Welcome to Whitepine Grange!
WHO WE ARE
Whitepine Grange #102 is a cherished and historic icon of western Sanders County, Montana. Whitepine Grange has been around for more than 85 years and has played a significant role in the lives of several generations of rural residents. Whitepine Grange is a subordinate of the National Grange (officially known as "National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry"), which is the oldest fraternal organization in the United States. Originally formed as an advocate for agriculture, the Grange now serves a wider and more diverse population. Its mission is the promotion of strong families and neighborly networking.
WHAT WE DO
Whitepine Grange is an organization that offers various community services within the walls of our historic building, as well as throughout Sanders County and beyond.
Our members host events like roadside cleanup, fundraisers for the school library, and children's day camp activities. We also support our deployed U.S. military troops with CARE packages. We adopt needy families at Christmas. Each year we provide third-grade students with student dictionaries. The Grange also offers a $1,000 scholarship for graduating seniors going on to colleges or trade schools. We offer low-cost or no-cost classes for the community on subjects from dog training to senior fitness, archery, sewing, knitting, and even fly fishing. Our Grange hall hosts several craft bazaars each year. Monthly member meetings are open to the public and usually feature a special program of interest to a wide audience. Examples: home firearm safety, local hiking trails, avalanche safety, medicinal plants, first aid...the list is varied and extensive. And, of course, we have fun!
This idea of offering educational programs and social opportunities to rural residents is as old as the Grange organization itself. As it was 160 years ago at its inception, the Grange's goal is to provide the glue that binds families and communities together.
RENTALS
The Whitepine Grange building is available to rent for your celebrations, events, classes and meetings. The building features a full kitchen, two ADA restrooms, large-screen TV and high-speed internet. Inquire by email: whitepinegrange@gmail.com, or call 406-827-0102 and leave a message.
OUR HISTORY
Whitepine Grange was chartered in January 1938, when the neighborhood of "Whitepine" was very populated and robust. At the time, there were 13 different community granges in Sanders County, each one identifying with a certain geographic area. The Granges worked together to accomplish things for their respective communities and to service the local residents. Granges were community centers, meeting halls, polling places and even schoolhouses, depending on the particular needs of the locale. They were places where folks came together face to face to enjoy square dancing, card games, sewing bees and agricultural classes.
When it was first chartered as a subsidiary of the Montana State and National Grange organizations, Whitepine Grange members didn't have their own meeting hall. They met instead at the Whitepine Schoolhouse (which burned down several decades later) and sometimes met at Whitepine Church, which still stands across the highway from the current Grange hall. Whitepine Grange was responsible for making major structural improvements in that church, as well as developing a community baseball field (no longer in existence), helping purchase equipment for the volunteer fire department, and improving the Whitepine Cemetery.
​
In 1961 it was clear that the burgeoning Grange needed its own new building, so they erected the current grange hall at 9 Faro Lane. across the highway from the schoolhouse and church. The plain-jane building was constructed with volunteer labor and a very limited budget. There wasn't enough money for windows or a finished floor, and there were no water or indoor facilities. It was 1982 before a well was drilled and the building was remodeled to accommodate a restroom and a kitchen.
​
Unfortunately a few years later Grange membership began declining nationwide. Part of the reason was the Grange stopped offering low-cost insurance that had initially drawn in many members. But it was also a sign of changing demographics throughout the country, with more people moving away from rural areas and into cities where other forms of social interaction were available. This change, combined with diminishing membership in Whitepine Grange, led to the the near demise of Whitepine Grange #102. Grange meetings ceased and the building went unused except for short stints when it was a Mennonite school and a polling place. Without regular maintenance, the building began suffering major structural decay. The old tin roof leaked, the siding was falling off, porch boards began to rot, and mice took over the interior. It became a derelict building.
​
In 2020, a small group of community activists decided to resurrect the building and turn it back into a much needed community center. They formed a nonprofit group, "Friends of Whitepine Grange," and began seeking grants to fund the many repairs necessary to bring the building up to acceptable standards for public use. Since then, "Friends of Whitepine Grange" has found funding for a new metal roof, new metal siding, installation of windows (finally!), better insulation, LED light upgrades, an improved HVAC system, a new wood laminate floor, parking lot improvements, construction of two ADA restrooms, the building's first outdoor lighted flagpole ,and new stairs to the partially finished basement. Future plans include a kitchen facelift, construction of an outdoor picnic pavilion, and addition of a small storage shed.
​
With a greatly improved, more attractive facility, Whitepine Grange has been able to once again grow its membership while offering many services and activities to the rural Sanders County communities. Today only two community granges are operational in the county, where there once were 13. The other active grange is nearly 80 miles away in Hot Springs.
​
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
High school seniors who are also current Grange members may apply for two separate scholarships worth $1,000 each. One is given by Whitepine Grange #102 here in Trout Creek, and the other is given by the Montana State Grange. Both scholarships require applicants to be current Grange members and to pursue continuing education (college or trade school) with an agricultural application. Examples: veterinary, welding, electrician, agricultural research, farrier school, environmental studies, botany, forestry, chemistry, biology, etc.
​
Deadline for the Montana State Grange scholarship app is FEB. 25, 2025.
Deadline for the Whitepine Grange #102 scholarship app is APRIL 15, 2025.
To access the application packets, click on the respective icons below: