DescriptionIn 1869, Robert Vaughn homesteaded in the Sun River valley near “the Leavings,” a Mullan Road stage station. A narrow-gauge railroad, the Great Falls & Canada Railway, dubbed the “Turkey Trail,” entered the area just short of the Vaughn ranch in 1890, carrying coal and passengers between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta. The tracks were rebuilt in 1903 to standard gauge, and the Great Northern Railway purchased the line in 1907. Homesteaders in the valley picked up their supplies at this end-of-the-track community. Capt. Tom Couch, general manager of the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company of Great Falls, purchased the ranch from Vaughn in 1889. Couch platted the townsite at the end of the railroad line in 1910, and Thomas C. Power built the Sunnyside Mercantile Store in Vaughn the same year. Personal NamesVaughn, RobertCouch, TomPower, Thomas C.Other Name(s)The LeavingsTurkey TrailContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation3364 ft. CountyCascade County
