Updated July 1, 2026:
After a slow but storied journey, an old-time prairie dance hall is being revived by folks in the Big Flat region of northern Montana. In January of 2024, Tricia Kimmel of Kimmel Ag Partners – a collaboration of several agricultural enterprises operated by the Kimmel family – purchased a Turner Main Street lot to begin the multi-phase effort that will restore the 1915 era hall to its former use as a community hub.
The “Country Club”, as it’s been called for decades, was the first structure built by original settlers at the town of Little Jewell, located about six miles south and east of Turner, Montana, including Kimmel’s great grandparents Samuel and Maude Brabson. The original site was donated by Jess Calvert, and once the hall was constructed other buildings arose at the four-corners intersection, namely a school and a post office. Titled after the Little Jewell Creek that runs through the coulee south of the settlement, shareholders of the building used the dance hall to hold summer classes for neighborhood children (as harsh winter was not a great time for school in that era), weddings and funerals for community members, and potluck celebrations complete with lively dancing on the unique “floating” dance floor of which few like it exist today. Records show the first classes were held there in 1915 and the latest known gathering was in the ‘70s for a 4-H club dance and meeting.
In 1989 or 1990, the Turner-Hogeland Lions Club in an effort to preserve the building added a new tin roof, plus insulated and braced the building as they intended to move the structure into the nearby town of Turner. For various reasons those efforts stalled until Kimmel began planning new life for the structure in 2023.
The community had needed a new gathering place for many years as the current structures were falling into disrepair. Simultaneously, the Kimmels considered building a facility on the ranch to accommodate the direct sales, education and tours that they often provide. It seemed to make sense to situate such a facility in town where we could fill both the Kimmels’ needs and those of the town they live in while also preserving a piece of local history. Kimmels believe that businesses, and people in general, have a responsibility to contribute to the health and well-being of the places they live and operate in, and this is a way to fill a gap.
In the summer of 2023, Kimmel consulted on-site with an engineering firm out of Billings, an architect, a general contractor, and a local building mover to determine if the building was sound enough to rehabilitate and if it would even be feasible to attempt. All four gave an encouraging response: the building has great bones and could easily be retrofitted for the same or less as all new construction.
Tricia says, “I had to decide if this was actually worth doing. It seemed a little crazy at the time, but I had several people prodding me to tackle it. I finally decided you only live once, and if I didn’t at least try, I would always wonder if I should have. I’d probably regret not doing this for the benefit of the next generation, our kids and grandkids. I figured if our predecessors could create everything a town needs from churches to schools to post offices, utilities, stores, clubs – where there was nothing previously but grass and wildlife – I could do this.”
So, construction began, and as these things usually go, things moved much slower than planned. But the Country Club finally arrived at its new home on Main Street of Turner this last March of 2026.
Once construction is completed this summer–exactly 111 years after the very first Country Club celebration–a host of activities are slated to keep the facility busy, all of which are intended to meet the company’s vision of promoting Montana agriculture, people and small businesses through promotion, story-telling, and gathering. Because the original structure is, after all, a dance hall, music and theatre will be a core use of the stage and dance floor with both indoor and outdoor flexibility. Dozens of activities will take place there from seminars and workshops, fitness sessions, vendor fairs, health spas and more. Kimmel wants others to use the building as well, for everything from weddings to small meetings, public or private events.
Because a project of this magnitude obviously comes at a cost, some events will be held as paid ticketed events while others will be free to the public. “The building is here for the benefit of everyone, and we want it to be used in that manner,” says Kimmel. To maintain a spirit of collaboration, paid memberships are being offered that provide various levels of benefit. These “Country Club Members” will receive advertising, serve as a sounding board for decision-making, will receive passes to various events throughout the year and are invited to a members-only VIP Annual Gala. According to Kimmel, the interest in this membership program has been encouraging. “We’ve received so much support so far, and the younger people really seem excited about our project, which makes my heart happy. I’m so excited to see what we can do with this place once it’s finished!”
Event Center Plan
