At the intersection of the Yellowstone River and a highway south to Red Lodge and the Beartooth Mountains is Riverside Park.
Once Apsáalooke land, the city of Laurel bought the property in 1934, after which stone buildings housed Depression-era job seekers and then German prisoners as an internment camp.
Now, the buildings serve a different purpose.
At the very end of a row of buildings is the American Legion meeting house. Inside on the tables are boxes of military photos, certificates and other memorabilia from U.S. military history.
Don Jones is one of the more than 100 members that meet here.
“After the war was over, the city of Laurel allowed us to move down here, make this our home,” said Jones.
The Legion is remodeling the interior of the building, which was damaged by flooding more than a decade ago. Jones said it’ll be a meeting house and rental venue when it’s all done, maybe with a small museum attached.
“It’s also a safe space for [veterans] to come down and talk to somebody if they needed to,” he said. “Because I’ve talked to many veterans who need some help.”
Along with the American Legion, Riverside Park has campsites, a boat launch and spaces for community events.
The state recently announced the park’s nomination for inclusion in the Historic Register. The nomination is the result of a four-year research process by historian Kevin Kooistra and other staff at the Western Heritage Center in Billings on behalf of the Yellowstone Historic Preservation Board.
“It’s an opportunity for people to hopefully get something of value from the nomination, to have something in their back pocket that says these buildings are pretty cool, and we still want to cherish and love these buildings,” said Kooistra.
The nomination heads to the National Park Service, which has 45 days to review and accept it into the National Register.
