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Harlowton, Montana was established on 10 June 1900 by Richard Harlow, father of the "Jawbone" (The Montana Railroad). Arthur Lombard, a surveyor from Helena, auctioned off the lots at the town site. 250 people came to the auction because they had heard the train would arrive but it did not for several days. Thomas Hanzlick, a barber from Castle, came by bicycle. http://www.harlowtonchamber.com/ http://www.harlowton-montana.com/ http://russell.visitmt.com/communities/Harlowton.htm
The town site was plotted with streets 80 feet wide. Water was available at depths of 18 to 40 feet. The telephone line was extended from Oka to Harlowton. Hanzlick erected the first building, a barber shop, and within two months there were 16 places of business along Main Street in Harlowton. The Montana Trading Company established by the Clark Brothers was along the "Jawbone" tracks. There was a livery barn owned by Ed J. Smith and "The Welcome" Bar was on the south side of Main Street. The first store in town was Babcock, Miles and Company at the site where the Catholic Church is today. In 1902 Ben Urner opened the Urner Merchantile and the post office was in this store. Businessmen from Harlowton went to White Sulphur Springs on 12 November 1900 and asked the Superintendent of Schools for a school district. In 1905 Ben Urner opened The Bank of Harlowton, the first bank in town, and The Harlowton News was founded in that same year.
On 17 July 1907, a fire started in one of the stores on Main Street and before it was brought under control the fire had destroyed 24 buildings on the north side of Main Street. 200 Japanese railroad workers helped to save $25,000 in merchandise from Urner's store. The town was quickly rebuilt using rock quarried from a local quarry. The State Bank and the Graves Hotel were the first two new rock buildings. The quarry was at the hill below the Graves Hotel.
The first town elections were held on 6 June, 1908. Thomas Hanzlick and 10 others formed Harlowton's first town band. In March 1908 the Milwaukee Railroad came to Harlowton and the "Jawbone" tracks were torn up in 1909. The Milwaukee Road went coast to coast on 25 April 1910. http://www.montanarailroadhistory.info/GNMontanaPlaceNames1937.htm http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/lewistown_newspaper_index_greatnorthernrailway.htm
Harlowton is on the Billings, Lavina, Ryegate, Big Timber loop. To drive to Harlowton from Billings go north on MT-3 and in about 45 miles you'll arrive in Lavina, Montana where you continue west on MT-3/U.S. HWY-12 for 47 miles to Harlowton, Montana. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10832-Billings-Sightseeing-Examiner~y2009m5d17-Hides
Gregan Wortmann
Yesteryears and Pioneers by the Harlowton Woman's Club; Western Printing and Lithography (1972). http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10832-Billings-Sightseeing-Examiner~y2009m11d26-Oka
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