Columbus dates back to 1875 when a man by the name of Horace Countryman opened a trading post and stage station stop along the Yellowstone Trail a few miles west of present-day Columbus. This area used to be part of the Crow Indian Reservation lands, and Countryman followed the Crow Agency from Mission Creek to Rosebud Creek. He opened his business just off the reservation. Countryman built the Log Hotel to accommodate visitors that were traveling between Miles City and Bozeman, and by 1882 this area became a major stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad. The railroad named this stop Stillwater Village. In 1894, the railroad renamed the town Columbus, due to shipping mixups with Stillwater, Minnesota.
Hagar & Co. opened a sandstone quarry in the mid-1890s, which supplied building materials for a large portion of the Montana State Capitol Building in Helena. At this time there was a population of about 550, with many small businesses sprouting up. The main business was and still is agriculture and ranching. Columbus is the Stillwater County seat. Located at the confluence of the Stillwater River and Yellowstone River, Columbus offers plenty of outdoor recreation with great trout fishing, whitewater rafting, hunting, hiking, horseback riding and much more.
Montana Trivia:
The town of Columbus holds the state record for the most name changes. At various times it has been named Stillwater, Eagles Nest, and Sheep Dip.
Photo Gallery
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Beartooth Highway 1
Beartooth Highway 1
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Beartooth Hike 2 640x480
Beartooth Hike 2 640x480
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Beartooth Hike 6 640x480
Beartooth Hike 6 640x480
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Beartooth Hiway 2
Beartooth Hiway 2
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Beartooth Hiway 3
Beartooth Hiway 3
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Beartooth Hiway 8 640x480
Beartooth Hiway 8 640x480
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Beartooth Hiway 9 640x480
Beartooth Hiway 9 640x480
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Beartooth Hiway 10 640x493
Beartooth Hiway 10 640x493
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Beartooth Hiway 11 640x480
Beartooth Hiway 11 640x480
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Beartooth Hwy Web 3 640x480
Beartooth Hwy Web 3 640x480
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Beartooth Lake 2 640x480
Beartooth Lake 2 640x480
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Beartooth Lake 640x480
Beartooth Lake 640x480
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Beartooth Stream 640x480
Beartooth Stream 640x480
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Beartooth Treeline 640x480
Beartooth Treeline 640x480
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Bible in Rock 4
Bible in Rock 4
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Bible in Rock 10 640x425
Bible in Rock 10 640x425
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Bible in Rock 14 640x425
Bible in Rock 14 640x425
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Bible in Rock 18 640x425
Bible in Rock 18 640x425
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Bible in Rock 640x425
Bible in Rock 640x425
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Carbon County Museum 2 640x425
Carbon County Museum 2 640x425
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Charles Ringer 2 640x425
Charles Ringer 2 640x425
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Downtown Fromberg 640x425
Downtown Fromberg 640x425
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Little Cowboy Bar 2 640x425
Little Cowboy Bar 2 640x425
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Plenty Coups Statue Red Lod 640x425
Plenty Coups Statue Red Lod 640x425
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Reed Point 640x477
Reed Point 640x477
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Sheep Run
Sheep Run
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Sheep Run 3
Sheep Run 3
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Sheep Run 4
Sheep Run 4
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IMG 5613 IMG 5613
Beartooth Pass from Montana to Wyoming
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IMG 5614
IMG 5614
Beartooth Pass from Montana to Wyoming