County Past
Home › Montana › Flathead County

Flathead County, Montana

Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.

—newspaper titles
—digitized titles
160historic places
—earliest paper
1893formed
104,357pop. 2020
16cemeteries
—CW battlefields

At a glance

Summary

The National Register of Historic Places includes 160 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1975; 6 are also National Historic Landmarks. Most listings are in or near Kalispell, West Glacier, Big Prairie.

Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.

Newspapers

Library of Congress

Newspaper directory data for Montana is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Flathead titles at the Library of Congress.

National Register of Historic Places

NPS NRHP

120 of 160 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.

160 listed properties
PropertyCityTypeListed
Adair, W. L., General Mercantile Historic DistrictPolebridgeDistrict1986
Alexander and Busey HousesKalispellBuilding1994
Anderson Style ShopKalispellBuilding1994
Apgar Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Bader-Jaquette and Westwang Houses and Rental PropertyKalispellBuilding1994
Beaman HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Beck, Alice, CabinLake McDonaldBuilding2008
Belly River Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Belton ChaletsWest GlacierBuilding1978
Big Creek Ranger Station Historic DistrictPolebridgeDistrict2015
Billsborough HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Boles, Charles, HouseKalispellBuilding2006
Bowman Lake Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Bowman Lake RoadWest GlacierSite1996
Boyd's ShopKalispellBuilding1994
Brice ApartmentsKalispellBuilding1994
Bruyer GranaryKalispellBuilding2006
Bull Head Lodge and StudioApgarBuilding1984
Camas Creek Cutoff RoadWest GlacierDistrict2014
Cattle Queen Snowshoe CabinWest GlacierBuilding1999
City Water DepartmentKalispellBuilding1994
Coal Creek Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1999
Conrad, C.E., Memorial CemeteryKalispellDistrict2012
Conrad, Charles E., MansionKalispellBuilding1975
Continental Oil Company Filling StationKalispellBuilding1994
Continental Oil Company Warehouse and GarageKalispellBuilding1994
Cornelius Hedges Elementary SchoolKalispellBuilding1989
Courthouse Historic DistrictKalispellDistrict1994
DESMET (boat)West GlacierStructure2017
Dean, A. J., HouseKalispellBuilding1980
East Glacier Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
East Side Historic DistrictKalispellDistrict1994
Equity Supply Company Elevator and CreameryKalispellBuilding1994
Federal BuildingKalispellBuilding1994
Ferguson HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Fielding Snowshoe Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
First Presbyterian Church of WhitefishWhitefishBuilding2004
Fish Creek Bay BoathouseWest GlacierBuilding1996
Fisher HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Flathead National Forest Backcountry Administrative FacilitiesHungry HorseDistrict2014
Flathead River BridgeColumbia FallsStructure2010
Flathead Wholesale GroceryKalispellBuilding1994
Ford Creek Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Ford SchoolhousePolebridgeBuilding2022
Gay, Edward, HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Gibson-Lebert HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Going-to-the-Sun Road NHLWest GlacierDistrict1997
Graham HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Granite Park Chalet NHLWest GlacierBuilding1983
Great Northern Railway Buildings NHLGlacier National ParkDistrict1987
Great Northern Railway DepotKalispellBuilding1994
Great Northern Railway Passenger and Freight Depot and Division OfficeWhitefishBuilding2002
Gregg-Moses HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Greve's Tourist CabinsLake McDonaldBuilding2008
Gunsight Pass ShelterWest GlacierBuilding1986
Harrison Lake Patrol CabinGlacier National ParkBuilding2001
Headquarters Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1996
Heaven's Peak Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Heller BuildingKalispellBuilding1991
Hodgson HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Hornet LookoutFlathead National ForestBuilding1983
Hotel NordenKalispellBuilding1994
Houtz HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Howes' Lake McDonald Cottage Sites Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict2008
Huckleberry Fire OutlookWest GlacierBuilding1986
Izaak Walton InnEssexBuilding1985
Johnson-Lee HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Kalispell Flour MillKalispellBuilding1994
Kalispell Main Street Historic DistrictKalispellDistrict1994
Kalispell Main Street Historic District Addendum and Boundary IncreaseKalispellDistrict2010
Kalispell Monumental CompanyKalispellBuilding1994
Kalispell-American LaundryKalispellBuilding1994
Kearney Rapids BridgeBigforkStructure1994
Keith, Harry C., HouseKalispellBuilding1987
Kelly's Camp Historic DistrictLake McDonaldDistrict2009
Kerr HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Kintla Lake Ranger StationWest GlacierDistrict1986
Kishenehn Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Kruse, Billy, CabinPolebridgeBuilding2021
Lake McDonald Lodge NHLWest GlacierDistrict1987
Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee ShopLake McDonald, Glacier National ParkBuilding2008
Lake McDonald Lodge Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1978
Leibig HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Lincoln Creek Snowshoe CabinGlacier National Park, W. GlacierBuilding2001
Lockridge Medical ClinicWhitefishBuilding2012
Logan Creek Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Logging Creek Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Loneman Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Long HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Lower Logging Lake Snowshoe Cabin and BoathouseWest GlacierBuilding1986
Lower Nyack Snowshoe CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Lower Park Creek Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
McCarthy Homestead CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
McCarthy, Margaret, HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
McCarthy-Pederson Farm Historic DistrictKalispellDistrict2006
McGee HouseKalispellBuilding1994
McMannamy House and Rental PropertiesKalispellBuilding1994
Miller, J. K., HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
Mount Brown Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Mountain Brook SchoolKalispellBuilding2026
North Fork RoadWest GlacierStructure1996
Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church and ParsonageKalispellBuilding1994
Numa Ridge Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Nyack Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
O'Neil Lumber Company OfficeKalispellBuilding1994
Pass Creek Snowshoe CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Polebridge Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Polebridge to Numa Ridge PhonelineWest GlacierSite1996
Porter Ranch BarnKalispellBuilding1999
Ptarmigan TunnelWest GlacierStructure1986
Quartz Lake Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Raftery, William, HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
Reid-Kent HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Ringleberg, Cornelius, HouseKalispellBuilding1987
Rogers HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Roose-Eckelberry HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Russell SchoolKalispellBuilding1994
Saint Mary Ranger StationWest GlacierBuilding1986
Sauser-Mercord BuildingKalispellBuilding1994
Scalplock Mountain Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Scandinavian Methodist ChurchKalispellBuilding1994
Schoenberger, Anton, HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
Schoenberger, Charlie, HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
Scott-Forhan HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Sherburne Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Sherwood LodgeWest GlacierBuilding2008
Skyland Camp-Bowman Lake Ranger StationWest GlacierBuilding1986
Slide Lake-Otatso Creek Patrol Cabin and WoodshedWest GlacierBuilding1986
Smith HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Snyder HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Soldiers' Home Historic DistrictColumbia FallsDistrict1994
Sperry Chalets NHLWest GlacierDistrict1977
St. Richard's ChurchColumbia FallsBuilding1980
Stillwater Ranger Station Historic DistrictOlneyDistrict1981
Swan River BridgeBigforkStructure2015
Swan River Community HallSwan RiverBuilding2002
Swiftcurrent Fire LookoutWest GlacierBuilding1986
Swiftcurrent Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Taylor, Ray E., HouseWhitefishBuilding1990
Thibodeau Electric ShopKalispellBuilding1994
Thierwechter HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Two Medicine General Store NHLWest GlacierBuilding1986
Upper Kintla Lake Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Upper Lake McDonald Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
Upper Logging Lake Snowshoe CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Upper Nyack Snowshoe CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Upper Park Creek Patrol CabinWest GlacierBuilding1986
Vance LodgePolebridgeBuilding1994
Waggener & Campbell Funeral HomeKalispellBuilding1994
Walker HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Walsh's, Johnnie, Guest LodgeBig PrairieBuilding1988
Walsh, Johnnie, HomesteadBig PrairieBuilding1988
Walsh, Thomas J., LodgeApgarBuilding1998
Walton Ranger Station Historic DistrictWest GlacierDistrict1986
West Entrance StationWest GlacierBuilding1996
West Side Historic DistrictKalispellDistrict1994
Wheeler Camp (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation)ApgarDistrict2008
Wheeler, Burton and Lulu, CabinApgarBuilding1998
Woll HouseKalispellBuilding1994
Wurtz HomesteadPolebridgeBuilding1996

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.

County formation

Newberry AHCB

Flathead was formed in 1893 (1893-03-01) from Missoula.

FLATHEAD created from MISSOULA. Act passed 6 February 1893; took effect 1 March 1893.

Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Population by decade

Census

Flathead County population from 1900 to 2020 (Census historical series).

104k57k9,37519001920196020002020
19001920194019501960198020002020
9,37521,70524,27131,49532,96551,96674,471104,357

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.

National Park Service sites nearby

NPS

Park units within about 40 km of the county centroid (from NPS Public POIs; no API key).

SiteTypeDist.
Glacier National ParkPark unit46.4 km

Source: NPS National Datasets / Public POIs. The NPS Developer API requires a free key and was not used.

Cemeteries & historical places

USGS GNIS

16 cemeteries and 15 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.

Cemeteries — 16 of 16 listed
NameLatLon
Baptiste Grave48.1005-113.66342
Bethany Lutheran Cemetery48.08854-114.02979
Bethel Cemetery48.1059-114.21161
Bigfork Community Cemetery48.08753-114.0301
Conrad Memorial Cemetery48.20523-114.28956
Creston Cemetery48.17579-114.10761
Demersville Cemetery48.16578-114.29428
Fairview Cemetery48.2669-114.18456
Glacier Memorial Gardens48.24634-114.32956
Lone Pine Cemetery48.09717-114.0876
Montana Veterans Home Cemetery48.36296-114.21498
Saint Richard Cemetery48.36306-114.21815
Spring Creek Cemetery48.23653-114.3943
Trinity Lutheran Cemetery48.25527-114.30807
Whitefish Cemetery48.41107-114.35651
Woodlawn Cemetery48.3693-114.21244
Historical populated places — 15 of 15
NameLatLon
Ashley48.19163-114.33291
Demersville48.16274-114.26902
Duncan48.20468-114.30096
Geduhn48.63497-113.86345
Hog Heaven47.81661-114.49818
McCarthyville48.2708-113.43982
Mud Lake48.1194-113.99955
Negro Prairie48.12079-114.01761
Parkdale48.21663-114.31208
Ramsey48.42496-114.34541
Reuter48.82275-114.33986
South Fork48.34719-114.00789
Swan River48.09551-114.02872
Wagsmith Villa48.34719-114.00789
Yakt48.02689-115.00653

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.

Historical markers

HMdb link

Marker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.

Search HMdb for Flathead County, Montana

Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.