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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 (S)
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.
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).
Saco (Phillips) - town whose name is presumably a
contraction of Sacajawea, Indian guide of Lewis & Clark
Salem (Cascade) - station named for Salem,
Massachusetts later changed to Underdahl
Salesville (Gallatin) - town named for a farmer &
merchant by the name of Sales; now Gallatin Gateway
Saltese (Mineral) - town named in honor of Chief
Saltese, who resided here some years ago
Sanders (Sanders) - town & county named for U.S.
Senator W.F. Sanders, pioneer, vigilante, statesman Sappington
(Jefferson) - station named for Henry H. Sappington,
property owner there
Savage (Richland) - station named for Mr. Savage,
supervising engineer for the U.S. reclamation service
Schatz (Powell) - town named for an old German
storekeeper
Schley (Missoula) - station established in 1899 &
named in honor of Rear Admiral Schley, U.S. Navy
Scobey (Daniels) - town & county seat named after
Major Scobey, agent of Fort Peck Indian Reservation
Scott (Fergus) - town named for an engineer of the
Great Northern Railway company, now McDonnell
Seeley (Powell) - lake named for J. R. Seeley, first
white man to live there
Selway (Powder River) - town named after the Selway
brothers , early cattlemen of the section.
Seven Mile Creek (Lewis & Clark) - creek named
for the distance from Silver City, once a county seat
Seymour Creek (Deer Lodge) - creek named fro Johnny
Seymour, old time placer miner of French Gulch
Shawmut (Wheatland) - station named after a rancher
& post office of that name
Shed's Bridge (Custer) - town that’s name was later
changed to Bonfield
Shelby (Toole) - town & county seat, named after
Peter P. Shelby, a vice president of the Northern Pac.
Sheperd (Yellowstone) - town & station named
after R. E. Sheperd, pres. of Billings Land & Irrigation
Co. Sheridan (Madison) - town, station, county named
for Gen. Philip S. Sheridan, military commander in MT
Shields River - tributary of the Yellowstone River;
named by Wm Clark in 1806, for an expedition member
Shirley (Custer) - station named after a U.S. army
officer who camped there in 1876
Shonkin (Chouteau) -station named for a ranch of the
Shonkin Ranch Company in that vicinity
Sidney (Richland) - town & county seat, named
after Sidney Walters in 1888
Silesia (Carbon) - town, named for Silesia Springs
near by, from the name of chemical contents of the water
Silver Bow (Silver Bow) - county & creek,
possibly after silver
Silvertip (Flathead) - station named because of its
location in the Glacier Park mountain region
Sioux Pass (Richland) - town named for Indian trail
of Sioux Indians near here
Sipple (Judith Basin) - station named for a family of
early settlers
Sixteen Mile (Meagher) - station named for Sixteen
Mile Creek
Skones (Silver bow) - station named after Mike
Skones, at one time roadmaster
Skyline (Lewis & Clark) - station named because
of its location at the summit of the Rocky Mountains
Slaughterhouse Creek (Meagher) - creek named after a
nearby slaughterhouse
Slayton (Golden Valley) - station named for D. W.
Slayton, early settler and sheepman
Sleeping Child Creek (Ravalli) - creek named by the
Indians, said to have been Weeping Child originally
Smead (Sanders) - station established in 1891 &
named after W. H. Smead of Missoula, a lumber mill owner
Smith River (Fergus) - river named by Lewis &
Clark in 1805, in honor of Robert Smith, Sec. of Navy
Spain (Gallatin) - station named because the right of
way was acquired from R. V. Spain
Sphinx (Park) - station named after formation in the
vicinity, resembling a sphinx
Spion Kop (Judith Basin) - station named for a battle
in the Boer War
Spotted Robe (Glacier) - station formerly called
Kilroy, a translated Indian name of a Blackfoot chief
Spire Rock (Jefferson) - station so named because of
its location near a bare dome of granite
Spring Gulch (Missoula) - station opposite from gulch
through which flows Spring Creek
Spring Hill (Gallatin) - station whose name suggest
its origin
Spring Hill (Lewis & Clark) - mine whose name
suggest its origin
Springdale (Park) - station & town & stopping
place for those going to Hunter's Hot Springs north of here
Sprole (Roosevelt) - town named for Major Sprole,
Indian Agent at one time in charge of Fort Peck
Spurling (Stillwater) - station named after J. E.
Spurling, district freight & passenger agent at Billings
Square Butte (Chouteau) - station named because of
its proximity to a square butte
St. Regis (Mineral) - town named from St. Regis de
Borgia River
Stanford (Judith Basin) - town named after
Stanfordville, New York, or for Major James T. Stanford
Stavely (Fergus) - station of the Great Northern
Railway, named for early resident Stavely Hamilton
Steele Creek (Beaverhead) - creek, named for Mike
Steele, who discovered placer on one of its bars
Stemple (Lewis & Clark) - town, named for J. A.
Stemple, who located the Stemple Mining district
Sternes (Lewis & Clark) - town, named for
brothers who were pioneer settlers of that region
Stevensville (Ravalli) - town named for Isaac I.
Stevens, 1st governor of Washington Territory
Stillwater (Stillwater) - county, named from the
river, because of a sandy ford located near the mountains
Stinking Water Creek (Beaverhead) - creek named after
Indian "Pasamaria," meaning "stinking water"
Stipek (Dawson) - town named after J. J. Stipek of
Glendive, proprietor of the Bee Hive cash store
Stone (Granite) - station named because of the many
large stones in the vicinity
Stone Creek (Custer) - town named from a house built
of stone, used as a stopping place in the early days
Story (Gallatin) - station named after Nelson Story,
prominent resident of Bozeman
Straw (Fergus) - town named for W. O. Straw, rancher,
who owned the townsite
Stuart (Silver Bow) - station named after Granville
& James Stuart, miners in 1858
Suffolk (Fergus) - station named after owner of the
Suffolk ranch
Summit (Glacier) - station at the crossing between
the crazy & Castle Mountains, renamed Loweth
Summit (Glacier) - station at highest point in the
Marias Pass through which the GN Railroad passed
Sunburst (Toole) - town named because the rising sun
would burst over the Sweet Grass Hills
Superior (Mineral) - town & county seat, named
Superior in 1869 by a man from Superior, Wisconsin
Sutherland (Prairie) - town named for J. R.
Sutherland, a resident of that vicinity
Sweet Grass (Sweet Grass) - county named for
abundance of the famous sweet grass in Melville area
Sykes (Carter) - town named for Senator Harry Sykes
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