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History · Dutton

Dutton’s post office opened in 1909, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 1940.

1909first post office
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Dutton began

When was Dutton founded?

1909

The Dutton post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 447 in 19402020 census: 303117 years
Founding year: the first Dutton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Dutton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Dutton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Dutton’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dutton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dutton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Dutton, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Dutton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Dutton is a town in Teton County, Montana, United States. The population was 303 at the 2020 census. The town was named for Charles E. Dutton, a general agent for Great Northern Railway. The town was originally a station on the branch line between Great Falls and Conrad.

Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 316 to 303 (-4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Dutton, 1909 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909Post officeThe Dutton post office opens
  3. 1919Born hereFrank Akins is born here
  4. 1920Born hereLloyd J. Andrews is born here
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Dutton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Another reminder of the Cold War2009Another reminder of the Cold War
On the map

Dutton on the map, 1950 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dutton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Dutton on the 1950 USGS mapDutton on the 1987 USGS map1950Dutton sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dutton.

Every building

Dutton, building by building, 1920

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 sheet.

Dutton fire insurance map, 1920, sheet 11920Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Dutton, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 504

Between 303 and 504 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dutton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Dutton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
F
Frank AkinsAmerican football player · b. 1919
L
Lloyd J. AndrewsAmerican politician · b. 1920
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Dutton’s post office has been open since 1909.

Gone or out of use
Dutton Co-operative ElevatorlocalePeavey Elevatorlocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Dutton’s history

What year was Dutton founded?

The Dutton post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.