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History · Gildford

Gildford’s post office opened in 1903, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1914 on.

1903first post office
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Gildford began

When was Gildford founded?

1903

The Gildford post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 141123 years
Founding year: the first Gildford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Gildford’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 Gildford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Gildford’s homes were built before 1944.On the map since 19204 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1984. Watch Gildford change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gildford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gildford’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

Gildford, in brief

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

Gildford is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hill County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Gildford had a population of 141. The town was named for Guildford, England. A flour mill, which milled Golden Grain Flour, operated from 1915 to 1951.

Its first post office opened in 1903. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 179 to 141 (-21%).

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

On the map

Gildford on the map, 1920 to 1984

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

Gildford on the 1920 USGS mapGildford on the 1943 USGS mapGildford on the 1969 USGS mapGildford on the 1984 USGS map1920Gildford sheet · 1:125,000

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

By decade

Gildford, decade by decade

Today9 recent
USPS Post Office in2025USPS Post Office inGildford Montana downtown2013Gildford Montana downtownGildford Montana buildings2013Gildford Montana buildingsWestland Hotel2006Westland HotelGrain Elevators at2006Grain Elevators atGildford State Bank2006Gildford State BankGildford Mercantile2006Gildford MercantileGildford Auto Co. Garage2006Gildford Auto Co. GarageMTMap-doton-Gildford2005MTMap-doton-Gildford
Every building

Gildford, building by building, 1914–1930

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.

Gildford fire insurance map, 1914, sheet 11914Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gildford’s post office has been open since 1903.

Gone or out of use
International ElevatorlocaleSaint Anthony and Dakota Elevatorlocale

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

Questions about Gildford’s history

What year was Gildford founded?

The Gildford post office opened in 1903, 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 (9), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.