Cooke City Store

Cooke City Store is a historic general store on Main Street, about four miles from Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance. It’s still a practical stop for groceries, dry goods, maps, books and fishing supplies; the Trout Rider Fly Shop sells flies, lures and licenses for Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone waters. The store is seasonal, generally open May through September, so check current hours before making a special trip.

Many of the store’s original late-1800s fixtures remain in daily use, including its hand-crank cash register. The tall rolling ladders and oak shelving show off the building’s old mercantile layout, while groceries and current travel supplies keep it useful for the road. Old photos and other historical objects sit alongside today’s supplies.

John Savage and John Elder started building the store in 1886 to serve Cooke City’s mining community. The business changed hands as the mining economy rose and fell, and the building was enlarged in 1907. Its pressed-metal decoration and turn-of-the-century fittings still reflect that remodel. As Yellowstone opened to automobile travel in 1915, the store became an important source of supplies for seasonal visitors. It’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.