MARCH 2026 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From The Wolf Point Herald , March 31, 1921 Train Trips to Paradise– Part 1 Railroads usually connect regions, states, cities and towns. But they also connect time, eras and centuries. In Montana, there is a direct railroad connection between the transportation revolution of the 19th century and the homestead era of the 20th. This is that story. The coming of the transcontinental railroads to Montana Territory in the 1880's is the single most transformational economic development in the entire history of Montana. This careening generalization certainly deserves explication. Here in the 21st century, it is impossible to recall how isolated Montana was for the non-Native population in the 19th – how out-of-the-way, how offthe-beaten-trail. Montana’s transportation history before 1880 is colorful, exciting, romantic but ultimately ephemeral. Transportation was seasonal. It was hard to get here in the summer and even harder to leave in the winter. Most people came on foot. They walked or picked their way across the plains and over the mountains on horseback. Montana was a long way from nowhere. The Bozeman or Bridger trails from southeastern Wyoming to the Photo Courtesy of Montana Historical Society Old Railway Station: A locomotive and wagons parked at the old railway station in Gardiner. Accessed via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
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