Deer Lodge County, Montana 1870-1888

The following data is extracted from Bancroft Works, Volume 31, History Of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-1889, Hubert H. Bancroft, 1890. The History Company, Publishers, San Francisco..

Deer Lodge County, also west of the Rocky Mountains, and the second settled, was much less in size than Missoula, containing 6,500 square miles, but fully equal in attractions and natural wealth. It had 25,000 acres under improvement, and raised 130,000 bushels of grain in 1878, made 150,000 pounds of butter, produced 50,000 bushels of potatoes, 1,200,000 pounds of garden vegetables, 75,000 of wool, and manufactured 1,000,000 feet of lumber.

Its population was 9,000, and taxable wealth $2,341,268. In 1884 its livestock alone was valued at $1,000,000.

Deer Lodge City, the county seat, situated on the east side of Deer Lodge River, contained 1,200 inhabitants. It is the commercial and educational centre of a large area of mining and farming country.

It had a fire in 1872 which destroyed a large amount of property, and caused the organization of a fire department, in educational facilities were a collegiate institute, erected in 1878 at a cost of $22,000, a graded public school, and a Catholic boarding-school, conducted by the Sisters of Charity. The New Northwest newspaper, not excelled by any in Montana, was published here. The penitentiary was located here. The Catholic, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches were tasteful and creditable structured, and the general style of architecture was pleasing. Seen at a proper distance for perspective.

Deer Lodge presents an inviting picture, with a mountain background contributing to its scenic effect; nor does it disappoint the beholder on a nearer view.

Phillipsburg. Pioneer, Silver Bow, Blackfoot, New Chicago, McClellan, and Lincoln all became towns of some consequence. The other settlements in Deer Lodge County are Bakers Mill, Bear gulch, Bear's Mouth, Beartown, Black Tail, Boulder Creek, Boulder House, Brown gulch, Cable, Cariboo gulch, Casmark, Clark Station, Coberly's Station, Cottonwood City, Deep gulch. First Chance, Flint Creek Valley, Frederickson, Georgetown, Gold Creek, Got-Em Sure, Greenwood, Gwendale, Harrisburg, Helmville, Henderson. Henderson gulch, Hope Mine, Humbug, Jefferson gulch, Levengood, Lincolnville, McClellan gulch, Morristown, Pike's Peak, Race Track, Reynolds, Rocker, Saw Pit, Scratch Awl, Silver Lake, Snatch 'Em, Stone Station, Stonewall gulch, Stuart, Sunset, Sweetland, Trarona, Tower, Vestal, Warm Springs, Washington gulch, Williams, Willow Creek, Willow Glen, Yamhill, and Yreka.

Source: Bancroft Works, Volume 31, History Of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-1889, Hubert H. Bancroft, 1890. The History Company, Publishers, San Francisco.

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