DescriptionHarlowton was established in 1881 with the name Merino, for the breed of sheep raised in the area. Merino was renamed and platted as Harlowton in 1900 when Richard A. Harlow’s Montana Railway Company, or “Jawbone Railroad,” reached the town. In 1916, Harlowton became the eastern end of the Milwaukee Road’s 438-mile electrified line between Harlowton and Avery, Idaho. During the homesteading boom, Harlowton became the state’s second-largest grain-shipping terminal. The drought beginning in 1919 led to a rash of foreclosures during the next few decades, and the town’s fortunes declined. Always a railroad town, Harlowton was especially hard hit by abandonment of the Milwaukee Road in 1979. The Graves Hotel is listed in the National Register. Personal NamesHarlow, Richard A.Other Name(s)MerinoContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation4208 ft.CountyWheatland County
