'Fred Whiteside is one of our states authentic unsung heroes'

Thus observed Great Falls Tribune reporter and columnist Frank Adams in 1980, a year after a plaque was installed in an obscure capitol hallway, the only monument in recognition of Whiteside, who was perhaps Montana’s most courageous statesman.

Barely 20, Fred Whiteside left home in Illinois in 1878 to make the dangerous trek to Montana Territory. Using profits from buffalo hunting, Whiteside became a building contractor, constructing several early structures in Miles City.

Whiteside soon became one of Montana’s most notable builders, constructing a major silver smelting facility in G...