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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 (T-Z)
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).
Taft (Mineral) - station/town named after President
Taft, early 20th century
Teedee (Carter) - town named for the Tee Dee Ranch,
named for the brand used for stock, T. D.
Teigen (Petroleum) - town named for Mons Teigen, a
large sheep rancher in the area
Ten Mile Creek (Lewis & Clark) - creek named for
the distance from Silver City to Helena
Terry (Prairie) - town, county seat, named for Gen.
Alfred H. Terry, comm. of the 1876 Custer campaign
Teton (Teton) - county, River & mountain, named
for Teton or Teat mountains
Theony (Valley) - town named for J. M. Theony, the
postmaster
Thompson Creek (Beaverhead) - creek, named for George
Thompson, an early settler
Thompson Falls (Sanders) - town & county seat,
named for David Thompson, NW Company trader
Three Forks (Gallatin) - town near juncture of 3
forks of the Missouri-Jefferson, Gallatin, Madison rivers
Three Mile Creek (Lewis & Clark) - creek named
for the distance from Silver City to Helena
Thurston (Dawson) - station named after Charles
Thurston, chair of the board at 1st Nat. Bank in Glendive
Tie Creek (Beaverhead) - creek named because railroad
ties were cut there in 1881-82
Tin Cup Lake (Ravalli) - lake named by an early
French-Canadian who lived here in early days
Tobacco (Lincoln) - station named after Tobacco
Plains & River
Tongue River (Rosebud) -river named by the Crow &
Cheyenne Indians
Toole (Mineral) - station named after the late John
R. Toole, general manager of Big Blackfoot Mining Co. Toole
(Toole) - county named after J. K. Toole, the first governor
of Montana as a state
Torbet (Gallatin) - station named for a local rancher
of that name
Toston (Broadwater) - station & town named after
Thomas Toston, a rancher there in 1882
Townsend (Broadwater) - town & county seat, named
for an official of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Treasure County (Treasure) - county so named in
effort to attract settlers
Tregloan (Park) - station named after Thomas
Tregloan, from whom RR right of way obtained
Triple Divide (Glacier) - station named after Glacier
Park's mountains; they divide waters to 3 oceans
Troy (Lincoln) - town named after a civil engineer
employed by the Great Northern Railway Company
Tusler (Custer) - station named for Henry Tusler,
early settler, pioneer and cattle king of Eastern Montana
Twin Bridges (Madison) - town named because two
bridges that span the Jefferson River
Two Dot (Wheatland) - town named after the ranch of
H. J. ("Two Dot") Wilson, owner of the town site
Tyler (Fergus) - town named for C. W. Tyler, a
rancher of that section & postmaster
Ubet (Judith Basin) - town named after A. R. Barrows
answer of "You bet" that he wanted a post office
Ulida (Meagher) - town named by Postmaster General
Key's friends for his sweetheart
Ulm (Cascade) - town named for William Ulm who
located his ranch on the site of the present town
Ulmer (Custer) - station named after George H. Ulmer
of Miles City, who came here in 1883
Underdahl (Cascade) - station named for Andrew
Underdahl, employee of Winston Brothers contractors
Unity (Meagher) - town named fro Unity, ME, from
which some of the settlers came
Valier (Pondera) - town named after Peter Valier,
general manager of the LaCrosse & Southeastern RR
Valley (Valley) - county named on account of the
topography of the country
Vebar (Golden) - station so named because of "V"
brand on cattle on adjoining ranch
Victor (Ravalli) - town named for Chief Victor of the
Flatheads
Vincent (Gallatin) - station named after Webb
Vincent, rancher
Virginia City (Madison) - town first named Varina in
honor of Jefferson Davis' wife, later Virginia
Vista (Flathead) - station named from the view
Wachusett (Fergus) - station named for Wachusett,
Mass.
Wahoma (Musselshell) - station originally named
Waldheim, changed to Wahoma ("home of the forest")
Walkerville (Silver Bow) - town named after the
Walker Brothers of Salt Lake City, owners of Alice Mine
Walrath (Gallatin) - station named after A.J.
Walrath, secretary of the H. S. Buell Land Company
Waltham (Cascade) - station named after the Waltham
ranch in this vicinity
Walton (Glacier) - station named in honor of the
famous author of "The Great Angler"
Ware (Fergus) - station named after owner of land at
this point
Warm Springs (Deer Lodge) - town named for location
near hot springs; home of state Insane Asylum
Weber (Jefferson) - town named for M. W. Weber,
postmaster of the village
Weekville (Sanders) - station named after I. S. P.
Weeks, locating engineer
Welch (Jefferson) - station named after J. Welch,
from whom right of way of NP Railroad was acquired
Welter (Fergus) - town named for Nicholas Welter,
postmaster & rancher of that section
West End (Gallatin) - station so named because of its
location at the west end of the Bozeman tunnel
West Gallatin (Gallatin) - station named for the West
Gallatin River
Westby (Sheridan) - town originally western-most in
North Dakota, later moved to Montana
Wheat Basin (Stillwater) - station named after
abundance of wheat in area
Wheatland (Wheatland) - county named for the rich
wheat land in the area
White (Gallatin) - station named because right of way
for Northern Pacific acquired from John F. White
White Sulphur Springs (Meagher) - town & county
seat named for medicinal white sulphur springs
White Tail Deer Creek (Lewis & Clark) - creek
named by the miners for deer in the area
Whitefish (Flathead) - town named because of its
location near Whitefish Lake, named after white fish
Whitehall (Jefferson) - town named from a large white
ranch home belonging to Major Brooks
Wibaux (Wibaux) - city & county, named after
Pierre Wibaux, Montana pioneer, owner of large cattle ranch
Wickes (Jefferson) - town named after W.W. Wickes,
mining engineer from Brooklyn, NY
Wickett (Yellowstone) - station named after F. H.
Wickett, from whom Northern Pac. right of way acquired
Wilder (Fergus) - town named for a man named Wilder,
partner of C.A. Broadwater in his enterprise.
Wileys (Mineral) - station named after a Mr. Wiley
who had a sawmill here at one time
Willie (Missoula) - station named after an old-timer
in this vicinity
Winifred (Fergus) - station & town named after
Miss Winifred Sewall, daughter of E. D. Sewall
Winnecook (Wheatland) - station named for the
Winnecook ranch, Indian word for "beautiful waters"
Winnett (Petroleum) - town & county seat, named
after Walter J. Winnett, rancher & owner of town site
Winston (Broadwater) - station named after P. B.
Winston, contractor on construction of Northern Pacific
Wilsall (Park) - named after son &
daughter-in-law of town site owner Walter B. Jordon, Will
and Sally
Wisdom (Beaverhead) - named after Wisdom River,
itself named by Lewis & Clark for Jefferson's wisdom
Wisner (Gallatin) - station named for Montgomery
Wisner, a farmer who settled here in 1880
Wolf Creek (Lewis & Clark) - creek named from Old
Indian name "Creek-Where-the-Wolf-Jump-Too"
Wolf Point (Roosevelt) - town & county seat named
for hill shaped like a wolf, or a stack of wolf pelts
Woodside (Ravalli) - station named for Rev. L. L.
Woods, rancher and store owner, and nearby trees
Woodworth (Powell) - town named for for C. E.
Woodworth, the first postmaster
Wordon (Yellowstone) - town named after Senator
Joseph Dixon's wife's maiden name (or her father)
Yale (Wheatland) - town named by W. A. Hedges, a
first settler from Yale University
Yates (Wibaux) - station named for an army officer by
that name
Yegen (Yellowstone) - station named for Chris Yegen,
Montana banker & merchant
Yellowstone (Yellowstone) - county, river,
translation of French name "roche jaune" "yellow rock"
Young's Point (Stillwater) - station named after
Forest Young, a settler who came here in 1887
Zortman (Phillips) - town named after O. P. Zortman,
once a mine operator in Alder Gulch
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