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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 site (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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