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History · Jordan

Jordan dates to 1896, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1960.

1896founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Jordan’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Jordan began

When was Jordan founded?

1896

Jordan dates its founding to 1896 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 557 in 19602020 census: 356130 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1899.The full story ↓
The story

How Jordan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jordan.

Read it all →

Jordan was settled in 1896. The founder, Arthur Jordan, had hunted the area and decided to settle with his family in 1896 along the banks of the Big Dry Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jordan, 1896 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1896
    FoundingJordan is established
  3. 1899Post officeThe Jordan post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1936Born hereJerry Kramer is born here
  6. 1942In the archiveJordan, Montana
  7. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Jordan, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s6 items
Jordan, Montana1942Jordan, MontanaJordan, Montana1942Jordan, MontanaJordan, Montana. Rancher in town1942Jordan, Montana. Rancher in townUntitled photo, possibly related to: Jordan, Montana1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jordan, MontanaUntitled photo, possibly related to: Jordan, Montana1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jordan, MontanaJordan, Montana. This town, with a population of 500, had its first telephone installed in 19361942Jordan, Montana. This town, with a population of 500,…
1950s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
MuseumGarfieldCountyMT2026MuseumGarfieldCountyMTGarfieldMotelJordanMT2026GarfieldMotelJordanMTEnteringJordanMT2026EnteringJordanMTVolunteers102017Volunteers10Jordan, Montana2009Jordan, MontanaJordan, Montana (2009)2009Jordan, Montana (2009)2009JordanMT20092009JordanMTJordan MT Main Street Intersection2008Jordan MT Main Street IntersectionMTMap-doton-Jordan2005MTMap-doton-Jordan
On the map

Jordan on the map, 1964 to 1983

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

Jordan on the 1964 USGS mapJordan on the 1983 USGS map1964Jordan sheet · 1:24,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Jordan, Montana
Retake this viewJordan, Montana, 1942

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Jordan’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Jordan, census by census

01002003004005006001960198020002020Peak: 557

Between 343 and 557 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Jordan’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJordan, Montana: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Jordan’s history

What year was Jordan founded?

In 1896, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Jordan’s post office opened in 1899, and the census of 1960 counted 557 people here.

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), the Library of Congress (6), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.