Depot Museum

Originally, the Montana Railroad was 1 mile north of the town of Merino, Montana. Because of this, the inhabitants of the town decided to relocate closer to the railroad. In 1900, residents renamed the town Harlowton after Richard Harlow, the president of the Montana Railroad. The bulk of the railroad was built between 1906 and completed in a record-setting 3 years. The railroad was over 2,300 miles of track upon completion. At its zenith, the Milwaukee Railroad ran from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean. The railroad played the single most important role in growing the community from a few scattered houses to a community of hundreds.