Blossburg - located near Lewis and Clark County line. It served as a station
on the Northern Pacific. Postal records show a Blossburg post office in Deer Lodge-Powell
County established in 1886 with Jacob Whitmire as postmaster. It is noted that
it was formerly Barcon and that office was closed in 1902. Blossburg is
listed in Powell County and had a post office open in 1950 with Edna Medsker as
postmistress. It is also noted that this was formerly called Schatz which was
discontinued in 1957.
Bradley - a Northern Pacific Railroad Station. Named for an Army
officer killed at the Battle of the Big Hole.
Carpenters Bar - briefly a post office June-December 1872. Thomas Pounds was
postmaster.
Charlesburg - named for postmaster Charles Anderson. The office was only
active from February-September 1920. Mail was then handled at Elliston.
Cottonwood - gold miners named this camp and it eventually became the town of Deer
Lodge.
Daniels - near Race Track, had a post office 1902-1904. Dora Lingo was
in charge.
Deer Lodge - is the county seat, located in the valley that was once called the ALodge of the White-Tailed Deer@ by the Indians. The settlement
was once called Cottonwood by gold miners because of an abundance of cottonwood trees.
Later it was called LaBarge City in honor of Capt. LaBarge who started a trading
post in 1802. In 1863, citizens formed the Deer Lodge Town Company, and changed the
name to Deer Lodge City. The post office opened in 1866; Romulus Percy was in
charge. The name was shortened to Deer Lodge in 1896. The state
penitentiary opened in Deer Lodge in 1871.
Dempsey - was named for Dempsey Creek which in turn was named for Robert Dempsey, a
Montana pioneer who owned a ranch on the creek in the 1860's.
Elliston - is near the Continental Divide twenty-five miles from Helena, on the
other side of McDonald Pass. The post office was established in 1884; S. N.
Nicholson was postmaster.
Emery - had opened a post office in 1896,;James Sullivan postmaster. The post
office was open off and on from 1896 to it's final closing in 1937.
Finn - a halfway stop between Avon and Helmville, was named for Luke Finn, who
operated the only saloon. The post office opened in 1910 ; Edwin Graver was
postmaster. It closed in 1941.
Garrison - was named for William Lloyd Garrison. It developed into a railroad
town between the Clark Fork River and a high bluff. The Northern Pacific trains from Butte
and Helena met there and continued on to Missoula as one line. The post office was
established in 1883; William Facer was postmaster.
Gilbert - named for F.W. Gilbert, general superintendent of the Northern Pacific
Railroad.
Gold Creek, Goldcreek - The president of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Henry
Villard, came here in September 1883 to drive the iron spike that completed the line
linked the West Coast with the East. The Gold Creek area was originally called the
Benetsee Creek area. A post office was opened in 1886; Francis Bird was
postmaster. It closed in 1894, and was opened again in1898 to 1901. Postal records
show the name spelled as one word. The office reopened in 1903.
Helmville - is in the mountains near where Nevada Creek empties into the Blackfoot
River. The town was named for Henry Helm, a pioneer settler. The post office was
established in 1872; Alvin Lincoln was postmaster.
Holland Lake - named for the first settler, B.B. Holland.
Isabel - the post office was open from December 1885-January 1888. John Fitzpatrick
was the first postmaster. It was near Junction.
Jens - named for an area resident whose first name was Jens. The post office was
open 1915-52; Jessie Madesen was the first postmaster.
Keene - near Garrison; the post office was open 1883-84. It was named for
postmaster Hiram M. Keene.
Kohr - was a station named for Conrad Kohrs, a prominent businessman in Helena,
from whom the right-of-way for the railroad was purchased.
LaBarge City - the town that is now Deer Lodge was known by this name for a brief
time.
Lake City - was near Helmville. Originally called Belair, and under that name
had a post office established in 1914. The name was changed to Lake City the next year.
Harry McNally continued as postmaster until the office was discontinued in 1917.
Ovando - is northeast of Missoula opened its post office in 1883. The town
was named for Ovando Hoyt, the first postmaster.
Pioneer - had a post office from August-December 1870; Nicholas Connolly was
postmaster. The office was open again 1871-1907 and 1977-18, serving the area formerly
getting mail at Gold Creek.
Race Track - named for a racetrack that was built there, opened its post office in
1879; Philetus Hoyt was postmaster. It closed in 1935.
Schatz - post office established 1915; Orlie Coats was postmaster. It
took the railroad station name Blossburg in 1950. It is located in the southeastern part
of the county.
Washington Gulch - established a post office in 1869; the first postmaster was
Patrick White. The office closed in 1907.
Yreka - near Beartown, post office open from 1871-82; William Ferguson was the
first postmaster.