Ingomar

Founded in 1908, Ingomar became a hub of commerce when the Milwaukee Road Railroad completed its line across Montana. The community had no source of water and relied on the railroad to provide 22,000-gallon water tank cars each week for the town folk. From Ingomar, horses and wagons carried supplies to the settlers and brought produce back to the community. The railroad promoted the growth of the area by encouraging settlers to use the 1909 Enlarged Homestead Act to stake 320-acre claims. There were an average of 2,500 homestead filings per year in this area between 1911 and 1917. Ingomar claimed the title of "Sheep Shearing Capital of North America." Shearing at Ingomar was advantageous because of its vital location on the route between the winter pastures and the free summer grass. From Ingomar, the wool was loaded directly onto the railroad cars without risk of weather damage or delayed delivery to the buyers. Two million pounds of wool a year were shipped from Ingomar during the peak years of the 1910s. A devastating fire in 1923, drought and depression have taken their toll on the area but the original frame school building, Bookman's store and the Jersey Lilly Saloon are recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Today Ingomar is one of Montana’s most remote communities.