Dillon dates to 1880, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #16 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dillon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dillon is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #16 of 42 in Montana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dillon’s overall grade.
Montana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Montana town has 12.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dillon’s 31.8 sits above most of its state (69% of Montana towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points). Two sources give 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Dillon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Dillon was founded in the Beaverhead Valley as a railroad town in 1880. Originally named “Terminus” as it was temporarily the northernmost stop on the Utah and Northern Railway while it was under construction, in 1881, the community was renamed for Union Pacific Railroad President Sidney Dillon, who had directed the project of bringing the railroad through to Butte, Montana. The town's location was selected by the railroad in part because of its proximity to gold mines in the area.
The first ore discovered in the Dillon area was silver. Gold was first discovered at Grasshopper Creek in 1862, precipitating a flood of immigration to the area. The last real gold rush in the area occurred near Argenta in 1920 and lasted for 30 years.
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.
In 1880, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dillon’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1890 counted 1,012 people here.
How does Dillon rank for history?
Dillon is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #16 of 42 in Montana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Dillon?
10 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Dillon City Library (listed 1978, the first), 1 historic district, the Dillon City Hall Historic District, with 4 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 13 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dillon?
17% of Dillon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 13% for a Montana town; the median home was built in 1971.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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