Question: About 20 miles from Winnett, in Central Montana, lies the remnants of a once thriving prairie town named for love. This former town had a Post Office, school, hotel, lumber yard, one doctor, and two general stores. Now, it is a desolate county road with windblown buildings and memories.

What was the name of the lovely little ghost town in Central Montana that is now a lonely county road?

Answer: Valentine, Montana

Background:

Montana has numerous ghost towns, many of which were once only railroad sidings or post offices. Frequently, these towns were named after local residents who often became the postmasters. Today, many of these towns are no longer present and only remain as road names.

Yellowstone County has numerous former ghost towns or named railroad sidings that have disappeared over time. Examples include Shorey Road, Hesper Road, Pineview Road, Painted Robe Road, and Pease Bottom Road, which are now either part of a larger town or simply a county road.

The winter wind whistles through what’s left of the small prairie town of Valentine. What’s left isn’t much — a couple of buildings lean precariously into the breeze while a pile of boards and rusted nails marks the site of the old community hall. In the hush of a mid-winter day, it’s hard to envision that once this was a place of hustle and bustle.

Located about 20 miles north of Winnett on Valentine Road, the history of the town is recorded in “Homestead Shacks over Buffalo Tracks.” According to author Donna Lund, the town of Valentine came to be in 1915, when local sheep ranchers Ben and Mary Bean donated land with the idea of serving the needs of the increasing number of area homesteaders.