Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled past the future site of Armstead in 1805. The town was named for miner Harry Armstead and was located in a narrow valley containing the Beaverhead River.  The town was originally a station stop on the Union Pacific Railroad line from Idaho Falls to Butte. There was a post office at Armstead from 1910-1939.  When the Clark Canyon Dam was created, the reservoir completely wiped out the site of Armstead.  Elevation 5,545'

Founded in 1862, and named for the Bannock Indians.  It was the capital of the Montana Territory for a short time in 1864.  Bannack had a major gold discovery in 1862, and eventually became a ghost town.  About 10,000 residents resided in Bannack when the gold mining was strong.  One of the towns founders was Dr. Erasmus Darwin Leavitt (from Cornish, NH) who later gave up medicine to become a gold miner.  Dr. Leavitt eventually went back to becoming a physician and eventually moved to Butte, Montana.

Bannack elected Henry Plummer as their sheriff.  He was accused as secretly leading a ruthless gang of bandits.  Plummer and both deputies were hanged without a trial by the Montana Vigilantes of Bannack. 

The town has been declared a National Historic landmark (1961) and is known as Bannack State Park.

Site of the Aug 9-10, 1877 battle with Nez Pierce. When the US Army had a 5 month war to put 1/3 of the Nez Pierce on a reservation. 

The fighting began in the White Bird Canyon in Idaho and ended in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana.  National Battlefield designation. 

Wisdom was named for the Wisdom River, which was renamed the Big Hole River which passes through the town.  Current population about 100.

Bond

Named for David S Dewey in the mid 1870's in an area near the  Big Hole River.  It had a population between 400 and 500 people between 1870-1890. The town had 10 saloons.  Also mentioned in a History of Washington, Idaho & Montana 1845-1889.

Dillon, was named for Sidney Dillon, who directed the completion of the railroad line from Utah to Butte. Construction on the Utah and Northern Railroad had suddenly come to a standstill in 1880 when a rancher who owned the land refused to give it up for a right-of-way. A few enterprising men, thought to be Howard Sebree, John M Lowell, William Wood and others, engaged in business at or near the end of the terminus banded together and bought the ranch and gave the railroad the right to go through. They continued their partnership by executing a trust deed on December 4, 1880, and the town of Terminus was established. The name was later changed to Dillon in March 1881.

Unincorporated community with a post office, on US Route 91, south of Melrose, north of Dillon. Also mentioned in a History of Washington, Idaho & Montana 1845-1889

Town site started in 1880.  Silver Ore mines were first started in the area in 1872.  Located about 5 miles west of Big Hole River near modern day Melrose.  First lode was discovered in 1872 and the original discovers were William Spurr and James A Bryant.  Now a ghost town.

History of Washington, Idaho & Montana 1845-1889; 1906 Dillon Montana directory