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History · Stanford

Stanford’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold just one old photo of Stanford. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1875established
1old images & papers
5recent photos
Stanford, Montana (1911), 1911 · Wikimedia Commons

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Stanford began with the establishment of a trading post by Thomas C. Power in 1875. In 1908 the town moved about 3 miles to be next to the new railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1875Established
1911Stanford, Montana (1911)Commons
1920–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first

Start Stanford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stanford’s history is told.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewStanford, Montana (1911), 1911: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Stanford

See all 2 →
AOAlbert Henry OttenwellerFaithMCMarcella CaineWriting & Arts
By decade

Stanford, decade by decade

1910s1 item
Stanford, Montana (1911)CommonsStanford, Montana (1911)1911
1920s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today5 photos
Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church inCommonsSaint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in2022Field at edge ofCommonsField at edge of2011Stanford, MT DowntownCommonsStanford, MT Downtown2008Stanford MT Judith Basin CourthouseCommonsStanford MT Judith Basin Courthouse2008MTMap-doton-StanfordCommonsMTMap-doton-Stanford2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Stanford is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Stanford has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Wood Lawn Farm in Hobson, 16.1 miles away.

Stanford and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Stanford. Tap a dot.
Wood Lawn FarmMeadowbrook Stock FarmJudith River Ranger StationSt. Wenceslaus Catholic Church

Closest to Stanford

Wood Lawn FarmHobson · Building16.1miMeadowbrook Stock FarmHobson · Building19.4miJudith River Ranger StationSapphire Ridge · District21.3miSt. Wenceslaus Catholic ChurchDanvers · Building24.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Wood Lawn Farm’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Stanford?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Stanford’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Stanford, Montana (1911) (1911) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Denton📜 Hobson📜 Moore📜 Neihart

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Stanford, MTView boundary

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Stanford is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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