1067 - Town of Alzada
This photo shows the Stoneville Saloon in the small town of Alzada, Montana. The rustic, Old West–style saloon sits at the center of town, with motorcycles and vehicles parked out front, reflecting its popularity as a stop for travelers and bikers. Surrounded by wide open prairie and distant farmsteads, the saloon stands as a landmark gathering place in this rural community.
Long before highways and cell towers, during the times of the wild west, Montana was an unbridled land, home to Native Americans, frontiersmen, fur-traders, and prospectors. Westward migration was bringing additional people to the area, requiring amenities such as military posts and telegraph lines. Camp Devin was created in 1878 by the soldiers of the 9th United States Infantry, who, at the time, had one major task, to build a telegraph line that ran from Deadwood in Dakota Territory to Fort Keogh in Montana Territory.
Camp Devin was short-lived, only being used for about two months as the line was constructed connecting the two posts. Towards the late 1870s, settlers were moving to the territory, looking for a place to call their own. Alzada, Montana was born, near the abandoned camp. Initially named Stoneville, after the beloved local bartender, Lou Stone, the town was settled by pioneers who wanted to raise cattle on the banks of the Little Missouri River.
Stoneville served as a stagecoach stop between Deadwood and Miles City, a well-traveled route by settlers, military men, business owners, and outlaws. It’s even been said that Calamity Jane, frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller, traveled the trail. In 1884, a gun battle broke out in town between local authorities and the Exelby gang, rustlers who had been tormenting the area. The town’s name was changed from Stoneville to Alzada in 1885 because of confusion with another similarly named settlement. Alzada paid homage to an early settler named Laura Alzada Shelden.
Today, Alzada seems to be not much more than a dot on a map, though it is home to the Stoneville Saloon, an authentic western saloon complete with a hitching post, wooden porch, and sawdust covered floors. As one of Montana’s oldest saloons, it’s a place you won’t soon forget.