Restoring history: Reed Point's Hotel Montana takes on new look

COLUMBUS — When Debi and Chuck Hammond purchased Reed Point’s Hotel Montana, Chuck could see the writing on the wall.

“I told Debi when we bought this place that we should watch the movie ‘The Money Pit’,” he said, grinning. “But we’re going to pace ourselves. We’re not going to get too crazy too fast.”

Despite the price tag, the couple was taken with the sense of history they felt when they first walked inside the more-than-a-century-old building.

“Places like this are rare. It’s been a mercantile, a boarding house, a hotel and a gathering place for more than a century,” Debi said. “Our goal isn’t to change that story, it’s to carry it forward. We want to restore it in a way that respects its past while making it useful for the community today.”

The couple bought the historic hotel in July and has already completed several upstairs rooms and is currently working on two more. Meanwhile, they will be gutting and redoing bathrooms, one step at a time. Ultimately, they hope to have rooms ready to rent for workforce housing by this spring or summer.

“There’s a real shortage of rentals in rural communities like this,” Debi said. “Teachers, physical therapists, construction workers and other visiting professionals who want to work here often can’t find a place to stay. We hope to help with that.”

As they renovate the rooms, they are making every effort to modernize them for livability while maintaining the building’s historic character. That means outfitting the rooms with televisions, microwaves, small refrigerators, new beds and fresh linens. It also means installing new lamps and light fixtures — but new ones that lend a historic feel.

They’ve also scouted for pressed tin ceiling that will blend in with the original and they plan to replace the current “practical” sinks with sinks that more closely match the look of a bygone era.

“We want to embrace the quirkiness and elegance,” Debi said. “We want to bring the charm and beauty back and be respectful of what this building once was.”

The building’s history traces back to 1909 when it was originally built as Walker’s Store, a mercantile and community hub. Roughly estimated at just over 7,100 square feet, the building was — and no doubt still is — Reed Point’s largest building, except for possibly the school. Its ground floor originally served as the place of business while the family resided upstairs.

“This was a happening spot,” Chuck said. “Once the bridge was built over the Yellowstone River, it was one of the few access points to the north side of the river. It brought accessibility and life to this small rural town.”

The original mercantile sold everything from fancy bloomers out of New York to farm equipment, he added.

Early on, upstairs rooms served as offices for an attorney and the local doctor.

Over the years the mercantile evolved into a grocery store and the upstairs rooms served as a boarding house for teachers and students.

Then, nearly 30 years ago, Russ and Connie Schlievert took ownership. In the mid 1990s they converted the building into a hotel/bed and breakfast, restaurant and saloon. The couple restored its period charm, outfitting it with the large collection of antiques they had amassed.

Even three decades ago, the Schlieverts’ project — like the Hammonds’ — cost way more than he’d budgeted. According to an article from that time, they put more than $100,000 into restorations — even though they did much of the work themselves.

During the late 1990s when the Schlieverts owned Hotel Montana, Russ kept customers entertained with his stories, always drawing a chuckle when he pointed to the two-story outhouse in back, which no longer exists.

But the Schlieverts eventually left to help with hurricane relief in the South and the building stood vacant.

All of this took place years before the Hammonds came onto the scene. They had been living in Gardnerville, Nev., a small town one-hour south of Reno, but were looking for an even smaller community where they could raise their children.

“When we drove through Big Timber and saw bicycles outside of the Big Timber Grade School, with no chains to lock them up, we knew this community is where we wanted to call home,” Chuck said.

Their children — Reagan (18) Charles (16) and Harrison (13) — have all attended that very school.

The Hammonds made the move five years ago during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, they laughed as they both recalled coming down with the virus just as they headed out of Nevada, driving two vehicles to Montana. Needless to say, they survived Covid and quickly adapted to life outside Big Timber.

“This is our home. We love it,” Debi said. “I told him he will bury me here.”

Meanwhile, probably just about the time the Hammonds had arrived in the area, Jim and Marianne Kaelberer of Reed Point had bought Hotel Montana and were bringing it back to life.

“People said it was unsalvageable,” Chuck said.

“The previous owners (Kaelberers) did a lot of cleanup,” Debi added. “Had they not gotten it to where it was, we probably would have passed.”

Ironically, the Hammonds had known the Kaelberers casually, but didn’t know they were considering selling the old hotel. When they read a comment made by Jim Kaelberer in an article in the Big Timber Pioneer about putting the place on the market, it got them thinking.

The Hammonds own other short-term rentals in the area, including a rental on their Bridger Creek ranch, so they had a clue what they were in for. They pulled the trigger in July.

“This isn’t our first rodeo,” Chuck said.

At the time, the upstairs rooms were occupied by workers, several of whom were working on the nearby wind farm. As they moved out, the Hammonds moved in and began renovations.

Besides running their ranch, Chuck keeps busy renovating the hotel and working on short-term rentals. Debi thrives on planning the décor for the hotel as she simultaneously serves as CEO of Merlot Marketing, an award-winning, national public relations and marketing company she founded in 2001.

While the upstairs should be ready for occupants in the next few months, the Hammonds are still wondering what to do with the spacious room downstairs.

Currently the room, which once housed the grocery and later the Wild Horse Saloon and Restaurant, is partly stripped down to studs. An old mural of mountain scenes remains, adding a touch from the past.

The space accesses the upstairs via a very steep and narrow stairway that must have been the norm at the time. More recently, a safer stairway has been added in the back.

The Hammonds envision sprucing up the front entrance with welcoming, wrought-iron doors. But beyond that, they’re open to suggestions.

“We’re not sure what we want to do down here,” Debi said. “We’ve been reaching out and talking to everybody we can. We want to know what the community wants.”

“We’ve heard everything from a high-end steakhouse to a place for weddings,” Chuck noted.

The Hammonds, however, are quick to nix the idea of running a restaurant themselves, knowing the endless hours that would entail. However, if someone were interested in running a restaurant out of the downstairs space, they’re open to the idea.

It could well be a good addition to Reed Point — drawing visitors from Bozeman to Billings, Debi said.

Chuck half-jokingly envisions turning a small back room into an old-timey barbershop. There’s an antique mirror and space for two chairs, he points out.

They’ve considered holding a community meeting to gather ideas.

As Chuck cautioned, the property has already cost them more time and money than they’d foreseen. Yet, their enthusiasm for the landmark is evident as they show what they’ve done and speak of what they plan to do.

“Historic buildings like this deserve another chapter,” Debi said. “If we can preserve the character of Hotel Montana, provide much-needed workforce housing and help create a place where people gather downtown alongside the Waterhole Saloon, then we feel like we’re doing right by Reed Point and the community we call home.”