A genuine piece of our past moved into state ownership with the gift of Reeder's Alley to the Montana Heritage Commission. Owners Darrel and Kathleen Gustin approached the Montana Heritage Commission in 1999 with the offer to donate the historic site to the State of Montana. On Nov. 19, the Land Board approved the transfer, but it took a number of weeks for the paperwork to follow.The Montana Heritage Commission was created by the 1997 Legislature to acquire and manage historic properties in Montana that show signs of being self-sufficient. Reeder's Alley fit the double criteria of a significant historic site with a positive cash flow. "We wanted to be sure that this important part of our history is protected well into the future," said Darrel Gustin. "These buildings represent a part of Helena that will disappear if we do not take active steps to save it. Kathleen and I felt that we had to find a permanent home for Reeder's Alley."The site was built over several years by Louis Reeder, a brick mason from Pennsylvania who sought a better life in Montana Territory more than 130 years ago. Reeder brought his skills and hopes to Helena in 1867. He worked on the buildings until his tragic death in 1884.Pat Boedecker and her friends initiated preservation efforts at the site 40 years ago. Their actions may have saved the buildings from the urban renewal program that removed many of Helena's oldest buildings.The buildings are a testament to quality workmanship and construction techniques, having survived the great earthquake in 1935. The complex includes six buildings with 22 units on 1.5 acres, including the Stonehouse Restaurant, a local dining establishment known for its good food and quaint atmosphere. Reeder's Alley has received mention in nationally acclaimed publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and Ladies Home Journal.Ellen Baumler from the Montana Historical Society has spent many hours researching the site. "We would like to know more about Louis Reeder," said Baumler. "We know that he willed the location to his brother, but more research needs to be completed. There are many stories we know about the site, but there are many more waiting to be discovered. Reeder crafted his buildings in both stone and masonry and their design, especially the brick tenements, reflect urban housing trends he brought from home and translated here into a simple vernacular form. A log cabin, likely standing on the property when Reeder acquired it, was incorporated into the complex. Although the buildings look much the same today, historically the landscape was stripped of vegetation. Two locust trees planted in front of the Butts cabin, brought west as seedlings in lard cans, provided the only shade for many decades."Baumler has written a brief history of the buildings, laced with stories that bring the past of the buildings alive."Darrel and Kathleen Gustin are to be commended for their generosity, sense of civic pride, and love of history," stated Jeffrey Tiberi, executive director of the Montana Heritage Commission. "We need many hands to save our history. It was a pleasure to work with members of the Gustin Family in this project." No immediate changes are expected in the management of the site. It will take at least a year to prepare a management plan for the location.