Dillon, Montana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dillon
City
Business District of Dillon
Location of Dillon, Montana
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Beaverhead
Area
• Total	1.77 sq mi (4.59 km2)
• Land	1.77 sq mi (4.59 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	5,240 ft (1,560 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,880
• Density	2,192.10/sq mi (845.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code	59725
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-20800
GNIS feature ID	0770653
Website	www.dillonmt.org

Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,880 at the 2020 census. The city was named for Sidney Dillon (1822-1892), president of Union Pacific Railroad.

History

• Dillon was founded in the Beaverhead Valley as a railroad town in 1880 by Union Pacific Railroad President Sydney Dillon.
• The location of Dillon was selected by the railroad because of its close location to gold mines in the area.
• Gold was first discovered in the Dillon area at Grasshopper Creek in 1862.
• The last real gold rush in the Dillon area happened in the Argenta area in 1920 and lasted for 30 years.
• The first ore that was discovered in the Dillon areas was silver. Gold was found soon after and this discovery caused people to come to the area in droves.
• Dillon served as a central location for transporting goods to boom towns such as Bannack, Argenta, Glen, and Virginia City.
• In 1881 Dillon became part of a contentious battle with Bannack to become the county seat of Beaverhead County.
• The first brick building was built in the frontier town of Dillon in 1882.
• In 1884, Dillon became an incorporated town and began building sidewalks and permanent dwellings for the residents.
• While many of the gold mining towns around Dillon died, Dillon was able to stay a thriving town due to the railroad and talc mining in the area.
• The cattle industry was established in 1865 in what would become the city of Dillon.
• The agriculturally rich valley became an ideal location for Sheep ranching that was introduced in 1869. With a large sheep-ranching community in the Dillon area, Dillon was once the largest exporter of sheep wool in Montana.
• The Montana Normal College was established as a teaching college in 1892, and is still functioning as a college renowned for its Education program.
• A circus elephant named Old Pitt was struck by lightning in 1943 and is buried at the fairgrounds.
• Capt Joel Rude of the Montana National Guard crashed his F-106 into a grain elevator and died during a Labor Day Parade on September 3, 1979. A plaque in his honor is part of the Southwest Montana Veterans Memorial park in Dillon, Montana.

Southeast Corner of the intersection of Bannack and Montana Streets, Dillon, Montana, in 1942. The photo was taken by Russell Lee

Geography

Dillon, Montana, from the Interstate 15 offramp

Dillon is located at 45°12′57″N 112°38′3″W / 45.21583°N 112.63417°W / 45.21583; -112.63417 (45.215735, -112.634055), at an elevation of 5102 feet (1555 m). It lies approximately 40 miles (64 km) east of the Continental Divide.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.76 square miles (4.56 km²), all of it land.

Dillon is home to the Beaverhead River, a "blue ribbon" fly fishing river.

Demographics

In April 2010, Dillon was listed as one of "America's Prettiest Towns" by Forbes magazine.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,134 people, 1,774 households, and 897 families living in the city. The population density was 2,348.9 inhabitants per square mile (906.9/km²). There were 1,930 housing units at an average density of 1,096.6 per square mile (423.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 0.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 1,774 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.4% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 33.9 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 19.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

Climate

Dillon experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.

Economy

Dillon's largest employers include Barretts Minerals Inc., Barrett Hospital and HealthCare, and Beaverhead County. Great Harvest Bread Company has its franchising headquarters in Dillon. Patagonia has an outlet in Dillon.

Dillon has 31 restaurants, including local businesses such as Papa T's Family Dining, Sparky's Garage, Stageline Pizza, the Lion's Den, 4 B's Restaurant, Sweetwater Coffee, La Fiesta Mexicana, and Mac's Last Cast. The Beaverhead Brewing Company is also in Dillon. Fast food chains with locations in Dillon include Dairy Queen, McDonald's, Subway, Pita Pit, Taco John's, and Pizza Hut. Chain stores in Dillon are Safeway, Town & Country, Ace Hardware, and Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply.

The Beaverhead County Museum is in Dillon. Public facilities in Dillon include the Dillon Public Library, Post Office, and Barrett's Park. The YMCA has a location within the city limits.

Recreational activities that draw tourism to Dillon include fishing on the Beaverhead River, snowmobiling, hiking, shopping at the Patagonia outlet, four-wheeling, the annual Demolition Derby, and skiing at Maverick Mountain Ski Area. Bannack State Park is popular with tourists. Dillon is also home to the annual "Montana's Biggest Weekend" event, also known as the Jaycee Labor Day Rodeo, Concert, & Parade.

Education

Dillon is part of School District 10 under Superintendent Glen A. Johnson. Schools in this district include: Parkview Elementary School, under Principal Greg Fitzgerald, and the Dillon Middle School under Principal Randy Shipman. Dillon is also home to Beaverhead County High School, a Class A High School under Principal Gary Haverfield. As of 2017, there were around 320 students. The high school's mascot is the Beaver.

Dillon is known statewide for its decades of success in high school sports. Since 2000 the high school football team has played in 11 Class A state championships, winning eight. The boys' basketball team has played in eight Class A state championships since 2007, winning five.

The city is also home to the University of Montana Western, formerly Western Montana College, under provost and vice chancellor Deborah Hedeen and Chancellor Beth Weatherby. As of 2016, there were 1,501 students. The college mascot is the Bulldog.

Dillon Public Library was built as a Carnegie library in 1901 and still serves the community.

Infrastructure

Dillon Airport is a county-owned airport five miles northeast of Dillon.

Notable people

• Troy Andersen, NFL linebacker
• Ed Barker, NFL wide receiver
• Jesse Goins, gold miner, featured on Discovery series "Gold Rush"
• Lloyd Meeds, politician, lobbyist, and navy officer
• Edwin L. Norris, 5th Governor of Montana (1908–1913)
• Jacob Thorkelson, United States Representative from Montana
• Benjamin F. White, former mayor of Dillon and last Governor of Montana Territory (1889)

See also

In Spanish: Dillon (Montana) para niños