Haugan, Montana
Encyclopedia
Haugan is an unincorporated community
in Mineral County
, Montana
, United States
. Haugan is situated 5 miles (8 km) east of the Idaho border and 90 miles (144.8 km) west of Missoula on Interstate 90
at the Haugan Exit #16.
Haugan was named for H. G. Haugan
, Land Commissioner of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Haugan was established and maintained to serve as a pusher station for the Milwaukee Road railroad trains ascending the Bitterroot Range
of the Rocky Mountains
.
Haugan was one of several area towns to be destroyed during the Great Fire of 1910
. Haugan had a post office for approximately seventy years in the twentieth century. Opened on March 25, 1911, the post office closed on August 31, 1944, only to reopen four years later. This second post office operated from June 16, 1948 to July 22, 1983.
Haugan is surrounded by the Lolo National Forest
and is the site of the Savenac Nursery Historic District
. The nearby Haugan/Randolph Creek Loop Snowmobile Trail offers cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and other winter sport. Also nearby is the summit of Haugan Mountain
.
The community is most commonly known for its Silver Dollars tourist area. Signs telling drivers the distance are seen on Interstate 90 around Western Montana, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Washington.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Mineral County
Mineral County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,884 people, 1,584 households, and 1,067 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile . There were 1,961 housing units at an average density of 2 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...
. Haugan is situated 5 miles (8 km) east of the Idaho border and 90 miles (144.8 km) west of Missoula on Interstate 90
Interstate 90 in Montana
Interstate 90 in Montana is a portion of the east–west transcontinental Interstate 90, which links Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts. The portion in the U.S...
at the Haugan Exit #16.
Haugan was named for H. G. Haugan
H. G. Haugan
-Background:Hauman G. Haugan was born in Oslo, Norway, the elder son of Helge A. and Anna B. Haugan. Together with his brother Helge Alexander Haugan, he immigrated to Canada and moved to Montreal in 1859.-Career:...
, Land Commissioner of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Haugan was established and maintained to serve as a pusher station for the Milwaukee Road railroad trains ascending the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
.
Haugan was one of several area towns to be destroyed during the Great Fire of 1910
Great Fire of 1910
The Great Fire of 1910 was a wildfire which burned about three million acres in northeast Washington, northern Idaho , and western Montana...
. Haugan had a post office for approximately seventy years in the twentieth century. Opened on March 25, 1911, the post office closed on August 31, 1944, only to reopen four years later. This second post office operated from June 16, 1948 to July 22, 1983.
Haugan is surrounded by the Lolo National Forest
Lolo National Forest
Lolo National Forest is located in western Montana, United States with the western boundary being the state of Idaho. The forest spans 2 million acres and includes four wilderness areas; the Scapegoat and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are partially within the forest while the Welcome Creek and...
and is the site of the Savenac Nursery Historic District
Savenac Nursery Historic District
Savenac Nursery Historic District is located near Haugan in Mineral County, Montana. It is 15 miles from St. Regis, Montana. Savenac was once one of the largest and oldest USDA Forest Service tree nurseries in the western United States, operating from 1907 until 1969...
. The nearby Haugan/Randolph Creek Loop Snowmobile Trail offers cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and other winter sport. Also nearby is the summit of Haugan Mountain
Haugan Mountain
Haugan Mountain is a summit in Mineral County, Montana at 4,764 feet above sea level. The nearest community of Haugan, Montana is 2.1 miles away. .-References:Notes...
.
The community is most commonly known for its Silver Dollars tourist area. Signs telling drivers the distance are seen on Interstate 90 around Western Montana, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Washington.
Further reading
- Lutz, Dennis J. Montana Post Offices and Postmasters RochesterRochester, MinnesotaRochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
: Johnson, 1986. - Pyne, Stephen J. Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910. MissoulaMissoula, MontanaMissoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
: Mountain, 2008.