Dooley, Montana
Encyclopedia
Dooley is a ghost town
in northeastern Sheridan County
, Montana
, United States
. The town was established as a station stop on the Soo Line Railroad
branch line to Whitetail, Montana
, constructed in 1913.
Although the land around Dooley attracted numerous homesteaders
during the first years following the railroad's completion, the region proved to be unsuited for intensive agricultural use, and by the 1920s the town was in decline. Though the railroad remains in operation, Dooley is now a ghost town
.
The post office at Dooley operated from 1914 to 1957.
The only remaining building in Dooley is the long-abandoned Rocky Valley Lutheran Church, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1993.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in northeastern Sheridan County
Sheridan County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 4,105 people, 1,741 households, and 1,140 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.4 people per square mile . There were 2,167 housing units at an average density of 1.3 per square mile...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was established as a station stop on the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
branch line to Whitetail, Montana
Whitetail, Montana
Whitetail is a small, unincorporated village in northern Daniels County, Montana, USA. The area was first used as a camp along a cattle-driving route in the 1880s. The town grew with the arrival of the Soo Line Railroad in 1914...
, constructed in 1913.
Although the land around Dooley attracted numerous homesteaders
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
during the first years following the railroad's completion, the region proved to be unsuited for intensive agricultural use, and by the 1920s the town was in decline. Though the railroad remains in operation, Dooley is now a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
The post office at Dooley operated from 1914 to 1957.
The only remaining building in Dooley is the long-abandoned Rocky Valley Lutheran Church, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1993.