This is a series of micro-caches commemorating the lost historical towns in the Flathead Valley. In most cases nothing is left of the original town site, however using anecdotal evidence and a late 1990s U.S. Geological Survey project that pinned down the approximate area where these towns' post offices were located, we have placed these caches in the general vicinity. In cases where the land is privately owned, the cache will be at least within eye-shot.
In order to distinguish between an actual town (like Scribner or Demersville) and a general area (like Half Moon or Deer Park) we have taken our definition verbatim from the most valuable resource we found while researching these lost places, the book "Muscle, Grit And Big Dreams Earliest Towns of the Upper Flathead 1872-1891" by Carle F. O'Neil, O'Neil Printers, 1996. A town is, "A collection of houses and other buildings wherein at least minimal human services are formally provided and exchanged, and where a public post office has been established.
The above photo is a hand drawn map of the town of Ashley Montana, taken from the book "Muscle, Grit And Big Dreams Earliest Towns of the Upper Flathead 1872-1891" by Carle F. O'Neil, O'Neil Printers, 1996.
Some interesting facts about Ashley:
- The town was named for nearby Ashley Creek which was probably named for early Flathead Valley settler Joe Ashley.
- Ashley's first mercantile was set up in 1883 by A.S. Lanneau.
- Andrew Swaney and Leo Walkup set up the first mercantile in the valley that had a matched wood floor in Ashley. This was significant because the material had to be brought up from Missoula as there were no sawmills established in the valley at the time.
- A short time later John M. Foy would start the valley's first sawmill right on the lake that now bears his name.
- Ashley local J.J. Kimmerly started the first dairy business in the valley.
- John H. Foy and his wife Nancy Jane Gregg Foy started Ashley's first saloon.
- Other Ashley shops included: G.H. Adams' mercantile, D.J. Plume's drug store, J.H. Graves' hotel, saloon, and restauraunt, W.B. Miller's blacksmith.
- One of the valley's earliest newspapers was the Ashley Courier which was published by D.J. Plume.
- Ashley's post office was established in 1884 in Swaney and Walkup's mercantile.
- Ashley's school was established in 1885.
- The formal town of Ashley never really died out. It was absorbed by Kalispell. Ashley's main street is now Meridian Road, and two of Ashley's streets, Thornburg and Wallace still exist to this day.
- In all, Ashley lasted about eight years from its founding until its absorption by the new town of Kalispell 1884-1891.