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Long before Scobey, Montana, located near the crossroads of the Wood Mountain Trail and Outlaw Trail, became the city it is today, the wide-open prairies of this region were occupied by Indians pursuing the migrating buffalo followed by the fur traders and the outlaws seeking refuge from their crimes.
Settlers began coming into the area in 1901. Mansfield Daniels, whom the county was eventually named after in 1920, had the vision of starting a settlement along the Poplar River. That year he secured a post office and began building his townsite, which included a blacksmith shop, livery stable, hotel, general store, implement dealer, and saloon, to name a few.
Daniels envisioned the Great Northern Railroad extending a branchline north from the mainline in Poplar, following the Poplar River drainage to his townsite. The railroad did extend northward into the area, but it wasn't the route that Mansfield thought it would be. Instead, in 1913, the railway spurred off the main line at Bainville near the North Dakota border and extended north to Plentywood and then west toward Scobey, named after Mansfield's friend Major Charles Scobey. When the Great Northern reached the area it had already determined where the townsite at the end of its line would be 1.5 miles northeast of Mansfield's townsite. Eventually, virtually everyone living in Mansfield's Scobey townsite on the river bottom and the business buildings were moved the 1.5 miles northeast to form the new Scobey.
With the arrival of the railroad Scobey grew rapidly with a flood of homesteaders taking advantage of free land to try their hand at dryland wheat farming. By 1924, Scobey was the largest primary wheat market in the United States and that distinction continued into 1925 and 1926.
In the following decade, the "Dirty 30s," Scobey suffered through the drought and great depression the rest of the country experienced but rebounded throughout the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, enjoying prosperity through its agricultural production. Today, Scobey is a little city with all the amenities of a big city.
History of Flaxville
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The town of Flaxville started as the second RR siding in Daniels County when Great Northern built the branch line. Its boom started in 1913 when some businesses moved in from Orville to be next to the rails and a number of other firms started new.
As in most new towns along the rails, the depot was of prime importance. Trains were the fastest means of travel and the telegraph was widely used.
Flaxville prospered for several years with may business and professional people coming and going. There were possibly as many as thirty firms operating in the town at its peak.
The "dirty thirties" took their toll, but the biggest decline in the business community came as a result of improved transportation in the '40s and '50s as people traveled to larger towns for shopping and entertainment. Farms also got larger and farmers fewer with modern equipment cutting down on necessary labor force.
The Town of Flaxville incorporated in 1955. It boasts complete municipal water and sewer systems and street signs. It has oiled highways heading in from all four directions
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History of Peerless
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Named after a bottle of Peerless Beer around 1912, it evolved into a bustling town of businesses, many long forgotten. These included "moonshiners" and "boozerunners" and even a house of ill repute. More stable firms included general stores, lumber yards, saloons, restaurants, barbershops, dentist office, blacksmith and mechanic shops, gas stations and hotels.
First "town" in the area was established in 1912 just southwest of the present site: this moved 3 miles east in 1914. Peerless again moved to be on the GN rail line in 1926, so it is the youngest established town site in the county.
Peerless has a rich history of colorful characters. "Whitey the Gambler" shot and killed a man in the early days and was given 30 days to leave town. Others had mysterious backgrounds. One served time for a killing that some old-timers thought was committed by someone else, although they were reluctant to say who.
No one ever knew where a mysterious local farmer, John Brown, came from or anything of his past. He had quite a sum of money when found dead in the late '50s with a .38 strapped to his chest and another alongside his bed.
The area also has a great history in sports, ranging from wild bronc riding to the Peerless Pirates independent basketball team.
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History of Whitetail
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The town of Whitetail in northeast Daniels County is set in a beautiful valley along Whitetail Creek with a dam forming a lake on the outskirts. It was a small town even before the coming of the Soo Line RR in 1913. The Soo Line planned to build on farther west but ended up stopping at Whitetail.
The new town began to boom as soon as the rails arrived with numerous business and professional services being offered. A lot of homesteaders arrived on the Soo as the country around became more and more settled.
The community got a couple of unusual economic boosts. It was claimed that several gallons of oil were pumped out of a well in town and this created lots of excitement. Oilmen came from Wisconsin and the Whitetail Oil Syndicate was formed. This resulted in the sale of all the town lots and oil leases soared.
A drilling rig was moved in and a well was spudded in 1928. Action continued for a few years but no oil was recovered, although enough natural gas was found to fire the steam power unit for awhile.
In the late thirties the Schlecter Bros. invented the power-take-off driven grain blower which revolutionized grain handling over a wide area. A factory was built and by the '40s nearly every farm truck had a "Whitetail Grain Blower". Coming of the more popular grain augers put an end to this venture.
For many years an island in Whitetail Lake was the site of the area's major July 4th fireworks display, with reflections from the water adding to the enjoyment of large crowds coming from all across Daniels and Sheridan Counties.
Whitetail high school closed in 1942 and the grade school in 1973.
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History of Four Buttes
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The little town of Four Buttes, located in central Daniels County, received its name from the four unusual buttes that tower above the prairie west of town. These buttes were known as "Whiskey Buttes" in the early days because of being a meeting place between Indians and those who would trade whiskey to them
These flat topped formations stand out in rolling prairie country and in more recent years have been a favorite site for community picnics. The town sprang up in 1926, a few months after the Great Northern railroad was extended west form Scobey. In August of that year the newly constructed Farmers Elevator, with a capacity of 35,000 bushels, began receiving grain. This elevator burned in September, 1944, but another, built by a line company, was purchased by the farmers in the early '40s and is still in use.
Until 1967 area children received their elementary education in a one room country school building that was moved into town. A bus now takes the children to school in Scobey.
Additional History
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Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town
Located on 20 acres just west of Scobey, Montana, is the Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town. 35 historic buildings have been restored to depict a town in the early 1900's. The goal of the museum is to collect, preserve and display Daniels County history in all its forms including archives, a collection of antique cars, tractors and machinery.
Held the last weekend in June are Pioneer Days with entertainment featuring the Dirty Shame Show, five family oriented internationally known variety shows starring the Dirty Shame Belles and the Dixieland Band. Relax in the non-alcoholic Dirty Shame Saloon with cool drinks, popcorn and entertainment.
Other events include the use of old cook-cars to prepare a "thresherman's breakfast" of pancakes and sausage, antique car and tractor parade, children's street games and an art show. It's fun for the whole family.
The Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town is located 7 blocks west of Main Street on Second Avenue.
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