Treasure State - Conclusion

(By Dr. J. P. Rowe)

Head of Department of Geology at the University of Montana

(Originally published in the Hysham Echo

on February 10, 1927)

Cont. from last week

It produces more gem sapphires than any other state in the Union, largely from Yogo gulch, Judith Basin county. It is also claimed that in the West Fork district of Granite county there is the largest placer deposit of sapphires in the world, not excepting Burmah.

Granite county produces more high-grade manganese ore near Philipsburg than is produced by all the other states in the Union.

Lincoln county claims one of the greatest yield of flax per acre of any land in the world.

Gallatin, Park, Ravalli and other counties have won many international prizes in wheat, oats, barley, peas, etc.
At Butte is found one of the richest mineralized hills in the world.

Montana ranks about second in the United States in the production of silver, third in the production of copper and eighth in the production of gold.

Montana is the sixth state in the Union in the average daily production of petroleum per barrel per well.
The Montana Power company claim that Montana leads the nation in per capita consumption of electricity.
Montana ranks ninth among the states of the union in developed hydroelectricity, and ranks sixth in possible hydroelectricity.

Origin of Montana Place Names

It is always very interesting to know that origin of names. This becomes especially so when the names are applied to rivers, towns, or mountains that we have crossed, visited or seen many times. Therefore, with this interest of the Montana people in view, the origin of some of Montana’s place-names is here given. The writer is preparing a book on this subject.
It is quite fitting that the origin of the name Montana be given first and that of its capital city be given second. The others will be taken up in part in alphabetical order:
MONTANA - A Latin word meaning “mountainous region,” and applicable to this state on account of the nature of part of its topography.
HELEN - Opinions differ as to the origin of the names, for by some it is supposed to be named for Helen of Troy, but according to the Helena Directory of 1870 It was named by John Sommerville of Minnesota, St. Helena, from the resemblance of its location to that of the original St. Helena. It was then voted to drop the prefix saint.
ABSOROKA or ABSAROKEE - Name of postoffice in Stillwater river, and also of mountains in southern Park county. Names from the name of the Crow Indians. Grinnell says the word refers to some kind of a bird, possibly crow.
ASSINIBOINE - Old fort and military reservation in Hill county. Named for a tribe of Indians. The name signifies “Stoneboilers,” and is said to have been given to them because of the singular manner they had in boiling their meat by dropping heated stones into the water in which the meat is placed until it is cooked.
BANNACK - First capital of Montana. It is in Beaverhead county and was named for a tribe of Indians.
BEAVERHEAD - County and river, named from a rock in the county shaped like a beaver’s head.
BIG DRY RIVER - Named by Lewis and Clark May 6, 1805; “on account of its having the bed of a large river 200 yards wide yet without a drop of water.”
BILLINGS - According to Gannett U.S.G.S. Bulletin No.; 256, it was named for Parmley Billings, son of the first president of the Northern Pacific railroad. However, according to Campbell, U.S.G.S. Bulletin No. 611, Billings was named after Frederick Billings, one of the early presidents of the Northern Pacific Railway company.
BIG BLACKFOOT - River in Western Montana. The name is derived from the Blackfeet Indian tribe.
BIG HORN - River and county in Montana, so named from the Rocky Mountain sheep, frequently called “big horn.”
BIG TIMBER - Town in Sweetgrass county, so named from a stream that rises in the Crazy mountains and flows into the Yellowstone river at a point opposite the town.
BITTER ROOT - Mountains and valley, named after the beautiful bitter root flower.
BOZEMAN - City in Gallatin county, named for J. M. Bozeman, an early trapper.
BRIDGER - Mountains and city, named for James Bridger, a noted guide.
BUTTE - County seat of Silver Bow county, named from a large volcanic cutter overlooking the city.
BOULDER - City, probably named on account of the numerous boulders near by.
CARBON - County, so named to indicate the presence of coal deposits.
CARTER - County, named in honor of former United States Senator Thomas Carter.
CHOTEAU or CHOUTEAU - County and city, named for the Chouteau family, two brothers of which, August and Pierre, founded St. Louis.
CINNABAR - Mountain just north of Yellowstone park, named for its rocks which are colored red by iron, which was mistaken for cinnabar.
CLARK’S FORK or CLARK FORK - Rivers in Montana - one Clark Fork of the Columbia and the other Clark Fork of the Yellowstone. Named in honor of Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
COLUMBUS - City and county seat of Stillwater county, named for Christopher Columbus.
CUT BANK - River and city, named from deep gorge made by Cut Bank creek.
DAWSON - County, named for Andrew Dawson of American Fur company.
DEARBORN - River, named by Lewis and Clark July 18, 1805, in honor of Henry Dearborn, then secretary of war.
DEER LODGE - County and city, named from a salt lick where deer came in droves.
DILLON - City in Beaverhead county, named for Sidney Dillon, railroad president.
FLATHEAD - Lake, county, and river, named from an Indian tribe.
FORSYTH - Named for General J. W. Forsyth, one of the military pioneers of this country.
FORT BENTON - Town in Chouteau county, on site of an old fort which was named for Thomas H. Benton of Missouri.
GALLATIN - County, river and valley. The river was named by Captain Lewis July 27, 1895, in honor of Albert Gallatin, who was then secretary of the Treasury.
GLENDIVE - According to M. R. Campbell, U.S.G.S. this name was given to Glendive creek by Sir George Gore, an Irish nobleman who hunted buffalo there in the winter of 1855-56.
GRANITE - County, named from a mountain which contains the celebrated Granite Mountain silver mine.
HARLOWTON - Named for Mr. Harlow of Helena, who was instrumental in building the first railroad from Lombard eventually to Lewistown by way of Harlowton.
HAVRE - City, probably named from the French seaport, Havre, formerly known as Havre de Grace.
HILL - County, probably named after James J. Hill, famous railroad builder of St. Paul, Minn.
JUDITH - River, basin and mountains. The river was named by Lewis and Clark in May, 1805, in honor of Miss Judith Hancock, of Faircastle, Va.
KALISPELL - City in Flathead county, named for an Indian tribe.
LIVINGSTON - Originally called Clark’s City. It was named in honor of Charles Livingston of New York, one of the directors of the Northern Pacific railway.
LO-LO - Town in Missoula county, meaning, in the Nez Perce language, “muddy water.”
MADISON - County and river, named for President James Madison. The river was named by Lewis and Clark July 28, 1805, in honor of James Madison, who was then secretary of state.
MARIAS - River, named by Captain Lewis June 8, 1805. Captain Lewis wrote in his journal: “I determined to give it a name, and in honor of Miss Maria Wood called it Maria’s river.” Miss Maria Wood was a cousin of Captain Lewis.
Meagher - County, named for Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher.
MISSOULA - County and city, the name is said to have the same meaning as Missouri, “muddy water.”
MILES CITY - City in Custer county, named after Gen. Nelson A. Miles.
MILK - River, so named because of its whitish appearance.
MISSOURI - River, an Indian tribal name said to mean “muddy water.”
MUSSELSHELL - River and county, named by Lewis and Clark May 20, 1805. They say: “the stream, which we suppose to be called by the Mimetarus, the Musselshell river.”
PORCUPINE - Several creeks, but the one in Valley county was named by Lewis and Clark May 2, 1805, on account of so many porcupines being found near it.
POWDER RIVER - County and river. The river was so named because of the dark powder-colored sand on its banks.
POWELL - County, named for Maj. J. W. Powell, geologist and explorer.
PRYOR - Creek and mountains, named by Captain Clark after Sergeant Pryor of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
RAVALLI - Town in Lewis and Clark county, named by Lawrence Barrett for the character in the tragedy, “Francesca da Rimini.”
ROSEBUD - County, river and town, so named because of the profusion of wild roses in the vicinity.
SANDERS - County, named after Col. W. F. Sanders, a famous lawyer of early days; also a nephew of Sidney Edgerton, first territorial governor.
SHIELDS - River, named for a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
SILVER BOW - County, so named because of its shape, and on account of the presence of this precious metal.
SMITH - River, named by Lewis and Clark July 15, 1805, in honor of Robert Smith, then secretary of the navy.
STEVENSVILLE - Town in Ravalli county, named for Isaac I. Stevens, the first governor of Washington.
TERRY - Named in honor of Gen. alfred H. Terry, who commanded the expedition of 1876 in what is commonly known as the Custer campaign.
TETON - County, river and mountain, named for a division of the Sioux tribe, and means “prairie dweller.”
THREE FORKS - Town, named because it is near the juncture of the three forks of the Missouri.
TOWNSEND - Town in Broadwater county, named for an official of the Northern Pacific railroad.
VICTOR - Town in Ravalli county, named for Chief Victor of the Flathead, Kootenai and Pend Oreille tribes.
WIBAUX - City and county, named after Pierre Wibaux, an early rancher in that district.
YELLOWSTONE - County and river. The name is a translation of the original French name, roche jaune, “yellow rock.” Print this post