Augusta and Gilman

The bank that sealed Gilman's fate began as Augusta's own. In March 1912 the Augusta State Bank weighed an offer from the townsite company: two free lots on the best corner, if it built in brick or stone. It moved, reincorporated as the Gilman State Bank and put up the polychrome brick building that still stands. After the dry years from 1917, president A. L. Bradley carried homesteaders on credit borrowed from eastern banks until those banks called it in. The doors closed on November 28, 1923, one of 214 Montana bank failures of the early 1920s.

What the plaque says

Augusta and Gilman Named for the daughter of a local rancher, Augusta was established on Fred Walrath's homestead in 1884. It prospered as a trade center for a vast cattle and sheep ranching area. By the 1890s, Augusta's main street included dwellings, hotels, saloons, mercantiles and Manix & Vaughn's famed general store. Today, many of those buildings and homes still stand, symbols of Augusta's colorful history. In 1912, the Great Northern Railway announced plans to build a branch line westward from Great Falls into this area. Instead of extending the line to Augusta, the railroad established a station and community near here and named it Gilman. Many people abandoned Augusta and moved to Gilman. Businesses, including the bank, also relocated to Gilman, precipitating a decade-long feud between the two communities. Even though Gilman flourished, Augusta stuck it out and refused to die. By 1923, drought, hard times, and the extension of the railroad to Augusta, caused the Gilman State Bank to close and the town to fade away. Many buildings in Gilman were physically relocated to Augusta. All that remains of Gilman are concrete sidewalks and the bank building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Egg Mountain — 16 mi
• Old Agency on the Teton — 24 mi
• Blackfeet and Buffalo — 25 mi