DescriptionThe Montana legislature created Sanders County in 1905 from Missoula County. The petition for the new county along the Clark Fork River proposed the name Paradise. However, one civic-minded individual reminded the legislative assembly of the practice of naming new counties after the “greats” of Montana—and who exemplified that greatness more than former U.S. Senator Wilbur Fisk Sanders, the nephew of Montana’s first Territorial Governor, Sidney Edgerton? Sanders was also the successful prosecutor for the Vigilantes in their bid to rid the territory of its lawless element. By unanimous decision, the legislators created Sanders County. Thompson Falls won the coveted county seat.Personal NamesSanders, Wilbur FiskContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] CountySanders County
