Still Old School
Cooke City Store
The cash register still cranks. By hand.
The Story
Cooke City's general store, built in 1886 near Yellowstone's northeast entrance. Groceries, hardware, fishing licenses and penny candy, in season.
By the spring of 1886, John Savage and John Elder were hauling milled lumber to build the Cooke City Store. It changed hands through mining booms and busts and spent a stretch in the 1890s as storage. Nels and Elizabeth Soderholm bought it in 1908. Their nephew Sam Brady took over in 1957. Ralph and Sue Glidden bought it in 1977, and in October 2003 it went to Troy and Beth Wilson, who had both worked summers there. Good summer job.
On March 27, 1986, in its 100th year, it went on the nation’s official list of historic places as an unusually intact small-town mercantile. That’s a polite way of saying not much got thrown out.
Plenty of fixtures from the late 1800s are still in daily use, that hand-crank cash register included. The shelves carry groceries, dry goods, hardware, sporting goods, beer and wine, fishing licenses and penny candy. It keeps a seasonal schedule.
Get your fishing license here, and a bag of penny candy. Watch the register work.
Why It's Still Old School
Built in 1886 and still ringing up sales on the original hand-crank cash register, four miles from the park line. The penny candy is still there too.
Photos
Coming soon. Know something that belongs here?
Still There.
- Address
- 101 Main St., Cooke City, MT, 59020
- Phone
- 406-838-2234
Sources
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