William H Tracy House

Bozeman City, Gallatin County, MT

Note: The Tracy House is no longer extant. Map shows location prior to demolition.

This house was built in 1882 for William H. Tracy, one of the earliest pioneers in the Gallatin Valley. Tracy settled on three 40-acre tracts in what is now the City of Bozeman in 1864-1865. In addition to farming, he engaged in freighting goods to the new town from Corinne, Utah, before the railroad was pushed west, he operated a general merchandising store in Bozeman, and he established a brick kiln which produced 350,00 bricks in 1882 and one million in 1883.

The residence was built by W. H. Babcock, another early pioneer, who served as architect as well as builder. It was described as "one of the finest in Montana." The bricks came from Tracy's own brickyard. The house, built in Victorian style, is an example of the characteristic leap from log cabins and small frame houses to mansions that marked the transition of early frontier towns to stable communities.

1. Prepared by John N. DeHaas, Jr., 1986, reviewed by Eleni Silverman, 1983, Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS MT-29, memory.loc.gov, accessed February, 2011.

Nearby Neighborhoods

Street Names
Mendenhall Street West