high tourism season.
“Michelle and her team have done a really, really good job of bringing bus tours to the depot. A lot of times we are a major point along that great American road trip route. People come from badlands, Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Pompey’s Pillar, they stay over in Billings and spend time in Billings on their way into Yellowstone,” says Alex Tyson, Visit Billings Executive Director.
From locally sourced food to bites of history, the buses always come back with some 50 tours per year.
“We see people from all around the world and part of their fascination and their interest in staying here and visiting the depot, is just learning the history of the city, the western culture and also the history of the railroad,” says Williams.
With talk of passenger rail returning to Billings, Williams says the $414,000 historic preservation grant awarded from the Montana Department of Commerce is perfect timing.
“This includes refinishing all of our doors, repairing some of the hardware to make them safe and secure and energy efficient, restoring some of our floors, restoring the original mail room for the depot campus and also updating the roof of all four buildings,” says Williams. “The walkways over the years, because of the weather, have started to crumble and the ground has started to settle.”
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, but the depot must raise 120 thousand dollars in matching funds, something Williams and her board know is necessary to keep the magic at the depot alive.
“You don’t have to do much when you rent the depot for an event, a wedding, anything like that, because it’s so beautiful naturally. We’re standing in the old passenger station of the depot, and then the baggage claim is just a little east of us, and it’s fun to be in here. It’s magical,” says Marcell Bruski Billings, Depot Board Member and Senior Director of Engagement at Big Sky Economic Development.
If you would like to donate to help support the historic depot, click here.
