Red Lodge’s post office opened in 1884, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #2 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 174 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Red Lodge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Red Lodge’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Red Lodge is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #2 of 42 in Montana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Red Lodge’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 Red Lodge’s 731 sits above most of its state (97% of Montana towns have fewer) while its 183 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% 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 (±8.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Red Lodge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On September 17, 1851, the United States government signed a treaty with the Crow Nation, confirming control of the area which now contains Red Lodge to the Crow Indians. Rich coal deposits were found there in 1866, and gold was discovered nearby in 1870. An 1880 treaty between the U.S. government and the Crow allowed the area to be settled starting April 11, 1882.
The Red Lodge post office was established on December 9, 1884, with Postmaster Ezra L. Benton. A rail line was constructed into town, and coal shipments began in June 1889. The boundaries of the Crow Reservation were redrawn October 15, 1892, opening the whole area to settlement. From then until the 1930s, coal mining defined the town.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Red Lodge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1985Red Lodge East 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 Red Lodge.
Every building
Red Lodge, building by building, 1891–1912
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.
Beartooth Hospital and Health CenterhospitalBig Engine BridgebridgeCentral SchoolschoolField SchoolschoolLincoln SchoolschoolRed LodgelocaleSaint Agnes SchoolschoolSouth Side Public Schoolschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Red Lodge’s history
What year was Red Lodge founded?
The Red Lodge post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Red Lodge rank for history?
Red Lodge is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #2 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 Red Lodge?
9 listings: 6 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Red Lodge Commercial Historic District, the Hi Bug Historic District and the Red Lodge Brewing Company-Red Lodge Canning Company, with 174 contributing buildings. 183 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Red Lodge?
42% of Red Lodge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.5 points), against a typical 13% for a Montana town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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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