Dillon

Travel Montana

Dillon Directory Listings

A view from 1939:

DILLON, (5,057 alt., 2,422 pop.), seat of Beaverhead County, was named for Sidney Dillon, president of the Union Pacific R.R. It is a very important primary wool market, and the largest wool-shipping point in Montana. Dillon has the air of a much larger city, and an assurance and repose that it owes perhaps to its having known few economic setbacks. Many of the homes are typical of the early 1900's, while others are of modern design. A few of the first log cabins remain on the northern side of town. The broad, tree-shaded streets become country roads that lead to ranches much older than the city.

As the seat of the State Normal College, Dillon has a great variety of cultural activities, including those of literary and choral clubs, college and high school bands, and a college string orchestra. The college prepares teachers for the public schools of the State; the supervised practice work is done in the local schools, which serve as laboratories. This arrangement, in operation for many years, has provided unusual educational advantages for local children.

The position of the town, amid the low, lazy, rather arid hills, was determined by accident. Construction of the Utah and Northern R.R. was suddenly brought to a standstill in 1880, when a rancher on land here refused to give up land for the right-of-way. A few enterprising men engaged in business at or near the terminus banded together, bought the ranch, and gave the railroad company the right to go through. They continued their partnership by executing a trust deed, recorded on December 4, 1880, which marked the birth of Dillon. Lambert Eliel, trustee for the group, granted title to town lots, which were sold at public auction. The new town became the county seat when voters decided that Bannack was too far off the beaten track.

The Wool Warehouse, near the railroad station, is operated by a local company that markets wool for the growers at a charge of one cent for 10 pounds. The warehouse can hold 3 million pounds of wool, and has electric conveyors for loading and hauling the huge wool sacks.

Montana State Normal College, near the southern city limits, has a main hall, a gymnasium, residence halls, and athletic fields on an attractive campus of 14 acres. There are about 350 students and 25 teachers. The small Museum (open when school is in session) in Main Hall contains pioneer relics and Indian artifacts.

Source: Montana: A State Guide Book; Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Montana; September, 1939.