Elliston
Gateway to the Northern Boulder Mountains | Elliston, Montana: A Community Profile
Elliston, population 230, straddles US Highway 12, just a few miles west of the Continental Divide and McDonald Pass. It is about twenty-five miles from Helena and Garrison Jct. is just to the west. Surrounded by mountains, the town is on the northern edge of the Boulder Mountains and on the southern edge of the Nevada Mountains and the Crown of the Continent. The historic Mullan Road passes through the community.
Railways are usually just a means of transportation but in this case, they are the root of Elliston’s history. The town is named after John W. Ellis who was the director of the Northern Pacific Railway. In the past, this extensive railroad was transcontinental and operated across the northern tier of the western United States. The rail cars carried wheat, cattle, timber, and minerals.
Although the railroad itself is interesting, why it was needed is much more intriguing. In the 1800s, Elliston was known for its gold and quartz mining. The majority of the early Elliston economy was focused on the profits from the mines just outside the town.
Telegraph Creek area is rich in mining history as prospectors searched for gold and silver. There are several old mining cabins, and a mining lift still standing. The old shaft is 100 feet deep. The area around the lift has been cleaned up and reclaimed to its old contours. Even though the mine looks a little different from its beginnings, the miner’s stories are just waiting to be discovered.
Traveling on US Hwy 12, some of the history of Elliston is seen on road markers. One is an ode to the military road constructed by Captain John Mullan. The message reads “The road was 624 miles long and connected Fort Benton, Montana, with Fort Walla Walla Washington”. The passage also gives insight into the indigenous people who once tread on this rich land. The road began as a trail for Native American trade and was later extended through the pass by Mullan. A great example of the innovation created by two intelligent groups.
Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the inland of the Pacific Northwest. Interstate 15 and Interstate 90 through present-day Montana, Idaho, and Washington follows the approximate route.
Elliston can boast on mountains and forest as their back door. Passages via roads and trails lead into the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest. And wildlife is plentiful – elk, deer, moose, and a multitude of other wildlife call this forest landscape home. In the fall, elk bugling can be heard since Elliston is near elk breeding grounds.
East of Elliston hikers can reach McDonald Pass and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. During winter cross country skiing is popular as trails are groomed at the Frontier Town area just east of the Divide. For those who enjoy camping and backpacking in the warmer months, there are opportunities such as the Cromwell Dixon and Kading Campgrounds near the pass and Divide.
In the Boulder Mountains southeast of Elliston and the Little Blackfoot River Valley a trail takes hikers to Blackfoot Meadows, an eight-mile route to a popular wetlands backcountry experience. The trail begins at the end of Forest Service Road #227, just beyond Kading Campground and is located in a roadless, proposed wilderness area.
The Little Blackfoot is born near here flowing off the Continental Divide at Thunderbolt Mountain and travels 48 miles to the Clark Fork River near Garrison Jct.
The Blackfoot Meadows Trail is 7.7 miles long begins at the end of Forest Service Road #227, just beyond Kading Campground. The trail continues past the Forest boundary and into the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and is located in a roadless, proposed wilderness area.
A popular destination for this friendly community to congregate was the Lawdog Saloon. A place of friendship and fun, Lawdog’s bartenders knew everyone’s orders. Sadly, the saloon closed down in 2018. Hunter’s Alley has taken its place and is the last saloon left in a town that once had 13 of them!
Aside from Lawdog, Elliston has some key public buildings from the early twentieth century, including its Gothic-styled community church, a large log building, and an Art Deco-styled brick school, built by the New Deal’s Works Projects Administration in the 1930s. The oldest building in Elliston is the ranger’s headquarters for the Helena National Forest in its combination of a frame early 20th-century cottage and the rustic-styled log headquarters itself.
Elliston Store is a favorite gathering place and has been in operation since 1890 and in the current building since 1939. Cate Stumberg, the current owner, preserved part of the original structure and in doing so is keeping a piece of Elliston’s commercial past alive. She said, “just about everyone in town has worked at, owned or is related to once owners of the store”.
On the north side of the railroad tracks, you can still see remnants of the former Twin Pines Grocery Store, a longtime competitor of the Elliston Store. On the old highway which starts at the east end of Main Street and crawls up and over the pass via a different route than Highway 12, there is a sign painted on the rocks for Twin Pines, advertising accommodations and food ahead.
Located on Main Street is the recently renovated Elliston public school. Students are taught by two full-time teachers. The Elliston public school shows the epitome of small-town atmospheres and kids get to gain quality education with one-on-one help.
Community is key in Elliston and the folks who call it home have a strong connection to the mountains, forests and the Little Blackfoot River. And they can brag about being just south of the Crown of the Continent — a 14-million-acre ecosystem that stretches north to Canada.
For those curious to learn more, Elliston Days Gone By offers a rich collection of stories and photos from the town’s past.
Last Chance Motel and Flume Creek Lodge offer lodging. And just to the east over McDonald Pass, Helena has numerous lodging and dining possibilities.
