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History · Stanford

Stanford dates to 1875, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1920.

1875founded
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Stanford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Stanford began

When was Stanford founded?

1875

Stanford dates its founding to 1875 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 300 in 19202020 census: 403151 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓

What stands out about Stanford’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 615 in 1960; 403 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Stanford’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stanford’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStanford, Montana (1911): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Stanford, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 615

Peaked at 615 in 1960; 403 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Stanford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stanford.

Read it all →

Stanford began with the establishment of a trading post by Thomas C. Power in 1875. In 1908 the town moved about 3 miles to be next to the new railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stanford, 1875 to 1978

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875
    FoundingStanford is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Stanford post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911In the archiveStanford, Montana (1911)
  6. 1916Born hereAlbert Henry Ottenweller is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 615
  8. 1978On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Stanford, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Stanford, Montana (1911)1911Stanford, Montana (1911)
1920s–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
Today5 recent
Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in2022Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church inField at edge of2011Field at edge ofStanford, MT Downtown2008Stanford, MT DowntownStanford MT Judith Basin Courthouse2008Stanford MT Judith Basin CourthouseMTMap-doton-Stanford2005MTMap-doton-Stanford
On the map

Stanford on the map, 1978 to 1984

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

Stanford on the 1978 USGS mapStanford on the 1984 USGS map1978Stanford 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 Stanford.

Every building

Stanford, building by building, 1910

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.

Stanford fire insurance map, 1910, sheet 11910Sheet 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.

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.

Stanford, Montana (1911)
Retake this viewStanford, Montana (1911), 1911

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

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Old corners

Stanford’s post office has been open since 1882.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Cotton Trailer CourtEdith Nelson Trailer CourtJ and M Trailer Court

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

Questions about Stanford’s history

What year was Stanford founded?

In 1875, according to Wikidata. Stanford’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1920 counted 300 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 (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), 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.