It’s hard to believe, but there are only six months until Christmas. Christmas in July celebrations have roots dating back to the 1930s and include retail sales, a resurgence of Christmas movies, and for some, a revival of holiday food. This July let’s leave the heat behind and pretend that we’ve traveled back in time to Bozeman in 1891. The early 1890s were an eventful time. During the years following Montana’s statehood in 1889, Bozeman brimmed with optimism and excitement for the future. Like today, there was a building boom. Larger brick structures replaced small frame buildings on Main Street, and residents campaigned for Bozeman to be named the state capital.

The Bozeman Hotel was one of several large buildings meant to transform the sleepy cow town into a sophisticated city. The hotel was designed by then 41-year-old architect George Hancock, who practiced in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. Construction on the massive structure began in the spring of 1890 but despite the hype in the newspapers, there was some resistance. To make room for the hotel, several smaller existing structures were slated for demolition. Local businessman Martin Hocker, a boot and shoe salesman and repairman, owned a two-story brick building on Main Street just east of Bozeman Creek. Hocker lost a court battle with hotel developers and was required to relinquish possession.

According to the May 29, 1890, issue of the Avant Courier newspaper, Hocker refused to vacate the premises and fired his weapon at Sheriff Jim Robertson and a night watchman when they attempted to forcibly remove him. Hocker was charged with assault with intent to murder and resisting an officer and spent nearly four months in the Gallatin County Jail. Jail records note that in September of 1890, Hocker was taken to the penitentiary to complete a year-long sentence. He served his time and was released in August 1891.

Construction progressed steadily despite the initial drama, and the hotel was completed by early 1891. Thoroughly modern for the time, The Bozeman featured steam heat, electric lights, running water, elevators, a ladies’ parlor, and a large dining room. The Bozeman Hotel’s grand opening was held on March 2, 1891. Though cold weather and snow discouraged some out-of-town invitees, the Avant Courier reported that a merry contingent of approximately five hundred people from Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, Livingston, and Butte attended the festivities. Dinner was served in the spacious dining room, and an orchestra provided music for dancing in both the hotel and in the newly completed City Hall and Opera House directly across Main Street.

Accounts of the festivities that evening refer to a walkway that connected the hotel with the Opera House, so guests could move between the two buildings with ease and avoid crossing the mud and snow-mired Main Street. Bozeman’s City Council granted permission to construct a temporary walkway at a meeting on February 23, 1891. The structure was completed by opening night on March 2 but removed the following day. According to the Courier, “The temporary foot bridge erected across Main Street from the parlor veranda of The Bozeman to the reception room of the city hall auditorium, and which served a good purpose during the night of the opening, was taken down on Tuesday [March 3].”

Beatrice Freeman Davis, later a faculty member of the English Department at Montana State College, was nine years old in 1891 and attended the grand opening of the hotel.  In a 1947 Bozeman Chronicle article, she described the evening and the famous bridge across Main Street. “The chairs were removed from the parquet floor [in the Opera House] in order that a dance could be held in conjunction with the opening of the hotel. For the convenience and comfort of dancers, especially for the women with their long trailing skirts, and to keep guests passing from the two buildings out to the mud or snow of Main Street, a runway, covered with carpeting, extended from the ladies dressing room on the second floor of the hotel across the street to the second floor of the opera house. After 11 o’clock the hotel dining room was cleared of tables and dancers went, from opera house to hotel and vice versa until daybreak.”

In the months following the grand opening celebration, the elegant Bozeman Hotel continued to provide a taste of refined city life to locals. At the end of its first year of operation in December 1891, The Bozeman Hotel released a Christmas menu that—by today’s metrics—has some peculiar entries that we may not associate with the festive season. When lights begin illuminating porches and the sleighbells It’s hard to believe, but there are only six months until Christmas. Christmas in July celebrations have roots dating back to the 1930s and include retail sales, a resurgence of Christmas movies, and for some, a revival of holiday food. This July let’s leave the heat behind and pretend that we’ve traveled back in time to Bozeman in 1891. The early 1890s were an eventful time. During the years following Montana’s statehood in 1889, Bozeman brimmed with optimism and excitement for the future. Like today, there was a building boom. Larger brick structures replaced small frame buildings on Main Street, and residents campaigned for Bozeman to be named the state capital.

The Bozeman Hotel was one of several large buildings meant to transform the sleepy cow town into a sophisticated city. The hotel was designed by then 41-year-old architect George Hancock, who practiced in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. Construction on the massive structure began in the spring of 1890 but despite the hype in the newspapers, there was some resistance. To make room for the hotel, several smaller existing structures were slated for demolition. Local businessman Martin Hocker, a boot and shoe salesman and repairman, owned a two-story brick building on Main Street just east of Bozeman Creek. Hocker lost a court battle with hotel developers and was required to relinquish possession.

According to the May 29, 1890, issue of the Avant Courier newspaper, Hocker refused to vacate the premises and fired his weapon at Sheriff Jim Robertson and a night watchman when they attempted to forcibly remove him. Hocker was charged with assault with intent to murder and resisting an officer and spent nearly four months in the Gallatin County Jail. Jail records note that in September of 1890, Hocker was taken to the penitentiary to complete a year-long sentence. He served his time and was released in August 1891.

Construction progressed steadily despite the initial drama, and the hotel was completed by early 1891. Thoroughly modern for the time, The Bozeman featured steam heat, electric lights, running water, elevators, a ladies’ parlor, and a large dining room. The Bozeman Hotel’s grand opening was held on March 2, 1891. Though cold weather and snow discouraged some out-of-town invitees, the Avant Courier reported that a merry contingent of approximately five hundred people from Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, Livingston, and Butte attended the festivities. Dinner was served in the spacious dining room, and an orchestra provided music for dancing in both the hotel and in the newly completed City Hall and Opera House directly across Main Street.

Accounts of the festivities that evening refer to a walkway that connected the hotel with the Opera House, so guests could move between the two buildings with ease and avoid crossing the mud and snow-mired Main Street. Bozeman’s City Council granted permission to construct a temporary walkway at a meeting on February 23, 1891. The structure was completed by opening night on March 2 but removed the following day. According to the Courier, “The temporary foot bridge erected across Main Street from the parlor veranda of The Bozeman to the reception room of the city hall auditorium, and which served a good purpose during the night of the opening, was taken down on Tuesday [March 3].”

Beatrice Freeman Davis, later a faculty member of the English Department at Montana State College, was nine years old in 1891 and attended the grand opening of the hotel.  In a 1947 Bozeman Chronicle article, she described the evening and the famous bridge across Main Street. “The chairs were removed from the parquet floor [in the Opera House] in order that a dance could be held in conjunction with the opening of the hotel. For the convenience and comfort of dancers, especially for the women with their long trailing skirts, and to keep guests passing from the two buildings out to the mud or snow of Main Street, a runway, covered with carpeting, extended from the ladies dressing room on the second floor of the hotel across the street to the second floor of the opera house. After 11 o’clock the hotel dining room was cleared of tables and dancers went, from opera house to hotel and vice versa until daybreak.”

In the months following the grand opening celebration, the elegant Bozeman Hotel continued to provide a taste of refined city life to locals. At the end of its first year of operation in December 1891, The Bozeman Hotel released a Christmas menu that—by today’s metrics—has some peculiar entries that we may not associate with the festive season. When lights begin illuminating porches and the sleighbells start ringing, do you find yourself craving opossum salami? How about boiled onions? Let’s take a closer look at some of the menu items, and maybe you’ll find a new holiday favorite along the way.

Consommé Royale: Consommé refers to a clarified broth that has been enjoyed since the Middle Ages, becoming popular among the upper class in America due to the tedious cooking process. The royale component refers to a custard added to the broth, allowing the custard to slightly soften but the broth to remain clear.

Potatoes Duchess: If you’re looking for a way to liven up the presentation of your mashed potatoes, consider potatoes duchess! Popular among 19th century French royalty, this dish elevates the traditional mashed potatoes with egg yolks, piping the mixture into swirls, and baking till covered in a golden crust.

Young Turkey with Oyster Sauce: Turkey was a favorite new-world dish for all sorts of ceremonies, and young turkeys were favored for boiling to enhance both tenderness and presentation. The oyster sauce pairing was often accompanied by an oyster stuffing, an expensive and enticing ingredient list for 19th-century Montanans, though, due to logistics, there’s a good chance that canned oysters were used.

Orange Fritters, au Cognac: Fritters have existed in various forms since Roman times, evolving gradually to the beloved modern-day donut shop classic “Apple Fritter.” Orange fritters are a spin on this tradition, likely inspired by the 1870s boom in California orange agriculture. Cognac, with its more spiced and fruity notes, paired well with this dish and helped to warm it for the winter season.

Salami of Opossum: The Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial native to the North American continent. For centuries it served as an important food source for Indigenous people and later became a settler favorite, as its taste was similar to that of a pig. Salami, long favored as a preservation strategy for meats, presented the perfect way to deliver the opossum to those in Montana outside of the animal’s natural range.

Shrimp Mayonnaise: Shrimp was not a staple on restaurant menus until after the Civil War, when canned shrimp made further transport inland possible. The shrimp mayonnaise salad listed on this menu likely referred to a bed of lettuce with whole shrimp piled on top and a mayonnaise dressing, a precursor to more common dishes like Shrimp Louie.

Boiled Onions: This traditional English dish, printed in cookbooks as early as the 16th century, called for quartered onions to be placed in a pot of water with raisins, sugar, salt, and pepper. Before serving, the broth would be thickened with egg yolks and vinegar. Later recipes included less water, and more cream or butter before serving, as well as red peppers/red pepper flakes to add heat.

Cauliflower in Cream: An odd dish at first glance, this menu entry is more easily recognizable to a modern audience when called “Cream of Cauliflower Soup.” Cauliflower in cream seems to have originated in France during King Louis XV’s reign as an easy way to enjoy the vegetable’s health benefits while making it more palatable for dinner guests.

English Plum Pudding: Sometimes simply referred to as “Christmas pudding,” this traditional English fare was often made from meats and/or hardened animal fat, dried fruits, flour, and spices in a round mold. The Victorians improved the recipe to include a show, instructing that cooks drench the pudding in alcohol and light it on fire for serving.

Claret Jelly: This boozy treat is yet another English recipe, with “Claret” referring to wines from the Bordeaux region of France. Jelly originated in the Middle East and was brought to Europe during the Crusades, and the jellification of alcohol began in the early 1800s. Jello shots, a tailgating favorite, are a modern spin on this tradition.

Pineapple and Edam Cheese: Those with strong feelings on the pineapple pizza debate might find this dish similarly contentious. Edam, a hard, Dutch-style cheese with salty and nutty notes, pairs well with the sweet, juicy pineapple for those who enjoy the flavor combination.

Bent’s Water Crackers: Bent’s Water Crackers date back to 1801, when Sea Captain Josiah Bent coined the term “cracker” to refer to the smaller flour and water wafers he made before sea journeys, naming them after the sound made while cooling. Decades later, his grandson, G.H. Bent, started a company to sell cookies and crackers on a national scale.

Though no longer serving opossum salami or claret jelly to diners, The Bozeman Hotel is still a classy landmark, at Christmastime or in July.   

Markita Williams is a life-long Bozeman resident and MSU graduate with degrees in English writing and liberal studies. She spent the early months of 2024 in Brno, Czech Republic, before joining the Gallatin History Museum team in August. Rachel Phillips is the Research Director at the Gallatin History Museum in Bozeman. Visit the Gallatin History Museum at 317 W Main Street in Bozeman, gallatinhistorymuseum.org, or on Facebook and Instagram.