Welcome to Conrad, Montana

Fur trading in the 1860s by several forts in Canada and Fort Benton on the Missouri River was responsible for the establishment of a trade route known as the “Whoop-Up Trail” that passed within a few miles of the present town of Conrad. The trail got its name when a Canadian trapper was asked how things were going in Canada and he answered, “Well, they're sure whoopin' it up, referring to the Indians who were trading whiskey at the Canadian forts.”

The Whoop-Up Trail was the forerunner of a narrow-gauge railroad, The Great Falls & Canada Railway, that was later built between Lethbridge, Alberta, and Great Falls, Montana, to provide wider market for Canadian coal. The first train ran over the line in October 1890.

The trading post of Pondera was started on the right-of-way, three-quarters of a mile east of present day Conrad. The National Archives of the Post Office lists a post office at Pondera as of March 15, 1892. It's also known that a hotel and several other buildings were constructed there.

In 1901, The Great Falls & Canada Railway was sold to the Great Northern Railroad and standard tracks were laid a mile west of Pondera. This was followed by the move of Pondera's six buildings and the town of Conrad had its beginning. It was named for W. G. and C. E. Conrad, owners of the huge Seven Block Ranch, and organizers of the Conrad Investment Company and the Pondera Canal Company, precursor of the present day irrigation project in this area. Only a few shacks made up the new settlement of Conrad until 1902 when M. S. Darling, engineer for the Conrad Investment Company, laid out a 602-acre town site. Conrad incorporated on September 24, 1908.

The town prospered and grew around an agricultural economy until there were 1,500 people living here in 1916. Several years of drought followed and slowed things down for a time. In 1926, the dry spell was broken and in 1927, the discovery of oil started operations in the Pondera Oil Field and stimulated widespread interest in the area. Several producing wells set the stage for the frenzied development of the following years.

Conrad has been the site of a number of industries - a flax mill and a brick-making plant among others - but farming, ranching, oil production, and tourism provide the main stays of its economy.

For those wishing even more adventure, the nearby Bob Marshall Wilderness deep in the Rockies is one of the last primitive areas for the hiker, backpacker and horseback rider. Bird watching and hunting are excellent near Conrad. Our lakes and fields of grain entice numerous species of birds and provide frequent glimpses of pheasant, grouse, geese, swans and ducks.

Conrad offers a 9-hole golf course, a new municipal swimming pool, baseball complex, tennis courts, shady parks, bowling, health club, community theater group, movie theater and a variety of dining experiences. Conrad also has a lighted airport with a 4,200-foot airstrip.

For history buffs, Lewis and Clark explored the Conrad area and returned through Conrad in their famous flight from the Blackfeet Indian encounter and Camp Disappointment. The Whoop-Up Trail, an infamous bootlegger route, ran nearby.