LOLO — The former Lolo school property is set to be developed into the Belltower subdivision.
While the rest of the lot prepares for construction, the old school building will not be demolished.
Instead, Lolo residents who run a history museum received it as a gift.
Almost 100,000 pounds of history is taking a drive, relocating from Highway 93 to Highway 12.
"We'll put big steel beams under it, you know and then we'll use the hydraulic jacking machine, get it jacked up, and then we'll slide it off the existing foundation," said Ernie Otoupalik, owner of Abel Moving and Rigging.
The process started four years ago when Ramona Holt, a Lolo resident since 1948, took an interest in preserving the school her children attended while the surrounding area was being developed.
"In December, they contacted me and said they were donating it to the Holt Heritage Center," Holt said. "It's very important because it's the last remaining original structure from the old town of Lolo."
As a collector, Holt and her husband gathered all sorts of Western things, from belt buckles to rodeo announcer microphones. They created a by-appointment-only museum in 1999.
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"You know, that's kind of been our forte is preserving history so generations to come can enjoy it," Holt said.
Once the school is settled across from Travelers' Rest State Park, it may become a museum itself.
"It's only one generation, and people forget history before that, and so it's very important, and my thoughts are to use this structure to continue with the history of Lolo," Holt said. "I have quite a bit of artifacts from Lolo, and I'm looking now for some school artifacts so that we can show people what it was like back then."
Before then, those moving the school hope the steeple can make it down the street in one piece without catching any wires.
"We're going to have to have two electric companies involved. There is one communication wire crossing the highway also, but most of the stuff will be up to Northwest Energy," Otoupalik said.
The big move is planned for early summer.
