Our New Adventure
As a family, we discussed the possible adventure of building a new restaurant at great lengths: the workload, hours, the economy, the costs, etc. Needless to say, it was a daunting idea, but eventually we decided to give our local community something that it needed, wanted, and deserved.
A place for family and friends who live, work, and play in our small community to come together to eat, drink, and be merry. A place where we could celebrate today while honoring tradition.
The most popular question was of course “What do we name it?” One thing we could all agree upon was that we wanted the name to have some meaning. Some history. Some significant tie to the community where our ancestors settled and my family has called home for more than 150 years.
Being raised “a railroad brat” since my father worked for the R&R his entire career, the truth was that I was tired of all the names that included the old standards… rail, tracks, trains, locomotives, etc. At some point all the local names start to sound the same and become rather unremarkable.
Fortunately Krista Simmons had the perfect idea and pitched it to Jacob Gradwohl and me during one of our early work sessions. We could do both: pay respects to the community’s long history while also focusing on something new and different.
In short, something that would help pay homage to our community but deliver it with an original twist.
And Carlton Depot is Born
Did you know that before Laurel was named after a shrub it was originally known as the “Station of Carlton?”
In the late 1870’s, William Clark a rugged entrepreneur selected a prime location to be one and only future trading post strategically located at the mouth of the Clarks Fork River. Unfortunately, history left Station of Carlton unclaimed until 1877 until a stage coach station was finally established just a few miles north of Laurel at the mouth of Canyon Creek.
In 1897 settlers started to homestead the area and local history and landscape began to take on local features like Hobo Hill and the current railyard which was once a section house serving both a depot and a post office. By the summer of 1882, there were almost 200 settlers in the area.
The official Northern Pacific Guidebook produced in 1883 mentioned the Station of Carlton in just one single sentence. “Passing the unimportant Station of Carlton eighteen miles west of Billings, the next stopping place is Park City.”
At the end of 1883, Station of Carlton was renamed Laurel, a new post office was established in 1886, and in 1879 Laurel was finally identified as a town. However, it wasn’t until 1908 when Laurel became “incorporated” and the community came together to elect its first city council and mayor.
Family Roots & Local Traditions
The history and dedication of community and family is of the upmost importance to us. Our family history in the area runs back generations dating back to 1882. Our ancestors are some of the earliest settlers in the area around Laurel. Our families have significant ties to Laurel, Park City, Laurel Fire Department, BNSF/Montana Rail link, the CHS refinery and other local businesses.
Our goal, through the name and art is to acknowledge and pay respect to all working-class folk that have helped develop and grown our community.
In the spring of 1882, at the age of 26, my father’s great, great, great grandfather left Maine for a new “land of opportunity.” In 1888, his wife joined him at the homestead at the south fork of Canyon Creek. Over time, my family’s homestead became known as Coombs Flat and is approximately 12 miles northwest of Laurel. By 1891 my ancestors sold the ranch and moved down the valley west of Laurel.
In the early 1900’s, his own grandparents moved to the area and farmed a patch of land in the vicinity of what is now Broadwater and 48th located between Laurel and Billings. My now maternal ancestors once resided in what locals now refer to as The Red Barn on Trewin School Road.
In addition to my own family ties to the railroad and my husband’s JW Hopper’s dedication to the local fire department and local mine, my son Jacob’s family history runs deep in the fire department and our community’s working-class roots. His great grandfather D.J. McGillen, a local fireman who served from 1953-1990, was known as Mr. Firecracker and even his grandfather Darrell McGillen followed in his footsteps until 2007, and Jacob’s dad Allan Gradwohl proudly served on the community’s fire department for 20 years. For those of us who have been around for a while remember the time the three of them owned and operated the Palace Bar and Lanes and DJ’s Steak Palace.
Carlton Depot 