This page will be devoted to the names of geographic features in Granite County. In some cases we will explore mistakes in geographic names... for example, Fuse Lake above Sapphire was in fact named for the President of the American Gem Syndicate, Paul A. Fusz, yet somewhere along the way a mistake crept into the spelling. Other known errors include Mount Emerine (should be spelled Amerine after pioneer rancher Erastus Amerine), Maukey Gulch (McKay), Stewart Lake (Stuart), the Port Royal Mines (apparently a designation of the mine "Portal" was somehow grafted onto the front of the name Royal Mines), and Maxville (Macville).
In other cases we will seek information on how certain place names came to be. For example, who was the Ross for which the Ross's Fork of Rock Creek was named?
Hi! I'm interested in origin of names Little Pozega lake and Big Pozega lake. I'm a journalist from Pozega, Croatia and I have stumbled by chance on these toponyms and I'm curios. Is this just coincidence?
ReplyDeleteQuite a few Croatians settled in the Deer Lodge Valley east of the Pozega lakes and in the nearby mining and smelting cities of Butte and Anaconda. There were Pozegas that ranched in the area and no doubt the lakes were named for them.
DeleteDo you know who Warren Peak was named after?
ReplyDeleteA historian in Washington DC thinks it may have been named after Govourner Warren who was a cartographer and drew a map depicting the Northwest in the early 1800's but never visited the west. Common Folk lore says the mountain was named for Hank Warren a local trapper and championship Cowboy in the 1920's through 1940's. I know it was named Mt. Baldy after the original Mt. Baldy was named Mt. Amerine (Emerine)
DeleteDo you know any information about John Long who the mountain is named after in Granite County, MT
ReplyDeleteThere is an article on this blog titled "who was John Long" that discusses all I was able to research on him. Just goghling the title should bring it up. If not go to granitecountyhistory.blogspot.com
DeleteAnd scroll throughbthe articles. I think it is about 80 articles from the top.
Looking for information regarding the history of Riddick Airfield when it was known as Philipsburg Airstrip.
ReplyDeleteThe best information I have found so far is that the original airstrip located where Riddick Field now is was constructed in 1968, according to airport meeting minutes from the Courthouse. I believe that is when it was paved. Prior to that there was a grass runway created by Jess Evans up on the ridge of Black Pine north west of town during the 50's and I have not found anyone who can recall the exact date ,but believe it was then moved to the current runway as a grass strip either late 50's or early 60's. I was born and raised on Ross' Fork and lived in town when I got married in 1957 until 1961. But because I was not into airplanes at that time never paid much attention. After I got my pilots license and instrument training I owned my own Cherokee 180-D and flew into Riddick Field numerous times. It was petitioned to be named after Riddick during the Bi-Centennial in 1975 but according to the Bio on Riddick it was legally named that in 1988. I will continue to look for more information. Unfortunately the early pilots around the 'Burg are all dead now.
DeleteThank you. That's what I couldn't find. The original airport board minutes (1967, etc). I found out that the strip is on National Forest Service land under a 30 year Special Use Permit (July 21, 1967). Then a reference to the last renewal done in 2017. That's where my research sits. Thanks again for your help.
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