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Sunburst is twenty-seven miles north of Shelby near Canada. The name was suggested by William George Davis, who noted that the sun, as it rose, bu
Welcome to Kevin, Montana Kevin is a town twenty-five miles from the Canadian border near the first gusher that was drilled in the rich Sweetgrass Arch in 1922. The Kevin-Starburst oil fields are among the richest of Montana's natural gas and oil fields. Kevin's post office was established in 1910-during homestead days-with Rudolph Lehmann as postmaster. The town was named for Thomas Kevin, an official of the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, which once ran from Lethbridge, Alberta, south into Montana. It was a narrow guage railroad built in 1887 and nicknamed the "Turkey Track." (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company Welcome to Galata, Montana Galata, east of Shelby, is near Willow Creek, one of the streams that flows into the reservoir created by Tiber Dam. It was a trading point and cattle shipping station on the Great Northern's High Line. In 1901 David R. McGinnis, first immigration agent of the Great Northern Railroad, was so impressed by the beauty of the spot that he filed a claim for the land near the railroad where it crossed dry Galata Creek. McGinnis hired a surveyor to lay out a town and the following year brought carpenters and lumber from Kalispell to build a two-room house. Cattlemen from the Marias River ranges brought their cattle to Galata for shipment to eastern markets. On cold winter days they were glad to have the protection of the two little rooms in the only building in "town." The house burned down in 1904, but in 1905 McGinnis began rebuilding Galata. He built a two-room real estate office and an eight-room hotel, and eventually induced a storekeeper to set up shop in one of the rooms of the real estate office. Ranches would drive in with a chuckwagon and load up on $500-sometimes even $1,000-worth of supplies, pay in cash and return home for the long winter. After a few years, Galata's only merchant closed shop and the hotel was abandoned; McGinnis gave up his dream of a town and moved to Kalispell. One day he was surprised to receive a check in the mail. It was marked "back rent," and was from a cowhand who had moved into the deserted Galata store and had done a good business with dryland farmers who were then settling on the old-time open range. By 1910 Galata had four lumberyards and five store. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) Near Galata, residents and visitors can enjoy one of the most versatile recreational areas in Montana, Tiber Dam-Lake Elwell. The lake provides excellent year-round angling for Walleye, Northern and Sauger Pike, native trout, Ling, Perch and others. Some may want to try their hand at bow fishing for carp that often exceed 20 pounds. For boaters and swimmers the area boasts over 50 miles of shoreline, a marina, and four well-maintained boat ramps located strategically around the lake. There are also numerous campground areas. While you're at Tiber you'll observe spectacular windblown sandstone formations, Indian rings, and one of the largest earthen dikes in the world! The area surrounding Tiber contains excellent hunting, and a unique birdwatching area is located along the Marias River below Tiber Dam.
Port Of Entry-Sweetgrass Area Port
Toole County was named for Joseph K. Toole, the first governor of the state of Montana. Created on May 7, 1914, Toole County's territory was taken from parts of Teton and Hill Counties. Situated in northern Montana, with the Canadian line as its northern boundary and the Marias River flowing along a major portion of its southern boundary, Toole County's industries include agriculture and livestock, oil, gas and wind development, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, education, and health and social services. The homesteading era in Toole County began in 1910. Many factors led to the rise in homesteaders settling in Toole County, including the Congressional Homestead Acts. These Acts opened up land to settlers willing to work hard and pay off their land, eventually owning it. Other factors leading to the homestead boom included increases in agricultural technology, railroad marketing, and weather. Today's farmers in Toole County continue the tradition of hard work, with the average size of a farm in Toole County being 2,686 acres. The average value of agricultural products sold per farm is $84,977. The first discovery oil well, located north of Kevin, was started in October of 1921 and completed in March of 1922. Generally, the production life for an oilfield is 40 - 50 years; Toole County is still producing both oil and gas after the first discovery 86 years ago. Unlike many oilfields, drilling a well in Toole County is cost efficient; oil, when discovered, is often found in formations only 1,500-1,800 feet under the ground. The Customs and Border Protection Agency, located on our northern border, employees a large number of Toole County citizens. The Sweet Grass (Montana)/Coutts (Alberta) Port of Entry is the largest of its kind on the northern border and has the highest traffic volume in the state of Montana with over 1.3 million travelers and 450,000 trucks crossing the border each year. The original 1890 border crossing at Sweetgrass/Coutts had one building and a white line drawn in the road between the two countries. The 100,000 square foot shared facility now has the ability to host six lanes of traffic going north into Canada and five lanes returning to the United States. (pictured above) What's in a Name? Kevin– named after Thomas Kevin, superintendent of the Alberta Railway & Irrigation Company. Shelby– named in honor of Peter O. Shelby, general manager of the Montana Central Railway. Sunburst– In the spring of 1907 a young man named W.G. Davis moved from Alberta, Canada, to his new ranch in Montana located in the shadow of West Butte, one of three small mountains commonly known as the Sweet Grass Hills, the other two being named East Butte and Gold Butte. Early one morning while looking after his flock of sheep, young Davis saw the sun suddenly burst over West Butte spreading myriads of colors over the morning sky. He was so impressed that he named his land “Sunburst Ranch.” A few years later Mr. Davis acquired more land and in 1913 together with Bill O’Haire and Albert Goeddertz, neighboring landowners, he helped organize the community and plat a town site, part of which was located on Mr. Davis’ “Sunburst Ranch.” It was incorporated in 1925 and at the suggestion of Mr. Davis called “Sunburst.” This was a sparsely settled and peaceful cattle, sheep and faring country until in 1922 Gordon Campbell, a geologist, discovered oil, which started a boom.
E-MAIL JOANN
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