Calvin and Magdalene Cook came to Montana from Kansas in 1880 and settled near Stevensville with the intention of farming. After more than a decade, business opportunities in Stevensville led the family to move into town. Calvin opened a transfer business in 1894, and in 1899 the Cooks became owners and managers of the Stevensville Hotel. He also became a partner in the Stevensville Trading Company. In 1910, the Cooks planned a new home to reflect their success, and local architect Warren Roscoe Rodgers designed a residence that is a model example of the transition from Queen Anne to Classical Revival styles. Its asymmetrical roof line, ornate porch railings, and two-story front bay show lingering Queen Anne elements, while its simple floor plan, Tuscan columns, and projecting portico reflect the emerging Revival style. Rodgers’ use of concrete block, seen throughout Stevensville, appears in the home’s decorative concrete block foundation. The residence passed to daughter Cora and her husband John Emerson in 1930 and has remained in the Cook family as a well-preserved tribute to these early settlers who put down roots in Montana.