Place Name

County

Description

Aber Mountain

Missoula

A mountain named for Professor Aber of the University of Montana

Alberton

Mineral

A town named for Albert J. Earling at one time president of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway - One reference states "The Milwaukee Road: Its First Hundred Years" by August Derleth, New York, Creative Age Press 1948, page 270 wherein it is stated:  Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company 2/11/1874 Deeded 12/31/1927 to Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company, incorporated 3/31/1927.  Thus on 1/1/1928, CMStP&P became operational.  The name change came about as a result of the reorganization of the bankrupt CM&StP in 1925.

Aldridge

Park

A Town named for Mr. Aldridge, director of the Montana Coal & Coke company

Allendale

Yellowstone

A town named for Dr. W.A. Allen, who laid out the townsite

Alzada

Carter

A town named for Mrs. Alzada Sheldon, who came to that section in 1883.  Was first known as Stoneville for Lew Stone, who settled there in 1877.  Name changed in 1890

Anaconda

Deer Lodge

County Seat, named for the Anaconda Mine at Butte. Name chosen by Michael Hickey (mine owner) from a remark by Horace Greeley, that McClellan's army would surrender Lee's like a giant anaconda

Arlee

Lake

Named for Flathead Indian chief, Arlee

Armstead

Beaverhead

A Town named for Harry Armstead, a mining man who developed the Silver Fissure mine at Polaire

Ashley

Petroleum

A town named for Eben L. Ashley, who homesteaded there in early days

Assiniboine

Hill

Indian Tribe, old fort, & military reservation. 1) Name means "stone boilers" Indians boiled meat by dropping heated stones into the water. 2) Name refers to stony nature of this Indian land

Augusta

Lewis & Clark

A town named for a daughter of D. J. Hogan, a prominent rancher of the vicinity.  Info received from Joseph Ford of Missoula, formerly a resident of the Sun River section

Aznoe

Chouteau

A town named for Walter & Myron Aznoe, the former having the post office on his homestead from 1913-1915.  Info from Mrs. Elizabeth Shiell

Babb

Glacier

A Town named for C.C. Babb, the district engineer in charge of the St. Mary's irrigation project

Bainville

Roosevelt

A town named for C. M. Bainville a local resident of that section

Baker

Fallon

County Seat. Named for A.G. Baker, engineer with Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway. Original Name of station was Lorraine

Banna[o]ck

Beaverhead

Named for tribe of Indians who inhabited the area. Term meant either "southern people" or "root diggers"

Barker

Judith Basin

A town named for "Buck" Barker, who with Pat Hughes, discovered a mine in this section, October 23, 1879

Battrick

Fergus

A town named for a post master, a local resident

Bay Horse

Powder River

A town named for a creek of that name, which in turn derived its name from a bay stallion, the leader of a band of wild horses that ranged there in early days

Bear Paw Mountains

Hill, Blaine, Chouteau

Named for the various ridges that resemble a bear's paw

Beaverhead

Beaverhead

a County & river; river named for a rock in the Twin Bridges area similar in shape to a beaver's head. The county's name was passed on from the Indians to Lewis & Clark

Belgrade

Gallatin

A town named in honor of a capitalist from Belgrade, Serbia, who traveled through town on a Northern Pacific special train en route to the driving of the golden spike completing the road

Belltower

Carter

A town named for a butte in the neighborhood, resembling a bell in shape

Bennett Creek

Carbon

A creek named for Captain Bennett of the United States Army, who was killed by Indians in 1878

Bernice

Jefferson

A town named for Miss Bernice Cannon, daughter of Charles W. Cannon of Helena, vice president of the old Montana Central Railroad

Big Horn

Big Horn

County & river; named for Rocky Mountain sheep, frequently called "big horn"

Big Swamp Creek

Beaverhead

A creek named from large amount of swamp land caused by beaver dams

Big Timber

Sweet Grass

A town who's name is a misnomer as there is not natural timber on the townsite or near it.  Named for the old Big Timber stage station at mouth of Big Timber creek

Billings

Yellowstone

County Seat. Named from member of Billings family; 1)Fredrick Billings, an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway or 2) his son Parmley

Billmar Creek

Park

A town named for Andrew Billmar, an early settler

Birdseye

Lewis & Clark

A town probably named for Charles G. Birdseye, a prominent resident of this section in early days

Birdtail Divide

Cascade

A spur of hills, one peak of which has a remarkable resemblance to a bird's tail spread

Birney

Rosebud

A town named by Joe Brown for his partner in the cattle business

Bitterroot

?

Mountains & Valley; named after the bitterroot plant. Indians called the northern end of the valley "Place of the Bitterroot" Lewis & Clark applied the name to the whole valley

Blackfoot

Glacier

Named for the Blackfoot [Blackfeet] Indians. Legend goes this way; a chief so unsuccessful in the chase that his father blackened his feet with charcoal & named him "Satsiaqua" "blackfeet"

Blackwood

Gallatin

A town named for Edward L. Blackwood &  A. B. Blackwood who settled there in 1880 & whose farms adjoin the townsite

Blaine

Blaine

Named for James G. Blaine, United States Senator from Maine

Blair

Roosevelt

A town named for Sidney D. Blair, a local resident

Bloody Dick Creek

Beaverhead

A creek named for an Englishman living there in the "60's" who was known by that nickname.                      (Noyes,  Anaconda Standard, February 20,1916)

Bonner

Missoula

A town named fro E.L. Bonner, an early settler in Missoula and first president of the Missoula and Bitterroot Valley Railroad

Boulder

Jefferson

County Seat.  Named for nearby stream along which there are numerous boulders

Boyes

Carter

A town named for a Mr. Boyes, a resident of the vicinity

Bozeman

Gallatin

County Seat. Named for John M. Bozeman, pioneer, who led the first settlers into the Gallatin valley in 1864.  He was killed by Indians in 1867

Bridger

Carbon

A town named for Jim Bridger, scout, fur trader and guide.  Its original name was Stringtown

Broadus

Powder River

County Seat. Named for the Broaddus family, early settlers on the Powder River.  One of the "D"s was left out by mistake in Washington D.C.

Broadwater

Broadwater

A County named for Colonel Charles A. Broadwater, a pioneer

Brockway

McCone

A town named for a James Brockway, an early settler in that section

Browning

Glacier

A town named for Commissioner Browning of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Brown's Gulch

Silver Bow

A gulch named for Peter Brown, who with his father, John Brown, located a claim there in the "60's"

Bruffey's

Park

A town named for George, an early settler in the vicinity

Burtonville

Teton

A town named for Z.T. Burton, founder of the settlement

Butte

Silver Bow

Named for a prominent butte overlooking the city

Bynum

Teton

A town named for the Bynum family, early settlers in the region

Cable

Deer Lodge

A town named for the Atlantic Cable mine, discovered in 1866 (Lesson's History of Montana, pg 581))

Calvin

Jefferson

A town named for Amos Calvin, old time resident of this section

Camas

Sanders

A town named for the Indian term for a small onion which grows wild in the state

Canton

Broadwater

A town named for Canton, New York, in St Lawrence county, as some of the early settlers of this region came from that town

Canyon Creek

Lewis & Clark

A town named for canyon creek which flows through the valley to the Missouri river

Carbon

Carbon

A county named because of the presence of coal deposits in the county

Careless Creek

Wheatland

A creek named by Wilham Berkin on a trip through here in 1865 from an incident of careless nature which occurred at the time

Carleton

Missoula

A town named for Mrs. Robert Carleton, an early settler in the vicinity

Carter

Carter

A county named for  former United States Senator Thomas H. Carter

Cascade

Cascade

County named because it contains the Great Falls of the Missouri River

Chance

Carbon

A town named for Nathan Chance, a stockman & early settler

Charlo

Lake

A town named for Charlot, a chief of the Flathead Indians

Chester

Liberty

County Seat. A town named by a railroad telegrapher after his home town, Chester, Pennsylvania

Chief Mountain

Glacier

"Steven's Report of a Survey", Vol. 1 pg. 549 says the mountain was named for John Rowand, chief factor of the Hudson Bay company, at Fort Edmonton

Chinook

Blaine

County Seat.  A town named for the chinook winds which blow over the area.  Its original name was Dawes

Chouteau

Chouteau

A county & town spelled [Chouteau]: for the Chouteau family.  Pierre Chouteau Sr. was the founder of the Missouri River Fur Company, and his son Pierre, Jr. was for many years associated with the American Fur Co. company

Cinnabar

Park

A town named for a mountain exposing a vertical reef formation, one of which is an intense red color which was formerly supposed to be cinnabar, red oxide of mercury

Circle

McCone

A town & county seat named after the brand used by an early day outfit, which was owned by two men named Cross & Twiggly

Clancy

Jefferson

A town named for Clancy Creek, which in turn was named for an old timer, known as "Judge" Clancy who died in Las Angeles in October 1882

Clark Fork

??

Two rivers: Clark Fork of the Columbia and Clark Fork of the Yellowstone.  Both were named in honor of Captain William Clark of the Lewis & Clark expedition

Clyde Park

Park

A town who's name origin has two version; 1) Name stems from raising Clydesdale horses in the Shields River Valley in the early days. 2) Named for Clyde DuRand, an early rancher

Cohagen

Garfield

A town named for a Mr. Cohagen, a resident of the vicinity

Colstrip

Rosebud

Town with a composite name, Coal Strip.  Home of the largest single coal mine in Montana. The coal bed is nearly flat with a small amount of rock on top. The rock is stripped off & the coal is mined by steam shovels.

Columbia Falls

Flathead

A town so named, since the townsite was to be located close to the falls on Flathead River, which is part of the headwaters of the Columbia River

Columbus

Stillwater

City & county seat, 1) named for Christopher Columbus 2) named for Columbus, Minnesota

Comanche

Stillwater

Stream & town.  The village was named after the stream, & the stream was named after a horse, the sole survivor of the battle along the Little Big Horn in 1876  The horse was named after the Comanche Indians

Comertown

Sheridan

A town named for W.W. Comer, a local resident