Belfry in Carbon County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Belfry
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2020
1. Belfry Marker
Inscription.
Belfry. . Shortly after this area was removed from the Crow Reservation in 1892, homesteaders settled along the fertile Clarks Fork River to raise wheat. The discovery of rich coal deposits along Bear Creek, seven miles to the west, generated interest among capitalists to commercially mine the resource. In 1905, Frank Hall and a group of Billings and Pennsylvania investors formed the Yellowstone Park Railroad to provide a connection between the coal mines and the Northern Pacific Railway's branch at Bridger. The same year the Belfry Townsite Company began selling lots at the confluence of Bear Creek and the Clark's Fork. The new town was named for Dr. Oran Belfry, a major investor in the railroad and was the headquarters of the railroad. Anchored at the west end by the depot, the community's business district included hotels, lumberyards, grocery stores, and a billiards parlor. In 1909, the railroad reorganized and was renamed the Montana, Wyoming and Southern Railroad. Its fortunes always shaky, the railroad went bankrupt in 1954 and pulled up its tracks after the statewide demand for coal plummeted. Today, Belfry survives as a local trade center and is home to the famed Belfry Bats.
Shortly after this area was removed from the Crow Reservation in 1892, homesteaders settled along the fertile Clarks Fork River to raise wheat. The discovery of rich coal deposits along Bear Creek, seven miles to the west, generated interest among capitalists to commercially mine the resource. In 1905, Frank Hall and a group of Billings and Pennsylvania investors formed the Yellowstone Park Railroad to provide a connection between the coal mines and the Northern Pacific Railway's branch at Bridger. The same year the Belfry Townsite Company began selling lots at the confluence of Bear Creek and the Clark's Fork. The new town was named for Dr. Oran Belfry, a major investor in the railroad and was the headquarters of the railroad. Anchored at the west end by the depot, the community's business district included hotels, lumberyards, grocery stores, and a billiards parlor. In 1909, the railroad reorganized and was renamed the Montana, Wyoming & Southern Railroad. Its fortunes always shaky, the railroad went bankrupt in 1954 and pulled up its tracks after the statewide demand for coal plummeted. Today, Belfry survives as a local
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trade center and is home to the famed Belfry Bats.
Location. 45° 8.737′ N, 109° 0.648′ W. Marker is in Belfry, Montana, in Carbon County. It is on Railroad Street (State Highway 72) near Broadway Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1065 Montana Highway 72, Belfry MT 59008, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Yellowstone Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bear Creek Cemetery (approx. 6.3 miles away); Bearcreek (approx.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2020
Credits. This page was last revised on February 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 19, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 856 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 19, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
