Dillon, Montana

Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,134 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Union Pacific Railroad President Sidney Dillon.HistoryDillon was founded in the Beaverhead Valley as a railroad town in 1880 by Union Pacific Railroad President Sidney Dillon. The town's location was selected by the railroad because of its proximity to gold mines in the area.The first ore discovered in the Dillon area was silver. Gold was first discovered at Grasshopper Creek in 1862, precipitating a flood of immigration to the area. The last real gold rush in the area occurred near Argenta in 1920 and lasted for 30 years.Dillon served as a central location for transporting goods to nearby boomtowns such as Bannack, Argenta, Glen, and Virginia City. In 1881, Dillon became part of a contentious battle with Bannack to become the county seat of Beaverhead County. The first brick building in Dillon was built in 1882. In 1884, Dillon became an incorporated town and began building sidewalks and permanent dwellings for the residents.While many of the gold mining towns around Dillon died, Dillon was able to stay a thriving town due to the railroad and talc mining in the area. A cattle industry was established in 1865. The agriculturally rich Beaverhead Valley became an ideal location for sheep ranching that was introduced in 1869. With a large sheep-ranching community in the Dillon area, Dillon was once the largest exporter of sheep wool in Montana.