Father DeSmet named the St. Regis River after a fellow priest, but the riverside boomtown called St. Regis quickly became a thriving community of “saloons, honky-tonks, stores, and industry.” Settlers arrived via the Mullan Road, a military installation running between Fort Benton, Montana, and Walla Walla, Washington. The Northern Pacific and Milwaukee railroads had established themselves through St. Regis by 1909, and the town reaped the profits of being a regional transportation hub. By 1914, St. Regis had two schools, eight stores, a newspaper, a bank, three hotels, and a livery stable.

Rich timber reserves in the area drew the attention of lumber investors. The Mann Lumber Company founded its business in 1907. One of its principal logging camps could support 300 laborers and produced 150,000 board feet of lumber daily. Though their main operation was 13 miles west at Henderson, St. Regis provided much of the supplies and shipping. The Anaconda Copper Company Mill could cut 20 million feet of lumber yearly, and residents boasted that it would take 30 years to cut all the timber in the area.

Despite the financial success of St. Regis, Superior became the county seat in 1914. The Big Blackfoot Mill had shuttered its operation three years earlier, unable to recover after the massive forest fires of 1910. The mills operated sporadically over the next three decades; The Anaconda Company Mill, The C. G. Bennet Lumber Co., and the Burns-Yaak Company all came and went. In 1966, the lumber mill closed unexpectedly, leaving 50 workers reeling. St. Regis described itself as a single-industry town, and the loss of payroll threatened the livelihood of everyone living there.

Today the forests still draw people to St. Regis, but for recreation as well as industry. Timber companies continue to reap wealth from the extensive forests. Visitors and travelers consider St. Regis a favorite stop on their way to Glacier National Park.

Credits and Sources:

Aarstad, Rich, and Ellen Arguimbau, et al. Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman.Helena: The Montana Historical Society Press, 2009.

Hahn, Margie E. Montana’s Mineral County in Retrospect.Stevensville, MT: Stoneydale Press Publishing Company, 1997.

Long, Wallace J. “A History of the Big Creek Logging Complex.” November 30, 1993.

“Lumber Mill Shuts Down.” Clark Fork Chronicle, June 23, 1966.

The Montana Historical Society of Mineral County. 118 Years of History.Superior, MT: The Montana Historical Society of Mineral County, n.d.

Mineral County Historical Society. Mineral County History.Superior, MT: Mineral County Historical Society, 2004.

Historic photographs of “St. Regis Saw Mill,” “ACM Mill, 1912,” and “St. Regis Mill Workers” courtesy of Mineral County Historical Museum, Superior, MT.

Contemporary photos of St. Regis Mills site courtesy of Historical Research Associates, Inc.