Mr. John Q. Adams, a purchasing agent for the Milwaukee Railroad, built the hotel as a rest stop for passengers and train crews. The heart of the hotel is the Madison House, a private residence which was built in the old quarter of Three Forks in 1882. Mr. Adams hired a contractor to move the house to the new hotel site. Halfway through the relocation, the contractor — a bit of a gambler — lost his horse team in a poker game. After sitting in a bog for a season, Madison House was finally delivered to its current location. Bozeman architect Fred Wilson designed the remainder of the building, which today stands in stately white-clapboard elegance.