Bibliography of Garfield County

______, Cohagen, Montana: All Class reunion, 1923-1948. Self-published.  Biographies and pictures of many of the graduates of the Cohagen High School.

______, Cohagen School Reunion, 28 Years of Cohagen High School, 1920 thru 1948. Self-published, 1984. Biographies and pictures of graduates of the Cohagen High School.

______, County Officials of Garfield County, 1919-1969.  Unpublished, 1969. Mimeographed listing of all county officials in the first fifty years of Garfield County.

______, Footprints in the Valley, A History of Valley County, Montana. Glasgow: Self-published, 1991.  In Three Volumes. Biographies of some Garfield County residents from the Missouri River area.

______, History of Montana, Volume III. New York: Lewis Historical Publication Co., Inc., 1957.  Volume I & II are a history of the state and III is biographies.  Includes Brown, Farrand, Foster, & Gurnett.

______, Pages of Time: A History of Petroleum County, Montana. Winnett: Petroleum County Public Library, 1990.  Biographies of many residents of Western Garfield County.

______, Pioneers and Progress on the Prairie: Montana Territorial Centennial; State 75; McCone Co. 45. Self Published, about 1964.  Biographies of several residents of eastern Garfield County.

______, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church: 50 Years. Jordan: Self-published, 1986. History of the church with many wedding pictures of its members. Not much written history.

______, Shadows of the Past: 50th Anniversary of GCHS Class of 1937. Self-published, 1987. Class reunion book of the class of 1937.  Contains biographies and pictures.

Alt, David & Donald W. Hyndman. Roadside Geology of Montana. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Co., 1994. Explains the geology of eastern Montana, why dinosaurs are found near Hell Creek, and what geology can be seen on Highway 200 from Grass Range to Sidney.

Alwin, John A. Eastern Montana: A Portrait of the Land and Its People. Vol. 2, Montana Geographic Series. Helena: Montana Magazine Inc. 1982. Section on the "Big Open" about the Garfield County area.

Alwin, John A. Jordan Country -- A Golden Anniversary Look. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 71, No. 4, pp. 479-498, 1981.

Baker, Don. Next Year Country: The Story of Eastern Montana. Boulder, Colorado: Fred Pruett Books, 1992. The story of homesteading in eastern Montana and the small towns that grew up, and died, during those years.

Baker, Estella Dawson. Let It Storm. Billings: Falcon Press Publishing Co., 1987. Story of the author's parents, William and Cora (Lansing) Broadbent, including their life at Taylor Creek, Garfield County, about 1900.

Billing, Susan Edla, compiler. They Came to Montana. Miles City: Self-published, 1984. Stories of the Billing and Haughian Families.

Billing, May. Echoes of an Era. Vols. 1, 2, & 3. Self-published, 1983 and 1989. Stories of early families of Garfield County, the forming of the county (the author's father was first county commissioner), and early businesses in Jordan.

Bowman, Isaiah. Jordan Country. Geographical Review, Vol. 21, pp. 22-25, 1931.

Brockway Homemakers Club. As It Was. Self-published, n.d. History of the Brockway community, McCone County. Includes biographies of many residents of eastern Garfield County.

Brown, Mark H. and W.R. Felton. The Frontier Years. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1955. The story of frontier photographer, L.A. Huffman, and includes stories of his trips into the Garfield County area before 1900.

Brown, Mark H. and W.R. Felton. Before Barbed Wire. New York: Bramhall House, 1956. The story of frontier photographer, L.A. Huffman, and includes visits to large cattle ranches in the area that is now Garfield County.

Cheney, Roberta Carkeek. Names on the Face of Montana. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1984. A listing of Montana post offices. Often lists origin of name, dates the office was in existence, postmaster, and other interesting stories.

Childs, Elsie Forbes, compiler. It Is Good to Remember. Helena: Self-published, 1976. History of the Milroy School at Taylor Creek, Garfield County.

Donovan, Roberta. Ike -- Boy of the Breaks. Malta: Phillips County Historical Society, 1989. The story of the author's father, Ike Messier, growing up in the Missouri River Breaks.

Doran, Clare, compiler. Memories From Montana's Crow Rock Country. Miles City: Self-published, 1986. Biographies of Garfield County residents in the south-east corner of the county, as well as Prairie, McCone, and Custer Counties.

Duncan, Dayton. Miles From Nowhere: Tales From America's Contemporary Frontier. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Stories about America's most rural localities. Has section on the Big Dry.

Federal Writers Project of the Work Projects Administration. The WPA Guide to 1930's Montana. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1994. A reprint of a 1930's guide book. Jordan is part of a tour from Miles City to Glasgow. The authors believed everything they were told and did very little research.

Garfield County High School, Montana Life Class. History of Garfield County. Unpublished, 1948. A school project that was writted when many first hand sources were still alive. Unfortunately does not use many names. Many stories begin "My dad once knew a man who. . ."

Garfield County High School, Montana History Class. Garfield County 1919-1969. Self-published, 1969. The entire book is included in They Came to Garfield County.

Garfield County High School Students. A Look at Then. Vols. 1,2,3,4. Self-published, 1990. Four pamphlets of local family histories. Most were included in They Came to Garfield County.

Garfield County High School Students. They Came to Garfield County. Self-published, n.d. Includes the student histories of 1969, 1990, and additional material.  One of the largest collections of family histories of Garfield County and still available for sale.

Garfield County Historical Society. Trailin' Through Time. Self-published, 1999.  A book printed for the centennial of Jordan, it contains a history of the area as well as lists of veterans and high school graduates.  Still available.

Gildart, R.C. Montana's Missouri River. Vol. 8, Montana Geographic Series. Helena: Montana Magazine, Inc. n.d. Large section of the book on the Charles M. Russel Wildlive Refuge.

Greene, Jerome A., editor. Battles and Skirmishes of the Great Sioux War, 1876-1877. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. After the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Col. Miles searched for Sitting Bull from Fort Keogh to Fort Peck, up the Missouri to the mouth of the Musselshell and back to Fort Keogh.

Greene, Jerome A.. Yellowstone Command. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1991. Detailed record of Col. Miles' search for Sitting Bull after the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He came down the Little Dry and Big Dry to Fort Peck, up the Missouri to the Musselshell and back to Fort Keogh.

Guptill, Janet F., editor. Garfield County Memories, June 15-18, 1989. Self-published, 1990. Photos of the activities held in Jordan during the Montana state centennial. Includes class reunion lists and Pony Express riders from all post offices in the history of Garfield County.

Guptill, Janet F., editor. A Souvenir Guide to Garfield County's Centennial Celebration. Self-published, 1989. A history of Garfield County organizations and schools.

Hardin, Floyd. Cowboys and Cowchips. Malta, Montana: Self-published, 1972.  Stories of early cowboys the author knew, including some in Garfield County.

Hash, M.H. "Cap". Driftin' Down the Draw. Columbia Falls: Self-published, 1976. Stories about early Garfield County by someone who saw it in person.

Hegne, Barbara. Border Outlaws of Montana, North Dakota, & Canada. Eagle Point, Oregon: Self-published, 1993. Stories about Tom Ryan (aka George Whitney) who was well known in early Jordan, as well as a detailed account of the jail break of Hardee and McKinney, in 1903 from the Glasgow jail, and their shooting on the south side of the Missouri River.

Hickcox, David H. Still Ninety Miles from Nowhere?: Isaiah Bowman's "Jordan Country" Revisited. University of Oregon, unpublished, 197.

Highland, Geneva. Big Dry Country. Billings: Billings Printing Company, 1960. One of the first histories of the county, it tells of early settler and interesting antidotes.  Still available.

Hoar, Jay S. Montana's Last Civil War Old-Soldiery. Farmington: University of Maine, 1984. Biographies of the last Civil War Veterans.  Includes Buffington, Loomis, Paddock, and Stanton.

Hornaday, William T. A Wild Animal Roundup, Stories and Pictures From the Passing Show. New York: Charles Schribner & Sons, 1925. Hornaday came to eastern Montana in the 1880's looking for the last surviving bison for the Smithsonian Institute.  He found them in Garfield County and one is portrayed on the back of the Indian Head nickel.

Hunnes, Fred B., editor. They Say "It Happened That Way" . Self-published, 1976. History of Ingomar, Sumatra, and Vananda, it has biographies of residents of south-west Garfield County.

Jones, Helen Carey, compiler. Custer County Area History: As We Recall. Dallas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1990. Biographies of residents of south-east Montana.  Has many Garfield County residents. Still available.

Jones, Mat Ennis. Fiddlefooted. Denver: Sage Books, 1966. Author was a cowboy in the Jordan area at the turn of the century. Great description of large ranches of the time and the founding of the town of Jordan.

Jordan, Alfred Arthur. My Friend's and My Relatives. Self-published, 1991. The son of the founder of Jordan tells of his family and his in-laws.  Includes Simons, McPherson, and Kilkenny.

Jordan, Arthur. Jordan. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Co., 1984. Autobiography by the founder of the town of Jordan.

Kohrs, Conrad. Conrad Kohrs: An Autobiography. Deer Lodge: Platen Press, 1977. Kohrs was the owner of a large cattle operation and ran cattle on the Big Dry in the 1880's.

Loomis, June and Audrey Guesanburu, compilers. Times & Life of James and Elvira Ryan, 1913-1988. The diaries of Elvira Ryan who lived in western Garfield County.  

Matson, Robert E. Petrography and Petrology of Smoky Butte Intrusives, Garfield County, Montana. Master's Thesis, Montana State University, 1960. Technical paper about one of Garfield County's most visible, and distinctive, natural landmarks.

McCarty, Catharine Calk. Blue Grass and Big Sky. Phoenix: Stockmore House, Ltd. 1983. Includes the story of the author's homestead days in western Garfield County.

McRae, W.C. & Judy Jewll. Montana Handbook. Chico: Moon Publications Inc., 1992. A travel guide to Montana, it has a section on the Jordan area.

Moulton, Gary E., editor. The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Vols. 1,4,6,9,10, & 11. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-1997.  Vol. 1 is the map book of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Vol. 4 is the journal entries covering their travels along the northern edge of Garfield County on their way west in 1805. Vol. 8 is the return trip of Lewis along the north side of the county in 1806. Vol. 9 is the journal of John Ordway. Vol. 10 is the journal of Patrick Gass. Vol. 11 is the journal of Joseph Whitehouse.

Myers, Zella L. One Step At A Time, An Autobiography. Self-published, 1983?. The author was raised at Brunelda in south-west Garfield County.

Paradise, Viola I., "Trailing Statistics on an American Frontier," Scribner's Magazine, Vol. LXVIII, No 3 (September 1920), pp. 322-334. Story about making a government survey in Garfield County.  Calls Jordan "Alibi" and uses aliases for the people they meet.

Prahl, Walter. The Elusive Horizon of William G. George, "Buff George", Joe Cobb. Murdo, South Dakota: Self-published, 1990. William George came from Virginia to South Dakota where he was a famous outlaw known as Buff George.  He came to Garfield County in the 1920's and was known as Joe Cobb.

Ralston, William M. Those Were the Days. New York: Carlton Press Inc., 1970. Autobiography of a cowboy who worked for the Evans Horse Ranch in 1910 on the Big Dry.

Rogers, A.H. Western Memories. New York: Exposition Press, 1963. Almon Rogers life story including near Cohagen.

Range Riders Reps. Fanning the Embers. Billings: Gazette Printing, 1971. Biographies of residents of south eastern Montana, including many from Garfield County.

Russell, Jim. Bob Fudge, Texas Trail Driver, Montana-Wyoming Cowboy 1862-1933. Aberdeen: North Plains Press, 1981. Bob Fudge was a cowboy for some of the large ranches in the area that became Garfield County.

Scherger, R.H., compiler. Synopsis of old Glendive Newspapers, 1882-1910. Self-published, 1993. Before Garfield County was formed the county seat was in Glendive and there were a number of newspaper stories dealing with western Dawson County.  Not a complete listing of all stories so the newspapers should be rechecked.

Schillreff, Fern and Jessie M. Shawver. Garfield County: The Golden Years. Vol. 1 & 2. Self-published, 1969. Written for the fiftieth anniversary of Garfield County, contains stories written by many of the early families of Garfield County.

Schloss, Ella Waldon, History of the Rural School Districts of Dawson County, Montana 1883-1972. Glendive: Self-published, 1973. Listing of schools in old Dawson County as well as school board members and miscellaneous information about the schools.

Schloss, Ella Waldon. Post-Age. Glendive: Self-published, 1980. Listing of post offices in old Dawson County, along with postmaster, mail carriers, and patrons.

Shawver, George W. Homesteading in the Missouri Breaks. Self-published, n.d. The author's life story, most of which was spent in western Garfield County.

Shawver, Jessie M. Dusty Trails. Self-published, n.d. A collection of early pictures of Garfield County and its residents. There are stories about some of the early families.

Shawver, Jessie M. and Clara M. Shawver, editors. Jackaroo Saga. Self-published, 1961. A collection of pictures of early residents of Garfield County.

Shawver, Jessie M. & Fern E. Schillreff. 25 Years of Garfield County High School, 1914 thru 1939. Self-published, n.d. Biographies and pictures of graduates of Garfield County High School. Still available.

Spencer, Kay Saylor. The Way It Was. Self-published, 1999.  History of the Edward Saylor family in western Garfield County.

Storey, Leslie A. The Old-timer. Unpublished, c1965. Stories about Garfield County and what homesteading was like by an early settler.

Stout, Tom. Montana, Its Story and Biography. Chicago & New York: The American Historical Society, 1921. Three volumes with 1 & 2 a history of  Montana, and volume 3 biographies.  They include: Clark, Baker, Evans, Henderson, Roke, West, Marrs, Brackett, Viall, and McQuiston from Garfield County.

Stuart, Granville. Pioneering in Montana: The Making of a State, 1864-1887. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977. Granville Stuart's vigilantes cleared horse thieves, and others, out of the Missouri River valley near the mouth of the Musselshell.

Wilson, Gary A. Outlaw Tales of Montana. Havre: High-Line Books, 1995. Stories about George Whitney (aka Tom Ryan) who spent a lot of time in the Jordan area.  Also a short version of the shooting of Hardee and McKinney in the Missouri Breaks after their escape from the Glasgow jail.

Woodson, Warren. Pioneering Tales of Montana. New York: Exposition Press, 1965. The author was a sheep man in eastern Montana, including Garfield County.