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Gallatin City
Gallatin City, sometimes called East Gallatin, was
the first town located in Gallatin County, through the efforts of
pioneers organizing in the winter of 1862 and 1863, and a charter
was granted for the city by the first legislature in February 1865,
and this was the first county seat. A lodge of the Independent Order
of Good Templars was organized there in 1871, and Keystone Grange
was organized in 1874, granges at Farmington and Elk Grove being
organized about the same time. This town ceased to exist many years
ago.
Hamilton started in 1865 and 1866, about 18 miles west of Bozeman,
also had a Good Templars' lodge, and at this town, Miss Gertrude
Crittenden had a seminary for girls for a few years. John Potter
opened a general store there in 1872, with a large hall on the
second floor that was a popular place for dances, lodge and other
meetings. When the town was abandoned, the Potter store and some
other buildings were moved to what later became the town of
Manhattan.
Bozeman
Bozeman is the oldest city in the county having
continued existence, being formally named August 9, 1864, and being
the county seat of Gallatin County nearly ever since the creation of
the county by the territorial legislature. On February 13, 1874, the
legislature approved an act authorizing the inhabitants of Bozeman
to organize as a corporate body, and defined boundaries as laid down
on the original plan.
Under a charter granted by the legislature in 1883,
Bozeman was organized as a city, and on April 9 of the same year,
the city council was organized: with
J. V. Bogert,
Mayor;
J. J. Davis, Clerk and City Attorney
Jacob Oakwood, City
Marshal
T. I. Dawes, Police Magistrate
John B. Davidson, Assessor
W. B. McAdow, Will F. Davis, William H. Tracy, Walter
Cooper, Nelson Story, W. W. Alderson, Peter Koch and D.
E. Rouse being the First Aldermen
The city is now under the commission-manager form of
government. It has a wonderful water system municipally owned, with
pure mountain water. Bozeman is the Gateway to Yellowstone National
Park from the Northern Pacific Railroad through Gallatin Canyon and
the West Yellowstone entrance.
Three Forks
The original town of Three Forks, established not
far from the headwaters of the Missouri River, has only a few
buildings now to mark the early settlements, the new town of Three
Forks, about a mile southwest of the old town, being established
about 20 years ago by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad.
It is a prosperous little city with many lines of business, two
weekly newspapers, a fine school building, churches and hotels.
Willow Creek
There were many pioneer farmers around what is now
the town of Willow Creek in 1864, and while there seems to be no
official record of the time the town was started, the first post
office was established at Willow Creek January 1, 1872, and has
continued ever since. The town has a fine school building, a
substantial church and general merchandise stores. It depends upon
the farming and poultry raising industries largely for support.
Salesville
Salesville was one of the pioneer towns, named for
Z. Sales, who secured a sawmill started by J. J. Tomlinson,
continuing the business on the West Gallatin River several years.
With his family, he established the town on his property, the name
of the town being changed in 1927 to Gallatin Gateway, by the
Milwaukee Road, when this town became the terminus of the branch
line from Three Forks, carrying passengers for the trip through
Yellowstone Park by way of Gallatin Canyon. The passenger depot was
established in the commodious Gallatin Gateway Inn built by the
railroad. A good brick schoolhouse, some substantial business blocks
and comfort-able homes are found there.
Springhill District
It was in the Springhill District that the second
flourmill was built in Gallatin Valley, and through a false report
of the discovery of gold in the district, a town was established
there in 1871. A post office was continued at Springhill several
years, but the people of the district, which still retains the name,
now receive their mail through rural delivery from Belgrade.
Chesnut
The town of Chesnut, named for Colonel Chesnut, a
discoverer of coalmines in Rocky Canyon, was in its prime in the
eighties, when the mines were developed extensively. Few people
reside there now, getting out some coal, but the railroad station
still functions, and the school house in still in use.
Belgrade
Belgrade was established in 1883, the year the
Northern Pacific Railroad passed through the valley. Thomas B. Quaw
with his family started the town in the heart of an important grain
raising section of the valley, having a warehouse and facilities for
shipping grain over the railroad before a station was built. The
town has had a
steady growth, a flour mill, elevators, a bank, several business
houses, a weekly newspaper marking the progress of the community.
There is a fine large school building, with churches and substantial
residences in the city. The city owns the water works system.
Manhattan
Manhattan, one of the progressive cities of Gallatin
County, was established in 1884, on the line of the Northern
Pacific, about 20 miles northwest of Bozeman, practically
supplanting the old town of Hamilton. Some of the best buildings
were moved from Hamilton to Manhattan. A large malting plant was the
most important industry for several years, but this was abandoned
and a few years ago the building was torn down. Agriculture and
stock raising for shipment are important industries, a branch line
of the Northern Pacific to the Anceney Station 20 miles south,
bringing large stock shipments for eastern and western markets.
Sugar beets raised by some of the farmers are shipped to the
Missoula Sugar Factory. The people are especially proud of their
large community high school and the grade school. There are also
churches and important business blocks. A weekly newspaper is
published.
Trident
Trident is the home of the large plant of the Three
Forks Portland Cement Company that manufactures large quantities of
cement from material found in the stone bluffs or mountains in that
vicinity, about a mile east of the headwaters of the Missouri. This
cement is shipped to all parts of Montana and to other states for
road building and for business blocks. The Montana Power Company
furnishes electric power for the machinery and for lighting and
cooking purposes. The residences and schoolhouse, as well as
business houses are of cement.
Central Park
Central Park is a small town on the Gallatin River
about 15 miles northwest of Bozeman, where a cheese factory is the
chief industry. Cream is shipped by the farmers of the district from
the railroad station, and some other farm products are also shipped.
A schoolhouse is used by two teachers during the school year, and a
church, used at one time for regular service, is used occasionally.
Logan
Logan, five miles west of Manhattan, is the junction
for the Northern Pacific Railroad, stubs from regular through trains
making connections with Helena and Butte and intermediate points.
With a round house there, several employees of the road with their
families reside there, and with families living near needing school
advantages for their children, a substantial brick school house has
been built, and two churches.
Grayling post office and residence of Mr. and Mrs. Peter
Kerzenmacher.
While there is no town at Grayling, a few miles
northwest of the regular Gallatin Canyon Road on the way to the
Madison, Peter Kerzenmacher has been engaged in farming in that
district for 42 years, and has had the post office at his home since
it was established in December 1899. For many years this has also
been a voting precinct.
West Yellowstone
West Yellowstone was first settled in 1907 and 1908
by S. P. Eagle, Alex Stuart, L. A. Murray, Charles Bowers, Joe
Clause, Steve Kramer, and C. A. Arnett. The post office was
established in 1908, with Charles A. Arnett postmaster. He was
succeeded in 1910 by S. P. Eagle, who is still serving in 1932, and
with his family conducts a general store, the family now moving to
Bozeman for the school year. West Yellowstone was made an official
entrance to Yellowstone Park in 1907, the year the railroad reached
there from Idaho, though there had been an entrance at what was
known as West End for several years.
The first school was established at West Yellowstone
in 1914 with Miss Clara Stephens, a graduate of Gallatin County High
School, who had attended the State Normal College, as the first
teacher. The picture of the log schoolhouse with the children shows
that in the winter months the teacher and children went to school on
skis. They now have a model schoolhouse with two teachers and better
traveling facilities.
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Additional
Gallatin Resources
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