Thronson's General Store, Babb, Montana USA

People have always gathered on the flats that formed where St Mary and Swiftcurrent Rivers emptied out of their respective mountain valleys. Before the Blackfeet Nation formed, and long before Hugh Monroe showed up looking for furs for the Hudson Bay Fur Company.

Where is Babb, MT?
Babb is an unincorporated town located in northern Montana (USA), where the vast western prairie meets the northern Rocky Mountains - about 10 miles from the Canadian border. Eight miles south of Babb is the village of St. Mary where 2 million people travel through Glacier National Park over Going-To-The-Sun Highway from May to September. U.S. Highway 89 and Duck Lake Road (MT 464) are the only roads leading into the Babb-St. Mary valley from the east. Both Highway 89 & Duck Lake Road branch off of Highway 2 in Browning. Duck Lake Road meets Highway 89 again a mile east of Babb, and then continues on north into Canada.

How Babb Was Named
The name Babb was chosen to honor Cyrus C. Babb, superintendent of the pre-Glacier Park Milk River Reclamation Project. This major water diversion project created Sherburne Dam, on the way into Glacier Park's Many Glacier valley, and is also responsible for the canal that follows US Highway 89 north of Babb for several miles. Millions of people visit this area each year, but few understand the significance of the Dam and the canal. The Babb-St. Mary Valley is in the Hudson Bay drainage, and this project diverts the water from going north and sends it to the farmers in eastern Montana.

How "big" is Babb?
Most people associate the town of Babb with either the Babb Bar (now the Cattle Baron Supper Club) or Thronson's General Store. There are also Methodist, Catholic, and Baptist churchs; a Post Office; Elementary and Head Start schools; and a Volunteer Fire Department and ambulance. There are approximately 225+ full-time local residents that live within five or six miles of Babb.

For more information on traveling in Montana, be sure to check out "The Montana Vacation and Travel Guide" online (by clicking the name).