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From a Railroad Camp to an Active Community

The city of Cut Bank is located on a broad plain within sight of gently rolling hills, and a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains only 50 miles to the west.   It is the County Seat for Glacier County.

Cut Bank Creek, running almost due south, flows through a deep channel about a half mile west of the city.  The Blackfeet Indians had described the stream as "...the river that cuts into the white clay banks".  It was from this description that Cut Bank got its name.  The Two Medicine River and Birch Creek join Cut Bank Creek about 10 miles southeast of the city at the Sullivan Bridge. Here the three tributaries form the Marias River.

During the winter months, Cut Bank, Montana has recorded the lowest reported temperature in the country.  But low humidity keeps the local residents from feeling the cold's full bitterness, and much cherished Chinook winds, which frequent the area during January and February, bring a spring-like break from winter chills.

The city of Cut Bank actually began in the 1890's.  At that time the Great Northern Railroad set up a camp to build a trestle over Cut Bank Creek.  Several years before, in the late 1880's, the Great Northern decided to move the terminal from Blackfoot to the Cut Bank area.  Railroad pioneer, James J. Hill saw that this location and its abundant water supply would provide the railroad with a perfect stop on its northern line.

In the beginning, the town was located on the west side of the river (opposite its present day location). Early day Cut Bank consisted of a post office, the depot and three small buildings.  When the Great Northern moved the depot to the east side of the river the town followed, finally establishing itself at its present location.

Railroad payroll along with the traditional western industries of cattle and sheep raising provided a considerable revenue source for the new town.  This financial stability continued until the full tide of the homesteading boom in 1910. The town showed a slight decline around 1919, when drought and strong winds forced many homesteaders to move on.

The discovery of oil in the 1920's caused the town to boom again.  The population in 1930 stood at 845.  The city reached its population base of nearly 4,000 in the 1980s, and remains at that level today.

During World War II, an Army Air Force Base was built on the site of the present airport.  This base was a training center for bomber pilots.  In the 1950's, a Radar Station was established near Del Bonita, north of Cut Bank.

Information provided by the Cut Bank Pioneer Press edited by J. Lawson Smith

For more information on the history of Cut Bank and Glacier County, contact the Glacier County Historical Museum.