DescriptionRollins, just north of the Flathead Indian Reservation on the west shore of Flathead Lake, began in the 1880s as the community of Bay View. At the turn of the twentieth century, the homestead boom hit the town and it underwent a name change. Area residents favored the name Bay View, but the post office application was returned in 1904 with the name Rollins. It was likely not a coincidence; Col. Rehenault A. Rollins, a Civil War veteran and survivor of the Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp, had submitted the application. The town officially became Rollins; it prospered with the growing timber industry and apple and cherry orchards. The Rollins Commercial Club touted the area’s potential for orchards in an undated promotional pamphlet, cautioning, however, that “those who sojourn here become so healthy and acquire an appetite so vigorous that the culinary department of every household is kept working overtime to appease the voracious demands made upon it.”Personal NamesRollins, Rehenault A.Other Name(s)Bay ViewContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation2983 ft. CountyLake County
