BELT, Montana Community Information

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  City Street

  Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui

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  Belt Museum

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  National Register of Historic Places

Belt was named for Belt Butte, a nearby mountain that has a belt or girdle of rocks around it. The Belt Mountains(once called the Girdle Mountains) also took their name from this butte. The town was originally called Castner for its founder, John Castner. His coal mine, the first in Montana, supplied fuel for Fort Benton. In 1893 the Boston and Montana Mining Company began operations in the Belt coal fields and supplied fuel for the nearby smelter at Great Falls. The town was settled by Finnish and Slavic immigrants. In 1930 the smelters were converted to natural gas and the coal market slumped.(from Cheney’s Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)

While in Belt, stop by and see local history and art at the Belt Museum. The museum is housed in a building that was originally built as a city jail in 1895 during the boom years of the coal mines. The museum's exhibits include a historic jail cell, a coal mine, records and photos, and the work of local artists.

Other attractions include the Annual Belt PRCA Rodeo, Harvest Moon Brewery, where you can enjoy the renown Pig Ass Porter and the Belt Creek Ranger Station on US Highway 89 has information on nearby hiking, mountain biking, and snowmobiling, and offers trail maps. Explore Sluice Boxes State Park, marked by the Belt Creek Canyon as it slices out of the Little Belt Mountains and winds toward the town of Belt.

The National Register of Historic Places, the nation's list of heritage properties worthy of preservation, includes the Belt Commercial Historic District. As you explore Belt, look for interpretive markers to learn more about its history and architecture.