Alberton, MT

Alberton sits on the Clark Fork River in western Montana, near the Alberton Gorge and about 30 miles west of Missoula. Interstate 90 runs along the corridor, but the town’s older line is Railroad Avenue, where the Milwaukee Railroad once carried crews and freight through the valley. The town was incorporated in 1920 and took its name from railroad president Albert J. Earling; the river bench had earlier homesteaders and was later chosen for a major rail route. Alberton’s position—river below, mountains around, highway and rails nearby—made it a natural transportation stop.

Railroad history still supplies the town’s best local stop. The former Milwaukee depot now serves as a community center and branch library, while an authentic boxcar and caboose hold the Railroad Museum in Town Memorial Park. Volunteers bring the story out each summer for Alberton Railroad Day, held on the third Saturday in July, with a Golden Spike treasure hunt and other rail-themed events. Hank Roat Memorial Park and the river corridor add an outdoor side to the visit. Alberton is a town where the old rail line is gone, but the depot, river, and annual celebration keep its working past in view.