Montana History:  Place Names (M-R)

         

 

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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 (M-R)
County location in parenthesis; place names are towns unless indicated otherwise. Condensed from the 1957 Montana Almanac.

MacLees (Gallatin) - station, named because right of way for Northern pacific acquired from I. S. MacLees
Madison (Madison) - county & river named for President James Madison, by Lewis & Clark
Malta (Phillips) -city & county seat probably named from a Mediterranean Sea, by Great Northern Railway
Manhattan (Gallatin) - town named by New Yorkers who bought land and started Manhattan Company
Marco (Dawson) - town named for an early settler in the vicinity
Marent Gulch (Missoula) - gulch named after Joseph Marent, an early settler
Marias (Toole) - river in NW Montana, named by Captain Lewis June 8, 1805
Marsh (Dawson) - town named for F. H. Marsh, superintendent of northern Pacific railway, 1882
Martinsdale (Meagher) - town named for Maj. Martin Maginnis, territorial delegate to congress
Marysville (Lewis & Clark) - mining town, named for Mrs. Mary Rallston, first white woman settler
Mason (Carbon) - town near Laurel named for S. D. Mason, principal assistant engineer for NPR
Matthews (Gallatin) - town named for Thomas Matthews, a farmer who settled there in 1998
Maudlow (Gallatin) - town named for a member of the R. A. Harlow family, pres. of the Montana railroad
Mauland (Fergus) - own named for Mr. Mauland a stockman of the section
Maxville (Granite) - town first called Flint, later named after postmaster & merchant, R.R. Macleod
McCabe (Roosevelt) - town named for local rancher by that name
McClain (Missoula) - station named because right of way for NP was acquired from T. A. & J.P. McClain
McClave (Fergus) - town named for Charles R. McClave, president of the Montana Flour Mills Company
McCone (McCone) - county in northeastern Montana, named in honor of late Sen. McCone of Dawson Cty.
McCracken (Yellowstone) - town named after a rancher by that name in that locality
McDonald (Sanders) - station named because of proximity to Duncan McDonald's ranch
McElroy (Yellowstone) - town named after contractor McElroy of Billings
McKenzie (Fallon) - town named for Johnny McKenzie, early settler
McLeod (Sweet Grass) - town named for W.F. McLeod.
McQuarrie (Missoula) - station named for Daniel L. McQuarrie, resident in Bearmouth in 1893
Meagher (Meagher) - county named for Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, gov. of Montana Territory, 1865-76
Melstone (Musselshell) - town named for Melvin E. Stone, at one time president of the associated press
Melville (Sweet Grass) - town named for Lieutenant Melville of arctic fame, by H.O. Hickox
Menard (Gallatin) -town named for Telsford Menard, a farmer near there
Meriwether (Glacier) - town (formerly Bombay) named to honor Capt. Merewether Lewis
Merriman (Park) - town named for W. H. Merriman, general agent of traffic department for Northern Pac.
Merritt Mountain (Glacier) - mountain in Glacier Park named by Gen. W. C. Brown
Miles City (Custer) - city & county seat named for Gen. Nelson A. Miles of civil & Indian wars fame
Milk River - river so named by Lewis & Clark because of its whitish appearance.
Mill Iron (Carter) - town named for "Mill Iron" brand used by the Harris-Franklin cattle outfit
Millegan (Cascade) - town named for Mr. Millegan who lived there at the time the post office was created
Miller Creek (Missoula) - creek named for Ezra Miller who settled on the creek in 1866-67
Miner Creek (Beaverhead) - creek so named because of a supposed find of gold in the area
Mineral (Mineral) - county so named on account of many mines & mining prospects with in the county
Ming Coulee (Cascade) - valley named for John H. Ming, an early settler of Montana, and cattleman
Mission (Park) - station named from old Crow Indian Agency & mission located there
Missoula (Missoula) - city & county, possibly named after Selish Indian word meaning "the river of awe"
Mitchell (Lewis & Clark) - town named for Martin Mitchell, early rancher
Mitchell Gulch (Jefferson) - gulch named for J. F. Mitchell who had a claim there in the '60's
Moccasin (Judith Basin) - town named after a mountain range in view, named after the Indian footwear
Moiese (Lake) -town named for a Flathead Indian sub-chief
Molese (Lake) - small town named for a Flathead sub-chief, Molese
Molt (Stillwater) - station near Big Lake, named for R. F. W. Molt, who sold right-of-way to Northern Pacific
Monida (Beaverhead) - town lying near boundary line between Montana & Idaho ("mon" and "ida")
Montague (Chouteau) - station near Shonkin Lake, named for Montague, Massachusetts
Montour Creek (Powell) - creek named by Indians near the mouth of the North Fork of the Blackfoot River
Moore (Fergus) - station named after Mr. Moore of Philadelphia
Morel (Deer Lodge) - station named for a rancher by that name who lived in the vicinity
Mossman (Yellowstone) - town & railroad junction named after P. B. Moss of Billings
Moulton (Fergus) - town named for Ben Molton, rancher of Grass Range and county commissioner
Mount Hague (Sweet Grass) - mountain supposedly named for the well-liked Mrs. Hague of Cooke county
Muir (Park) - station named after John Muir, contractor on the Bozeman Tunnel
Mulky Creek (Beaverhead) - creek named for Cy Mulky, who had a cow camp on the stream
Mullan (Lewis & Clark) - town & tunnel named for Lieut. John Mullan, first explorer of Mullan Pass
Murn (Custer) - station near miles City, named for Pat Murn, one time roadmaster on the Northern Pacific
Musselshell (Musselshell) - county & river in east-central Montana, named by Lewis & Clark May 20, 1805
Mussigbrod Creek (Beaverhead) - named for Dr. C.F. Mussigbrod, caretaker of Warm Springs asylum
Myers (Treasure) - station named after Mr. Myers, civil engineer of the Northern Pacific)
Neihart (Cascade) - town named for J. L. Neihart, prospectors and discoverer of minerals in the area
Nelson (Lewis & Clark) - town named for Cy Nelson, one of the first settlers in the vicinity
Nye (Sweet Grass) - town named for the mining camp of Nye City, in turn named for Jack V. Nye
Ogden Mountain (Powell) - mountain named for James Ogden, who mined there
O'Keefe's Creek (Missoula) - creek named for C.C. O'Keefe, who settled there in early days
O'Neil (Custer) - town named for Frank O'Neil who lived in that section
Opheim (Valley) - town named in honor of Alfred S. Opheim, the postmaster
Outlook (Sheridan) - town after the view which could be had from the townsite
Paradise (Sanders) - town that’s name is said to be a modification of "Pair O' Dise" after a roadhouse
Park (Park) - county so named because of its proximity to Yellowstone National Park
Pat O'Hara Creek (Carbon) - creek named for an Irishman who was killed by the Indians there in 1876
Pattee Creek (Missoula) - creek named for David Pattee, who took up land on this creek in 1865
People's Creek (Blaine) - creek was originally named "Many Peoples" and is probably of Indian origin
Petroleum (Petroleum) - county so named because of the production of petroleum at Cat Creek
Philbrook (Judith Basin) - town named by E. J. Morrison for his grandfather, John Philbrook of Knox, ME
Philipsburg (Granite) - county seat, named for Philip Deidesheimer, superintendent of a mining company
Phillips (Phillips) - county formed out of Valley county in 1916, named for B. D. Phillips, pioneer sheepman
Pike's Peak Mountain (Powell) - mountain named by the party of miners who discovered gold in 1862
Piniele (Carter) - town named for nearby twin buttes; mistakenly recorded as "Piniele" instead of "Pinicle"
Plains (Sanders) - town formerly called Horse Plains, originally a wintering place for Indians
Plentywood (Sheridan) - town named after early stand of timber on the banks of the nearby creek
Plevna (Fallon) - town named after Plevna, Bulgaria; many Bulgarians worked on the railroad
Poker Jim Butte (Rosebud) - mountain named for "Poker Jim", a famous character of the neighborhood
Polaris (Beaverhead) - town named by a mining engineer for the polar star
Polson (Lake) - town named for David Polson, a stockman who lived in the Mission Valley south of Polson
Pompey's Pillar (Yellowstone) - rock feature named by Clark in 1806, after Pomp, Sacajawea's son
Pondera (Pondera) - originally Pend d'Oreille [ear pendent]; changed to avoid confusion with Idaho town
Pony (Madison) - town named for Smith "Pony" McCumpsey, who found gold in the gulch nearby
Poplar (Roosevelt) - town named from the nearby Poplar River, after timber in the area
Potomac (Missoula) - town named for R. S. Ashby, a resident who came from Virginia in 1893
Powder River (Powder River) - county & river, named because of the gunpowder-colored sand on its banks
Powell (Powell) - county named after Mt Powell, named for Major John W Powell, early geologist/explorer
Prairie (Prairie) - county named for the topography of the region
Princetown (Granite) - town named for Dick Prince, an oldtimer here.
Quigley (Granite) - town named for a Mr. Quigley from Chicago, who promoted the mining camp
Rapelje (Stillwater) - town named for J. M. Rapelje, Vice President of the Northern Pacific Railway
Ravalli (Ravalli) - county named for a Jesuit missionary, Father Anthony Ravalli
Red Bluff (Madison) - town named for the iron-stained bluffs in the vicinity
Red Lodge (Carbon) - county seat; named after Crow Indians in the area or for an Indian medicine man
Redstone (Sheridan) - town so named because of the red stone formation of bluffs close to town
Reese Creek (Gallatin) - town named for John E. Reese, who settled there in 1864
Reichie (Beaverhead) - town named for a family of that name engaged in ranching in the vicinity
Reynold's City (Deer Lodge) - mining camp of the '60's, named for Jack Reynolds, discoverer of the camp
Richie (Dawson) - town named for Clyde C. Richie, the first postmaster
Richland (Richland) - so named in order to advertise the section to prospective settlers
Ringling (Meagher) - town named for John Ringling of circus fame, who was also a railroad president
Robare (Pondera) - town named for Henry Robert, employee of the American Fur Company
Rocker (Silver Bow) - town, former placer mining camp, named for the "rocker" (machine used in panning)
Romey's Lake (Madison) - lake named for Lucien Romey, an early settler in the vicinity
Ronan (Lake) - town named for Major Peter Ronan, U.S. Indian Agent; wrote a history of Flathead Indians
Roosevelt (Roosevelt) - county named for President Theodore Roosevelt
Rosebud (Rosebud) - county, town and river; named because of the profusion of wild roses along river bank
Ross Peak (Gallatin) - named for Melvin Ross Sr., who climbed the summit and placed a flag there
Rothlemay (Golden Valley) - town named by George Pirrie (stockman) for a place near his old Scottish home
Roundup (Musselshell) - county seat and town so named because it was located in a cattle round-up area.
Roy (Fergus) - town named by W. H. Peck, early settler, after a family member
Ruby (Madison) - mountains, valley and river; early settlers found red, ruby-like minerals in the area
Rye Creek (Ravalli) - creek named by the early settlers after an abundance of rye grass along the stream
Ryegate (Golden Valley) - county seat; named after abundance of rye in the area
 

 

Montana History Net is produced by Bruce Gourley.  Photographs, except Clark signature, copyright Bruce Gourley.