Lombard, Montana

Lombard, Montana
Abandoned Milwaukee Road bridge over the Missouri River at Lombard, Montana
Lombard, Montana
Location of Lombard in Montana
Lombard, Montana
Lombard, Montana (the United States)
Coordinates: 46°06′27″N 111°23′56″W / 46.10750°N 111.39889°W / 46.10750; -111.39889[1]
Country United States
State Montana
CountyBroadwater
Established1895
Abandoned1980
Named afterA.G. Lombard
Elevation1,218 m (3,996 ft)
GNIS feature ID773568[1]

Lombard is a ghost town in southeastern Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The town was located on the east bank of the Missouri River, just north of the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek.

Lombard was established in 1895 as the western terminus of the Montana Railroad, and the location of its interchange with the Northern Pacific Railway. In 1908, the Montana Railroad was incorporated into the new transcontinental main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road"). This lessened Lombard's importance as a railroad operational base, but the town survived as an interchange point between the Milwaukee and the Northern Pacific.

Lombard was named for A.G. Lombard, the chief engineer of the Montana Railroad. The town's post office was first opened in 1896, and closed in 1957.

The population of Lombard declined throughout the first half of the twentieth century, corresponding with its lessening importance as a railroad town. Lombard was deserted by the time the Milwaukee Road line through the area was abandoned in 1980, and it remains a ghost town today.

Lombard represents a specific stage of technology development in the coking coal industry. The relationship of the structures and features at the site reflect the technology and methods used at an early 20th century coking establishment. Due to the short period of operation, the existing ovens were not exposed to the repeated heating and cooling to which most coke ovens were subjected, and today are still standing.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lombard, Montana
  2. ^ Lombard Coke Ovens, North Bank of Missouri River near Toston Dam Reservoir, Toston, Broadwater County, MT, retrieved May 15, 2025

Further reading

  • Baker, Don B. (1990). The Montana Railroad: Alias : The Jawbone. Boulder, Colorado: Fred Pruett Books. ISBN 978-0-9623868-1-7.
  • Lutz, Dennis J. (1986). Montana Post Offices and Postmasters. Rochester, Minnesota: Johnson Printing Co.