Archives West Finding Aid

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company or the "Milwaukee Road" opened in Montana in August, 1908. The company felt that to be competitive it had to expand its services to the Pacific Coast. Despite the fact that it had to buy most of its right away and avoid established areas, they were able to build 2,300 miles of track in three years. Along with building track from Glenham, South Dakota to Seattle, they absorbed local railways such as the famous Jawbone of Central Montana and local lines like the Gallatin Valley's Inter-urban and Bozeman's street railway. Eventually, the steep grades and frigid weather forced the Milwaukee to turn to electric power rather than traditional steam. An abundance of hydroelectric dams and copper from Anaconda made the transition an easy choice and the conversion of the line from Harlowton to Avery, Idaho began in 1914. Increased use of automobiles, numerous bouts of bankruptcy, and the merger of the Burlington Northern, Northern Pacific and Great Northern all lead to the decline of the Milwaukee in Montana.