Stillwater County Placenames
Stillwater County is named after the Stillwater River which has its source in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. The county was formed in 1913. The county has had various mining ventures throughout the years. Currently a platinum-palladium mine is located near Nye. The Yellowstone River acts as a geographical dividing line. To the south are mountains and to the north are prairies and dry land farming.
Absarokee, named after the Absaroka Mountains and located 14 miles south of Columbus. It's post office was established in 1892.
Barley, a post office in the northern part of the county which operated from 1911-1919.
Beehive, a post office from 1910-1953.
Busteed, a post office from 1903-1933.
Columbus, the county seat of Stillwater County. The post office was established in 1893. It is located on the Yellowstone River about 40 miles west of Billings.
Coombs, it was located in the northern part of the county.
Dean, a post office from 1902-1951. The town was located near Fishtail, southwest of Columbus.
Fishtail, a small town about 25 miles southwest of Columbus. The post office was established in 1901.
Lake Basin, a post office established in the northern part of the county. In 1917 the name was changed to Rapelje. The town was located on the Milwaukee Railroad while it was in operation.
Marne, a post office from 1922-1924.
Merrill, a post office which operated near Columbus from 1890-1910.
Molt, a small town 22 miles west of Billings. Originally called Stickley, it took its present name in 1918.
Mouat, an area in the Beartooth Mountains. It was the site of a chrome mine during WWII.
Nye, a post office opened here in 1887. It is in a mining area southwest of Columbus.
Park City was first known at Young's Point. The post office was established in 1882. It is located about 20 miles west of Billings on the east edge of the county.
Rapelje is located in the northern part of Stillwater County. The post office was established in 1917.
Reed Point, population about 100, is located on the Stillwater County - Sweet Grass County line. The town of Reed Point is in Stillwater County while it's cemetery is in Sweet Grass County. The cemetery records are maintained in the Sweet Grass County Clerk and Recorder's office. The post office was established as Reed in 1901. The name was changed to Reed Point in 1906.
Sheep Dip, an early settlement. It was moved and became known as Columbus.
Springcreek, a post office from 1914-1916. It was located south of Columbus.
Springtime, formerly known as Merrill. It had a post office from 1916-1932. An area just west of Columbus is still known as Springtime.
Stickley, a post office established in 1909. In 1918, the post office moved and the name was changed to Molt.
Stillwater, a post office from 1914-1916. It was located near Stickley.
Stockade, an area located in a high plateau area on the Stillwater - Sweet Grass County line. The community had a post office from 1916-1923.
Tacy, located near Rapelje in the northern part of Stillwater County, the community had a post office from 1915-1929.
Wheat Basin, a post office from 1918-1936.
Young's Point, a landing on the Yellowstone River which was used as a jumping off spot for travelers heading west. The post office opened in 1878 and in 1882 was moved to Park City.
Absaroka Mountains, a mountain chain in the southwestern part of the county named after a tribe of Indians which used to live in the area.
Beartooth Mountains, a mountain chain in the southeastern part of the county which is closely associated with the Absarokas. One mountain in the range has a resemblance to a bear's tooth. Together the Absaroka's and Beartooth's separate the area from Yellowstone National Park.
Stillwater County map from Tigermaps. Photo compliments of the Library of Congress photo archives. This page was created by Stillwater County GenWeb Volunteer Joan Shurtliff and last updated March 4, 2001.