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Select
brief notes about place names throughout the state, with an
emphasis on towns.
A-B,
C-D,
E-G, H-L,
M-R,
S,
T-Z
Photo above on Left: The community of Landusky is
named for Powell "Pike" Landusky, reputed to be one of the
toughest rough-and-tumble fighters of the west, who was
killed by Kid Curry in 1894.
Place Names
of Towns and Landmarks (C-D)
County
location in parenthesis; place names are towns
unless indicated otherwise.
The listing below is
condensed and edited from a more comprehensive list on the
Montana Railroad History website (compiled from several
sources, primarily The Montana Almanac 1957 edition,
published by Montana State University).
For those interested in more
than this cursory listing of place names, consider
purchasing a copy of
Montana Place Names: From Alzada to Zortman,
published by the Montana Historical Society press, or
visit the accompanying interactive website.
Also see the 1954 article, "Montana Place Name
Records," by Lucille Childears.
East Portal (Mineral) - named for station at the east
end of the St. Paul pass
Eastham (Teton) - station named for Eastham,
Massachusetts
Edgar (Carbon) - station near Fromberg; Henry Edgar
named, discovered gold in Alder Creek 1863
Edilou (Gallatin) - station on Bozeman-Mineral branch
line, named for Edward Allen & daughter, Louise
Edwards (Garfield) - named for John E. Edwards,
prominent state citizen and resident of the section
Ekalaka (Carter) - county seat named after a Sioux
Indian girl, wife of scout David Harrison Russell
Electric (Park) - station named from Electric Peak,
so named because of an electrical storm in 1872
Elizabeth Lake (Missoula) - lake and falls named for
Mrs. Tom Francis Meagher, supposedly by husband
Ennis (Madison) - named for farmer William Enis, who
came to Bannock in 1863
Erlice (Gallatin) - station named for the daughter of
Taylor Hamilton, a farmer who settled here in 1885
Evans (Cascade) - named for Capt. John H. Evans, an
early resident in the area
Evaro (Missoula) - station named in honor of a French
count, an early journeyer through the territory
Fairview (Richland) - named by homesteader L. E.
Newlon, for his "fair view" of the Yellowstone valley
Fallon (Prairie) - town & county in Eastern
Montana, named for Benjamin O'Fallon, U.S. Indian Agent
Falls Yard (Cascade) - terminal named because of its
location near Great Falls
Farmington (Teton) - station on the Great
Falls-Agawam branch line; reflected character of farming
region
Feeley (Silver Bow) - named for J. Feeley, an early
settler in the vicinity
Ferdig (Toole) - named for an oil man who owned
property in that section
Fergus (Fergus) - station & county, former named
for settler Andrew Fergus, county named after his father
Finch (Rosebud) - station named for F. N. Finch,
superintendent of a division of Northern Pacific Railway
Findon (Meagher) - named for Findon, Scotland, by
Mrs. Mary C. Grant, who settled there in 1881
Finn (Powell) - post office named for a family of
that name
Finn (Jefferson) - station named for J.D. Finn,
superintendent of Northern Pacific Railway
Fisher Creek (Lincoln) - named for Jack Fisher, an
early-day trapper & hunter
Fishtrap (Deer Lodge) - named after Lee Marsh's fish
traps on the creek; he sold fish to the mining camps
Flathead (Flathead) - lake, county & river, named
after an Indian Tribe
Fleshner (Lewis & Clark) - named for an early
settler of the locality
Florence (Lewis & Clark) - named for Florence,
daughter of Ed Lippincott & wife T. P. Fuller
Florence (Ravalli) - named for Florence Abbot
Hammond, wife of A. P. Hammond formerly of Missoula
Flume (Teton) - station named for a large irrigation
flume which crosses the Great Northern line here
Flynn (Rosebud) - station near Forsyth, named for T.
M. Flynn, superintendent of Northern Pacific railway
Foraker (Mineral) - station on the Milwaukee
railroad, named for United State Senator, Foraker
Forsyth (Rosebud) - county seat, named after Gen.
James W. Forsyth, U.S. Army officer
Fort Benton (Chouteau) - named for Thomas H. Benton
of Missouri, U.S. Senator (on site of old post, 1850)
Fort Keo[u]gh (Custer) - near Miles City, U.S. Army
post in 1877, named for Capt. Keogh
Fort Logan (Meagher) - named for Capt. Logan, killed
in battle of the Big Hole
Fort Piegan (Glacier) - station (formerly Carlow),
later named after Fort Piegan, Blackfoot trading post
Fort Shaw (Cascade) - established in 1867 as Camp
Reynolds, later named after Col. Robert G. Shaw
Fort Union (Roosevelt) - formerly Mondak, name
changed to Fort Union in 1925 in memory of trading post
Foster (Big Horn) - post office named after a son of
Mr. J.M. Hannaford
Fox (Carbon) - near Red Lodge, named after J.M. Fox,
prominent area citizen, father of Judge Sidney Fox
Frenchtown (Missoula) - the early inhabitants were
largely French Canadian, hence the name
Fridley (Park) - named for a man who founded the town
& settled in the region early in its history
Froid (Roosevelt) - named by Division Engineer,
Charles A. Walker, who got it from an old map of Nebraska
Fromberg (Carbon) - formerly named after local miner
Gebo, later changed to Fromberg, a Slovenian name
Fullerton (Fergus) - named for Mr. Fuller, a rancher
in that section
Galen (Deer Lodge) - named after Dr. Galen, noted
doctor & physician on tuberculosis
Gallagher (Yellowstone) - north of Billings, named
for B&CM engineer who was Missoula depot master
Gallatin (Gallatin) - station, county, river; named
by Lewis July 27, 1805, for Albert Gallatin, U.S. Sec. Tre.
Gardiner (Park) -named for the Gardiner River, after
Johnson Gardiner, a fur trapper in early days
Garfield (Garfield) - county in east & central
Montana, probably named after President James Garfield.
Garneill (Fergus) - named after a local resident Mr.
Garneill and his wife Garnet
Garrison (Powell) - town & railroad center, named
for William Lloyd Garrison, antislavery advocate
Garryowen (Big Horn) - siding south of Crow Agency,
named for the band piece of the same name
Gaspard (Missoula) - station so named because right
of way was acquired from Gaspard Deschamps
Gearing (Lewis & Clark) - named for a family of
that name who lived near by.
Gehard (Fergus) - named for an early settler of that
section
Georgetown (Deer Lodge) - named for George Cameron,
an early miner of that section
Geraldine (Chouteau) - named after Mrs. Geraldine
Rockefeller, wife of Wm Rockefeller, railroad exec
Gibbons (Beaverhead) - named for Gen. John Gibbon
Gilbert (Powell) - station named for F. W. Gilbert,
general superintendent of Northern Pacific Railroad
Gilman (Lewis & Clark) - named for L.C. Gilman,
vice-president of Great Northern Railway
Gird's Creek (Ravalli) - creek named for A. K. Gird,
deserter from Johnson's army who settled on the creek
Glacier (Glacier) - county named after Glacier Park,
next to which it lies
Glasgow (Valley) - county seat, named from the city
in Scotland by the Great northern Railway
Glendive (Dawson) - county seat, named after Glendive
Creek by Irish sportsman Sir. George Cook
Gold Creek (Powell) - town & creek at which gold
was first discovered in Montana
Golden Valley (Golden Valley) -county for rich soil
and plentiful water
Gorus (Ravalli) - station near Darby, named after Mr.
G. D. Gorus, successful raiser of McIntosh apples
Gould (Lewis & Clark) - named for the Jay Gould
mine here, which was named for the well known financier
Grace (Silver Bow) - station, named for Mrs. Grace
Penfield, wife of W. H. Penfield, engineer, C.M.&St.
Paul
Granite (Granite) - county named from mountain
containing Granite Mountain silver mines
Grannis/Granis Crossing (Park) - station named for
Mrs. Thirza Grannis, who sold right-of-way to NP Rail
Grant's Creek (Missoula) - creek named for Capt
Richard Grant who built a home here in the early days
Grantsdale (Ravalli) - named for H. H. Grant,
landowner, built first flour mill & owned first store in
area
Grass Range (Fergus) - name probably intended as a
description of the location in a stock range country
Great Falls (Cascade) - named because it is near the
Great Falls of the Missouri River
Greenwood (??) - named for a farmer of that name, who
lived in that area
Grey Cliff (Sweet Grass) - town & station, named
after a nearby cliff which is of gray tinted conglomerate
Grizzly (Glacier) - station in Glacier National Park,
suggestive of the wild life in Glacier region
Grundy Gulch (Lewis & Clark) - gulch named for
David Grundy, discoverer of the gulch
Gunsight (Glacier) - station named Admus, later named
for Gunsight mountain and pass in Glacier Park
Gypsum (Fergus) - station east of Lewistown, named
after Gypsum mine & plant owned
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