These Montana Town Names Are So Weird, You’ll Think They’re Made Up

The state’s colorful history and the inventiveness of its pioneers are reflected in Big Sky Country’s unusual and memorable place names.

These oddly named towns, which are frequently based on folklore, regional humour, and cultural significance, provide insight into the people who inhabited and prospered on this expansive terrain.

Wisdom

The picturesque Big Hole Valley is home to the close-knit village of Wisdom. The Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 gave it its original name, which was derived from the old Wisdom River, which is now known as the Big Hole River.

William Clark and Meriwether Lewis named the Jefferson River’s tributaries after attributes they connected to President Thomas Jefferson.

The tenacious Nez Perce people, who vehemently opposed being uprooted and losing their ancestral lands, are the subject of The Big Hole National Battlefield.

An award-winning video, “Weet’uciklitukt: There’s No Turning Back, Battle at Big Hole,” is screened at the Visitor Center. There is also an observation platform with sweeping views of the battlefield and three historic pathways that trace the course of the Nez Perce people.

Hungry Horse

There must be a fascinating narrative behind a name as strange as Hungry Horse, and there is.

The name of the small Montana town, which had 902 residents in 2024, comes from two freight horses named Jerry and Tex who got lost from the pack and almost went hungry in the winter of 1900–1901.

In a picturesque setting encircled by the spectacular mountain ranges that comprise a portion of the Rocky Mountains, Hungry Horse is close to one of the tallest dams in the United States, the 564-foot-tall Hungry Horse Dam, which was finished in 1953.

To find out more about the history of the dam and schedule an outdoor guided tour, engineering enthusiasts can visit the Hungry Horse Dam Visitor Center.

Through the West Glacier Entrance, visitors frequently use the dam as a starting point to explore the famous scenery, fauna, and natural wonders of neighboring Glacier National Park.

Big Arm

On the south side of Big Arm Bay, a sizable bay on Flathead Lake that juts out into the lake like an arm, sits the tiny hamlet of Big Arm.

The biggest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River and one of the cleanest lakes in the world, Flathead Lake, is a popular tourist attraction, despite Big Arm being a small rural village.

Swimming, hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing, and boating are all common activities in Flathead Lake State Park, which is divided into separate park units, including the Big Arm area, which surrounds the lake.

A tribal permit is necessary because the park is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation, which is owned and run by the Confederated Salisha and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).

The Kootenai Indians used Wild Horse Island, the largest unit, to keep rival tribes from stealing their horses.

Pray

Valentine Egger established Pray in 1902 because he wanted to guarantee consistent business for his general shop by adding a post office.

At first, he intended to call the post office “Egger,” but Montana came up with “Edgar.” Egger proposed the name in an attempt to win over Charles Nelson Pray, Montana’s envoy in Washington, and the name stayed.

With breathtaking views of the Absaroka Mountain Range in the Custer Gallatin National Forest, Pray is nestled in the center of Paradise Valley.

Pray is usually visited on the way to and from Yellowstone National Park’s north gate, which is just around 30 miles away. Nevertheless, visitors can stop at Chico Hot Springs to relax after a day of seeing the national park.

Belt

The tagline for this former mining town, located roughly 22 miles southeast of Great Falls, might be “Belt, Montana, is for beer lovers.” Belt Butte, a nearby peak surrounded by a belt-like stripe of sandstone, is the source of the town’s odd name.

The Big and Little Belt Mountains and Belt Creek were also named after Belt Butte. Montana is home to about 80 breweries, including the well-known Harvest Moon Brewery, making it the state with the second-highest number of breweries per capita in the United States.

The brewery takes pride in the fact that its water comes straight from local springs and that its barley is produced and malted only a few kilometers away.

At the equally oddly titled Sluice Boxes State Park, outdoor enthusiasts can hike, fish, bird watch, take pictures, and discover the remains of a railroad, ancient cabins, and mines.