Lewis and Clark County,
Montana
Genealogy and History
History of Cities and Townships
| Annis - is near Stemple Pass, southeast of Lincoln, had a post office 1916-17 with Frank Aagaard in charge. |
| Augusta - Named for the daughter of pioneer rancher J. D. Hogan, who also managed the holdings of Conrad Kohrs. The town was incorporated in 1883 and a post office was established the following year with Phil A. Manix in charge. Augusta's place as a shopping and banking center area was briefly challenged by a new town, Gilman, which grew up around the railroad; the Great Northern bypassed Augusta and built its 1912 station a few miles to the north. But by 1942 this upstart town had faded, and Augusta was once more the school, shopping and banking center for the surrounding ranch area. |
| Austin - was a flag station on the Northern Pacific north of Helena near the once populous and prosperous placer camp known as Greenhorn. According to postal records, Peter Tostevin was appointed postmaster when the post office opened in 1901 in a place formerly known as Butler. The office closed in 1967. |
| Bald Butte - near Marysville, was a mining camp with a post office 1991-1906; John Braun was the first postmaster. |
| Baxendale - had a post office 1891-95, John Roy was first postmaster. |
| Belmont - had a post office 1879-82 with john Jurgens a postmaster. |
| Bickel - began as a station on the Great Northern. It was named for Paul Bickel, a civil engineer. |
| Birdseye - Birdseye had a post office granted in 1898 with William J. Tobin as postmaster. The community and post office were formerly called Clough. The office was discontinued in 1916. J. P. Rowe gives two versions of why it was named: "After a freighter who ran a line of freight wagons through the territory years ago" and "Probably named for Charles G. Birdseye, a prominent resident of the section in the early days." Maybe both are right -- even a mule-skinnin' freighter could settle down and become a prominent citizen. |
| Bradford - an early post office 1891-83; Ezra Clemons was postmaster. |
| Broadwater - is a community or populated place located in Lewis and Clark County at latitude 46.604 and longitude -112.087. Broadwater appears on the Helena U.S. Geological Survey Map. |
| Butler - a post office from1891-1901. Thomas Coulter was the postmaster. After this, the mail address was Austin. |
| Canyon Creek - formerly called Georgetown. It take its present name from the creek that flows through a canyon to the Missouri River. The town, which has had a post office continuously since August 1871, now serves as an outpost for the ranches of the Prickly Pear Valley. The general store and filling station are located a few miles northwest of Helena. William Negus was the first postmaster. |
| Canyon Ferry - had a post office 1868-1907 (Joseph
Stafford, postmaster); the office was active again 1910-22 and 1949-57. Early travelers found this
a convenient place to ferry across the Missouri as it runs through the canyon. This information came from the book, Names on the Face of Montana. |
| Cavetown - was established as a post office in 1878 with court sheriff as postmaster. The office closed two years later. |
| Cecil - had a post office 1884- 1886 with DeWitt Holbrook as postmaster. |
| Clarkston - Clarkston had a post office 1873-1878 and again in 1883-84. Bradford Woods was the postmaster. |
| Clemons - This was and early settlement with a post office in 1898-1925, except for a few months in 1901. Frank Eberl was the first postmaster. Clemons is near Wolf Creek. |
| Clough - Clough was a station named for Co. J. B. Clough, principal assistant engineer for the Northern Pacific. Postal records show an office from 1894-98 with Mary Brien in charge and note that the name was changed to Birdseye. |
| Collegedale - was the name of the post office which only existed February-September of 1900. Eugene Peck was the postmaster. |
| Craig - was named for Warren Craig, a pioneer resident. In 1886, Craig built a log house with a stone fireplace, which he had to defend many times from the Indians (Perrin). The house is a half mile from the Great Northern depot. In 1890 his son, John Craig, also settled here and Mrs. John Craig later served as postmaster. Postal records say the name was formerly Stickney, but actually the Stickney post office was on the other side of the river. It closed in 1888. Service was resumed at the Craig office with Benjamin Stickney continuing as postmaster. For some years a ferry ran across the Missouri between the two places. The Craig post office was closed in 1953. |
| Cruse - Cruse
was named for Tommy Cruse, discoverer of the Drum Lummon Mine and later a banker and philanthropist, who financed
the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Helena. Cruse was also the name of a railroad siting on the Musselshell River. After Cruse had made his fortune in mining he came to the Flatwillow area in Petroleum County and went into the sheep business. |
| Cyanide - For many years a large plant operated here which treated ore with cyanide. |
| Dearborn - Dearborn was named for the river, which had been named by Lewis and Clark, the explorers, on July 19, 1805, to honor Henry Dearborn, then Secretary of War. Dearborn had a post office in 1876-77 with Huebert Milot in charge. The office was opened again 1878-98. |
| Diamond Springs - had a post office from 1885 - 86, ran by J. Underhill. |
| Duffy - was a small town named for John Duffy, an early settler. |
| East Helena - was name for its location in relation to Helena. It is a smelter town for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Many of the first settlers came from the Balkan countries shortly after 1900. The post office opened in 1888 with Henry Clark in charge. |
| Empire - had a post office off and on, from 1886 - 1895. Joseph C. Pyle was the first postmaster. |
| Flesher - Flesher is near Wilborn and named after the first postmaster, Gideon Flesher. The office was opened in 1902-28, except for a few months in 1916-17. Flesher is also the name of the pass at the Continental Divide, north of Helena. |
| Florence Springs - Florence Springs was originally called Florence and named for Florence Fuller (Rowe). a post office operated there February-April 1879. Florence's father, Ed Lippincott, was postmaster. |
| Forest Heights - Forest Heights is northeast of Frontier Town at the McDonald Pass. |
| Four Range - |
| French Bar - had a post office in 1869 with William Jares as postmaster. It closed in 1876. |
| Frontier Town - West of Helena, north of Rimini and south of Skyline. |
| Fulton - was a settlement with a post office in 1888-1914. Lottie Woodruff was the first postmaster. |
| Gearing - was station on the Great Northern named for Thomas D Gearing, an early-day rancher. |
| Gilman - had a spurt of life after the Great Northern built a depot here in 1912. The town was named for L. C. Gilman, vice-president of the railroad. It had the usual stores, shops and even cement sidewalks. The September Fair was the big celebration. Gilman challenged the already established town of Augusta for status as an area banking and shopping center. A battle ensued when the new town demanded a school, which they eventually succeeded in getting. But the tragic year of 1919 started business on the downhill trend for a new community; the railroad ordered its depot building moved to Augusta, and by 1923 Gilman's bank had closed, and in 1926 the big, new school building stood empty, though an elementary school continued until 1955. The post office, which opened in 1912 with George Nash as postmaster, closed in 1942. In 1950 a local rancher bought the title to all of Gilman for $81 (Montana Magazine; Spring 1976). |
| Gloster - had a post office in 1882-95. Hiram McAllister was the first postmaster. |
| Gould - was named for the Jay Gould Mine, which in turn was named for the famous financier. Gould was near Wilborn. The post office opened in 1888 with Otis Allen as postmaster. It was closed 1891-93 then open again until 1917. |
| Greenhorn - was once a prosperous and populated
mining camp. The post office was opened 1871-73 with John Reynolds as postmaster. The office reopened
in November 1882 but in April of the following year the territorial governor of Montana telegraphed postal authorities
in Washington, D. C.: "Vigilantes at Greenhorn Montana have removed postmaster by hanging office now vacant.' Evidently he wasn't replace, because the post office was ordered discontinued and the mail was sent to Helena. |
| Hauser Lake - was named for early banker-stockman who was part owner of the DHS outfit (Davis, Hauser and Stuart). Postal records show and office established as Hauserlake in September 1905 and adds that the name was changed to Holter in 1908. Hauser Dam was completed in 1911: Holter Dam was some fifteen miles down the Missouri and was completed in 1918 - so it was a new location, not a name change. |
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Helena - Helena grew out of the rich discoveries made in Last Chance Gulch in July, 1864. because the placer claims in this gulch were found to be unusually productive and because of many other nearby discoveries in the region for which Helena is a natural center, it soon grew into an active and alert western city. On Sept. 24, 1864 the gulch was organized according to the methods of miners’ law and practice. At the request of the clerk of the meeting it was named after his home town, the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota. On April 14, 1875 , it became the capital of the territory, after a long struggle which is fully described in the chapter on Pioneer Law Making. Helena existed as a city without incorporation for a number of years, it’s affairs being managed by a committee of its leading business men. It was finally incorporated in 1881. At that time it had a population of 3,264. It had been first among the urban centers of Montana since the decline of Virginia City after 1865. It held this place through the period of the census of 1890, with a population of 13,184, and until Butte and Great Falls crowded it down to the rank of third as it is shown in the census of 1900, 1ith 10,770. In 1910, it was fourth with 12,515; in 1920 it was fifth with 12.037, and in 1930 it was sixth in rank with 11, 803. |
| Hilgersville - named for postmaster Nicholas Hilger, was a post office 1886-87 and April- May 1890. |
| Hogan - a post office 1887 - 1919; Joseph Embody was the first postmaster. It was near Augusta. |
| Holter Dam - completed in 1918 on the Missouri River. |
| Iron - |
| Johns - named for William Johns, who had a ranch there in the early days. |
| Lincoln - near the border of Powell County, is about seventy miles east of Missoula "as the crow flies", about fifty miles northwest of Helena, and near Stemple Pass on the Continental Divide. The town is surrounded by some of Montana's largest pines trees and is buried under heavy snows in the winter. During the summer it becomes a have for Helena citizens, many of whom have vacation homes here. Lincoln used to be an important placer mining camp a few miles from its present location. It took its name from two mining companies that operated here: Lincoln Placers, Inc., and Lincoln Associates, Inc., which were named for the first mine, located August 31, 1865, at Abe Lincoln Gulch. The camp was first called Springfield, presumably for Springfield, Illinois; many Civil War veterans were coming West at the time, and Springfield was widely hailed as the home of the famous president. A post office has operated here almost continuously since 1869; the first postmaster was named Alfred Pose. |
| Marshall - was a post office April - August 1875 with August Kruger as postmaster. The office was open again 1914-15 under Claud Lockwood. |
| Marysville - Marysville was once a famous mining town. It is son thirty miles northwest of Helena and popular with skiers. Marysville was on of the state's leading gold producers 1880-90. Thomas Cruse, who discovered the Drummon Mine there, named his strike after his home in Ireland and the town for Mrs. Mary Ralston, the first white woman to arrive. It has been estimated that the total output from this mine was around $50 million. Much of it was mined while Drumlummon was owned by an English company. 'Tommy' Cruse was converted to Catholicism shortly before his death, and much of his fortune went toward building the beautiful Gothic cathedral in Helena. The Marysville post office opened in February 1881 with Michael Lane as postmaster. |
| Mike Horse - a post office 1943 - 52. The first postmaster was Elizabeth Klugman. |
| Milford Colony - |
| Millersville - was a post office 1875-76 with Alexander Loyd as postmaster. |
| Mitchell - named for Martin Mitchell, a ranch owner at the time this Great Northern station was built. It was first known as Mitchell's, and Mitchell was postmaster when the office opened in 1888, only to close later that same year. The office was open again in 1898 with May Burfield as postmaster; it closed in May 1899, opened again in December, closed in 1922, and was open again 1924-25. The name was the changed to Sieben. |
| Mount Pleasant - had a post office 1878-80 with Thomas Cotter as postmaster. |
| Mullan - had a post office March 1882-April 1883; the mail was then sent to Helena. The town and the nearby tunnel were named for Lt. John Mullan, the first white man to explore the pass that came to be known as Mullan Pass. The first postmaster was James Morrison. |
| Nelson - This town was named for Cy Nelson, one of the first settlers in the vicinity. The post office opened in 1904 with Robert Smith as postmaster; it closed in 1937. |
| Pacific City - is a ghost town. There was placer mining there form 1864 to 1875. It was also known as McClellan Gulch. |
| Power - was a post office 1881082 with Henry McDonald as postmaster. It was near Centerville. |
| Riebeling - a station on the Great Northern, was named for Henry J Riebeling, a rancher from whom the GN purchased land for the town site. A post office operated there 1913-18 (James Gray, postmaster) and 1920-37. |
| Rimini - is an old mining town said to be named by Lawrence Barret for the character in the tragedy Francisca da Rimini. The post office was established in 1884 with Brace Wilson as postmaster, it closed in 1936. |
| Rochester - was formerly called McClellan Gulch. The post office opened in 1890 with Alex Hamfield in charge. It closed in 1892. |
| Rohner - was a post office 1890-1902 and took its name from the first postmaster, John Rohner. |
| Sieben - once a Great Northern station, was an early stage station on the freight route between Fort Benton and Helena, and was called Mitchell. The name was changed to Sieben, after a family who owned a ranch near there and under that name a post office was active 1925-28 with James Linderman appointed first postmaster. The Mitchell office was established in 1900. |
| Silver Camp - had a post office 1917-18 with Henry Johns as postmaster; after that the mail was directed to Flesher. |
| Silver City - called Silver until 1888, was a station on the Great Northern. The post office was active most of the time 1867-1912. John Green, first postmaster, was appointed when the area was still called Edgerton County. The name was chosen in 1869 because a man named named Silver lost his wife while they were traveling by horseback through this country and he buried her along a stream later named Silver Creek - where gold was later discovered - to commemorate her interment (Perin). When GN built its line through here they called the station Silver, but confusion in reading the name on a train order caused a head-on collision at Sieben, and on August 25, 1925, the company changed the name to Silver City. It was not uncommon for the railroad and the postal department to be at odds over names assigned to an area. |
| Skyline -northwest of Austin, in the Spring Meadow Lake State Park. |
| Southvale - had a post office February- July 1879 with Alvira Walrath as postmaster. |
| Split Rock Junction - |
| Spring Creek -a post office was here from February- August 1878 with August Kruger in charge. |
| Stearns - near Wolf Creek, had a post office 1891-1921. |
| Stemple - named for Stemple Pass over the Continental Divide and is between Canyon Creek, and Lincoln. A post office opened in 1884 and was active on and off until 1923. Henry Jacob was the first postmaster. |
| Tobin - |
| Unionville - was granted a post office in 1869 with Philip Constans as postmaster. The office was closed 1887-92, then opened again 1880-1912. |
| University Place - a post office here, from 1891-95, with postmaster James Johnson. |
| Vaughn - was the name of a post office 1887-89. |
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Virginia City - “….On the 16th the Verona Town Company recorded its claim to 320 acres of the land on which Virginia City stands. The name of Verona was used in a number of legal papers which were executed at this time, but this was soon exchanged for Virginia City, which first appears upon the county records on the 17th. The first name given to the present capital of Montana was in honor of Jeff. Davis’ wife, but as stated, it was soon changed to Virginia. Dr. (Judge) G. G. Bissel was the first man that wrote it Virginia. Being asked to head the legal document Verona, he bluntly said he would see them d—d first, for that was the name of Jeff. Davis’ wife; and accordingly, as he wrote it, so it remained…” |
| Weed - |
| Wilborn - named for William Wilborn. Postal records indicate a post office opened in 1908 with Ruth Bradley as postmaster, and the very next entry shows Ruth Wilborn as postmaster. Maybe she married William. |
| Wolf Creek - is north of Helena and a important recreation center which includes a general store, service station and tourist courts. It was named for the large creek that flows by it, and is derived from the Indian phrase "Creek - Where - the - Wolf - Jumped - Too" (Rowe). However, Montana, A Guide Book spells the last word "to", which gives an entirely different picture of the incident which apparently prompted the Indians to choose such a name. Files of the Great Northern Railroad give the name origin as "Creek - That - The - Wolf - Jumped - In." Regardless of what the wolf did, he left his stamp on a rushing mountain stream and a town. a post office under the name Wolf Creek was opened in 1888 with George Houghton was postmaster. The settlement was first called Centerville. |
| York - was a mining camp a few miles north of Canyon Ferry. The post office opened in 1887 with Henry Kincaid as postmaster; it was discontinued in 1917 and the mails was handled at Nelson. York was named for New York City; a nearby camp called Brooklyn. |
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Some information came from the book, 'Montana In The Making', but
most of the historical information came from the book, 'Names
on the Face of Montana", by Roberta Careek Cheney'. I have special
permission form the Mountain Press Pushing
Company to use this information. Permission given by John Rimel.
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