Photos: Livingston, Montana

Position: 45°39’40.6″N 110°33’35.6″W

The town of Livingston, Montana, might not exist if it weren’t for the railway and its proximity to Yellowstone National Park. As soon as the spur to North Yellowstone was finished, Livingston was on the map. Visitors from back east rode in relative comfort for days on their way to visit the park. They almost always stayed a night or two in Livingston as they changed trains.

From 1890 to 1950 the best way to see America was by rail. Tracks spread far and wide across the vast western plains. Automobiles were expensive and petrol stations rare outside major metropolitan areas. Cars were also unreliable and without, interstate highways, slow. Rail lines would get you close to where you wanted to go, and a horse and carriage would get you the rest of the way.

Tourism brings money. Lots of money. Early railroad barons understood this and built hotels and theatres and stations in out-of-the-way places to meet demand. Getting the railroad to come through or near your town all but guaranteed its economic success. Many railroad boomtowns began as marshalling yards, or stock yards; focused on the business of moving things, not folks. But when folks turned up, entertainers and service businesses soon followed.

Historic

Downtown Livingston is on the National Register of Historic Places and is firmly stuck in the past. Sometime between 1890 and 1950. The BNSF rolling stock is all modern and there is a nifty statue of Sacagawea in a little park near the Yellowstone River. The rest is pure hometown USA. These days Livingston is, or was, a little less expensive than Bozeman, just over the pass. Homes are modest and well kept in the historic district. Naturally, there are plenty of coffee shops and pubs with local microbrews to sustain visitors. Should you tire of exercise in the great outdoors, you can always watch freight trains jostle cars in the extensive sidings.

Livingston’s old world charm makes it popular with Hollywood. Many films and TV shows have been shot there including: Rancho Deluxe, A River Runs Through It, The Horse Whisperer, Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, and the popular series Yellowstone.

Photos

Clouds flattened the sky during our photo safari, but that softens the shadows. These photos may give you a better idea of what life was like in Montana 50 years ago: