Farewell to a Good Friend

A much beloved friend and pioneer in Montana preservation, John N. DeHaas, Jr., passed away on April 7. John’s career and passion for preserving Montana’s historic buildings touched many of us in the preservation realm, and he will be dearly missed by former students and colleagues.  He began teaching architecture at Montana State College (now MSU) in 1951 and became fascinated by the history of Montana and its reflection in Montana's architecture. The state's ghost towns were his favorite places and he took great delight in leading student field trips, from day trips to area historic towns and ghost towns to longer spring break tours. His legacy is embodied in his 30 years of teaching students about the importance of preserving the physical traces of Montana's history.

With great foresight, he co-founded the Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society in 1972, guiding many tours and  remaining active with them for almost 40 years. His book, Historic Uptown Butte, fought against the tide of Urban Renewal, by chronicling the buildings of Butte many of which were in danger of being demolished. He gave numerous public programs on Montana’s historic architecture   and published an article on Bozeman’s City Hall and Opera House in Montana: The Magazine of Western History.

His award-winning photographs captured the integrity of Montana’s frontier-era buildings and today serve as a lasting record of that period in our history in the Library of Congress and Historic American Building Record. He gave his time to numerous civic boards, serving as a member of the Bozeman City Planning Commission, Zoning Board, and Historic Preservation Advisory Board, as well as the state Historic Preservation Advisory Board and most recently, the Gallatin County Historic Preservation Board.

John’s lasting commitment to Montana’s history did not waver, and long after his sight had waned, he continued to attend conferences, meetings and events with his wife Bernice by his side. He inspired us all by dedication and example; we will follow the path that he blazed for many years to come.