Troy, Montana
Troy, Montana | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location of Troy, Montana | |
| Coordinates:48°27′36″N115°53′28″W/ 48.46000°N 115.89111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Lincoln |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.85 sq mi (2.20 km2) |
| • Land | 0.85 sq mi (2.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,800 ft (500 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 797 |
| • Density | 942.08/sq mi (363.57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7(Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6(MDT) |
| ZIP code | 59935 |
| Area code | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-75025 |
| GNISfeature ID | 0792409[2] |
| Website | cityoftroymontana |
Troyis a city inLincoln County, Montana,United States. The population was 797 at the2020 census.[3]It lies at the lowest elevation of any settlement in Montana. The town is onU.S. Route 2,nearMontana Highway 56,in theKootenai Rivergorge by theKootenai National Forest.
Originally inhabited by theKutenai,Salish,andPiegan Blackfeettribes, the area was settled by miners in the 1880s. Troy was registered as a town in 1892 and grew quickly after theGreat Northern Railwaybuilt a freight station there, leading to a boom in workers, miners, their families, and associates. The area narrowly missed wildfire damage in 1910 and expanded its services throughout the following years, though its population would drop due to a series of misfortunes in the late 1920s before rebounding in the following decades. Troy suffered from the area's contamination from nearbyvermiculitemines contaminated with particularly fragileasbestos,leading to the town's inclusion in theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List status in 2002 and Public Health Emergency event in 2009. According to the EPA, most risk was reduced by 2015.[4]
Troy is onU.S. Route 2,betweenYaakandLibby.Montana Highway 56is three miles southeast and theTroy Airportis two miles northwest. The town's economy has historically been supported by mining and logging, while in recent times, mining has remained, with the addition of education, retail, and tourism. Local natural features such as theKootenai Fallshave attracted tourism to the area and have been featured in movies such asThe River Wild(1994) andThe Revenant(2015). There is a public school district (which created ceramic ornaments used to decorate theNational Christmas Treein 2017) and a public library, and the town is in-district forFlathead Valley Community College.
History
[edit]Before the westward expansion of the United States, variousindigenous peopleslived in the area, with theKutenaiandSalishas the most recent and thePiegan Blackfeetearlier.[5][6]They lived in base camps and seasonal camps based on the availability of plants and fish: "lower elevations in the winter and... uplands in the summer and fall, "with spring camps nearcamas prairies,which had edible bulbs.[7]Due to the area's geography and settler fears of the Kutenai, the area remained unsettled until gold was discovered in the 1860s andgalenaandvermiculite[4]in the 1880s. In 1886, the first miners arrived, prospecting on theKootenai Riverat a tent camp first known as "Lake Camp, Lake Creek Camp, and Lake City", and making land claims on Grouse Mountain.[8]In 1892, a William O'Brien surveyed the Lake City claim, renaming it Troy.[8]
Post American settlement
[edit]Throughout 1892, Troy was filed as a town in then-Missoula County and grew rapidly as theGreat Northern Railwaychose a nearby site as a "division yard", or freight terminal,[8]which was first renamed "West Troy" before just becoming Troy itself as the Lake City area was abandoned.[9]The town's first hotel, then called the Windsor Hotel, was built. One transplant described the town as such: "Fifteen saloons gaily lit filled to the doors with “wild men and wild women” yelling, singing, dancing, and cursing, with glasses held high, such was Troy. Two largedance hallswere in evidence, one grocery store run by John Bowen, several 'beaneries' (called restaurants by some), one drug store owned by 'Doc' Sailey and many shacks and tents where the 'wild women' congregated. Fights and ribaldry were the order of the days and nights. "[8]Another grocery store followed in 1893, the first one-room schoolhouse was built in 1894, and more mining companies, land claims, and support services such as ferries sprung up as gold was discovered on theYaak Riverin 1895.[8]
The 1910s brought change. After the Windsor Hotel had been destroyed by fire in 1906 and rebuilt in 1907, wildfires during the summer of 1910 narrowly missed Troy by a few miles but raged throughout the area, causing lasting damage to the newly-protectedKootenai National Forest.In 1912, Troy's first bridge across the Kootenai River was built, along with bridges inLibbyandRexford,after a county vote. Previously, crossings were made on horseback – dangerous – or viaferries,which had started operating in 1892. Phone service reached the area in 1913.U.S. Route 2was proposed and a volunteer fire department was created. The1918 fluclosed the local mill and schools temporarily.[8]By 1920, there was a Chinese restaurant, a church, and an electric plant in town, andWorld War Iincreased the town's mining activity; the rapid expansion and labor conditions sometimes led to strikes and labor conflicts.[7]
The town's population reached 1000 residents in 1924, and the same year, the town's Lincoln Theatre opened. The population peaked around 1926,[8]but in March of that year, the Great Northern Railway moved its freight terminal elsewhere, leaving "only three supervisors and [a] small force of Japanese [workers]."[7]Fires destroyed a concentrator in 1927 and a sawmill in 1928, with neither rebuilt, and the region's mines decreased in activity.[7]
The population dropped to as low as 428 during 1930 in theGreat Depression.[8]Still, the Lincoln Theatre began playingtalking moviesand the Windsor Hotel was renamed to the Great Northern Hotel, which stood until it burned down (for the second time) in 1941. A coffee house and cable shop operate on its former location. The Lincoln Theatre was remodeled in 1994.[8]
In 2006, theTroy Jailand theTheodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridgewere added to theNational Register of Historic Places.[10][11]
Vermiculite cleanup
[edit]After citizens, media, and local government raised concerns, theUnited States Environmental Protection Agencybegan in 1999 to investigate the contamination of the area surroundingLibbyand Troy from vermiculite mines in Libby, which were themselves contaminated with a toxic and easily crumbled form oftremolite-actinoliteseriesasbestos,sometimes named Libby Amphibole asbestos (LA).[4]Removal actions began in 2000, and in 2002 the site was moved to the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List. In 2009, the EPA declared a Public Health Emergency (the first in the EPA's history) "to provide federal health care assistance for victims of asbestos-related disease."[4]
In 2015, an EPA review of toxicity and risks found that the cleanups had managed asbestos exposure risk effectively. By the end of 2018, the EPA had removed "more than one million cubic yards of contaminated soil," and area cleanup was completed that year, except for the location of the former mine, which is the disposal site of the contaminated soil. Contaminated construction materials were disposed of "in a specially designed landfill cell."[4]The remaining contamination is limited to the forests and property in or near the former mine, with cleanup plans pending and with controls for higher exposures during wildfire fighting.[4]
The EPA transferred control of the site to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in 2020.[12][13]
Geography
[edit]Troy lies in a valley along theKootenai Riverbetween thePurcell Mountainsto the northeast and theCabinet Mountainsto the southwest.[14]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 0.78 square miles (2.02 km2), of which 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.[15]Troy has an elevation of approximately 1,800 feet (550 m) above sea level and is the lowest town in elevation in Montana. Troy is 12 miles (19 km) from the border ofMontanaandIdaho.Troy's next closest city isLibby,which is 18 miles (29 km) away.[16]
TheTroy Mine,which produced silver and copper, was scheduled for closure in February 2015.[17][18]
An early worker described the original flora of the city site as "a carpet of velvety green grass, thickly studded with wild flowers of most every hue and color."[7]There are groves of ancientwestern red cedarsnearby, some up to 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter, which are a home for species of wildlife includingpikasandflying squirrels.[19]
Troy is located in the Kootenai River Gorge, which is geologically composed of "sandstoneand thin layers ofshale,with folds from compression that dates back 50 to 100 million years ago. The rock was deposited 1.5 million years ago, when much of Montana was covered by water. Ancient ripple marks and largestromatolites(the remains of algae mats) are visible in the canyon. "[20]
Climate
[edit]Thisclimaticregion is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classificationsystem, Troy has ahumid continental climate,abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps.[21]Troy's annual mean temperature is 46.4 °F (8.0 °C) and its annual mean precipitation is 24.6 inches (620 mm).[22]Flooding is an issue for the area.[23]
| Climate data for Troy, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 57 (14) |
64 (18) |
82 (28) |
87 (31) |
97 (36) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
110 (43) |
102 (39) |
84 (29) |
69 (21) |
60 (16) |
110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.7 (0.4) |
39.0 (3.9) |
49.7 (9.8) |
59.1 (15.1) |
69.8 (21.0) |
75.8 (24.3) |
86.7 (30.4) |
86.0 (30.0) |
74.9 (23.8) |
56.5 (13.6) |
40.6 (4.8) |
32.4 (0.2) |
58.6 (14.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.8 (−2.3) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
38.9 (3.8) |
46.0 (7.8) |
54.9 (12.7) |
61.0 (16.1) |
68.1 (20.1) |
66.8 (19.3) |
58.3 (14.6) |
45.6 (7.6) |
34.9 (1.6) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
46.8 (8.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.9 (−5.1) |
23.6 (−4.7) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
33.0 (0.6) |
40.1 (4.5) |
46.2 (7.9) |
49.4 (9.7) |
47.7 (8.7) |
41.7 (5.4) |
34.6 (1.4) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
35.0 (1.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −28 (−33) |
−20 (−29) |
−6 (−21) |
8 (−13) |
22 (−6) |
27 (−3) |
26 (−3) |
31 (−1) |
17 (−8) |
−3 (−19) |
−14 (−26) |
−35 (−37) |
−35 (−37) |
| Averageprecipitationinches (mm) | 2.63 (67) |
1.85 (47) |
2.44 (62) |
1.65 (42) |
1.79 (45) |
2.52 (64) |
0.88 (22) |
0.71 (18) |
1.21 (31) |
2.42 (61) |
3.50 (89) |
2.79 (71) |
24.39 (620) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 13.6 | 9.6 | 11.2 | 8.9 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 6.4 | 9.1 | 14.1 | 12.6 | 115.5 |
| Source:NOAA[24][25] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 763 | — | |
| 1930 | 498 | −34.7% | |
| 1940 | 796 | 59.8% | |
| 1950 | 770 | −3.3% | |
| 1960 | 855 | 11.0% | |
| 1970 | 1,046 | 22.3% | |
| 1980 | 1,088 | 4.0% | |
| 1990 | 953 | −12.4% | |
| 2000 | 957 | 0.4% | |
| 2010 | 938 | −2.0% | |
| 2020 | 797 | −15.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[26][3] | |||
2010 census
[edit]As of thecensus[27]of 2010, there were 938 people, 454 households, and 240 families residing in the city. Thepopulation densitywas 1,234.2 inhabitants per square mile (476.5/km2). There were 490 housing units at an average density of 644.7 units per square mile (248.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.3%White,0.2%African American,1.7%Native American,0.5%Asian,0.1% fromother races,and 3.1% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 1.9% of the population.[3]
There were 454 households, of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% weremarried couplesliving together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.1% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.71.[3]
The median age in the city was 46.8 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 35.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.[3]
Economy and recreation
[edit]The area is covered by the Lincoln County Port Authority.[28]Troy's modern economy is largely based on "mining, education, retail, and tourism," while its historical economy was based on mining and logging.[29]A train freight yard, a sawmill, and an ore processing facility were the main employers until they were lost to relocation and fires in the late 1920s, just before the Great Depression. Gold,galena,andvermiculitewere mined beginning in the late 1800s. DuringWorld War I,the town's mines produced lead, zinc, and silver, with much zinc exported toBelgium.[7]In 2020, the Montana Community Solar Project assessed Troy public schools for their solar power potential and found the high school building had good potential.[30]Since 2008, the school and city have been partially fueled by wood pellet waste from nearby lumber mills, replacing fuel oil use.[31]
Notable nearby attractions include theKootenai Fallsand the Kootenai Falls Swinging Bridge, which was rebuilt in 2019 due to its increasing popularity.[32][33]TheTheodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridgein Troy is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[11]
Local activities include hiking, snowmobiling, camping, boating, rafting, bird watching, fishing, andgeocaching.[19][32]TheRocky Mountain Elk Foundationwas founded by four Troy hunters to help conserve elk and other wildlife species.[34]There is adisc golfcourse at the Troy Museum and Visitors' Center, which also hosts art events with the local glass art guild. Nearby parks host various cultural and music festivals.[19]
Education
[edit]Troy has apublic library,a branch of the Lincoln County Public Libraries.[35]The town's branch opened in 1922 after the Lincoln County's Free County Library expanded.[36]
Troy's first school, a one-room schoolhouse, was built in 1894.[8]In 1937, the Bull Lake School in Bull Lake Valley and Fall Creek School by Schoolhouse Lake were consolidated into the Troy public school district.[9]The public school district includes:[29]
- W.F. Morrison Elementary School (Kindergarten–Sixth grade)
- Troy Junior-Senior High School (Seventh grade–Twelfth grade)
The high school provides adult education classes in the fall and spring.[37]The school has a "school-to-work" program in which students can participate in summer projects based in the local economy[38]and in which anAmeriCorpsvolunteer serves as a mentor for student college applications/visits and community involvement in student activities.[39]After the Troy Art Club's ceramic ornaments were some of the ones chosen for the USNational Christmas Treein 2017, the club created a business, Wild In Montana, "assisting [the] economically depressed community and offering a class with real-world skills."[40]
Other nearby schools with Troy addresses include:[41]
- McCormick Elementary School (K-8)
- Yaak Elementary School (K-8)
The area qualifies for in-district tuition atFlathead Valley Community College(FVCC) inKalispell, Montana,as well as FVCC's Lincoln County Campus in Libby,[42]which has the "Glacier Bank Adult Basic Education Learning Center where students can take free classes in preparation for their GED exams."[43]
Transportation
[edit]Troy is onU.S. Route 2,betweenYaakto the north andLibbyto the southeast.Montana Highway 56is three miles to the southeast of Troy.[44]
TheTroy Airportis one mile northwest of the majority of the town of Troy.[45]
The closestAmtrakstop isLibby station,18 miles (29 km) away. TheEmpire Builderserved Troy until February 15, 1973.[46]
Notable people
[edit]- Les Balsiger,religious activist with a Troy office
- Rachel Dolezal,civil rights activist[citation needed]
- B. C. Edwards,football coach (died in Troy)
- Genevieve Pezet,American-French artist[citation needed]
- Jay Ward,Major League Baseballplayer who retired in Troy
Popular culture
[edit]Troy is featured inMax Brooks' post-apocalypticzombienovelWorld War Zas a safe zone for humanity.[47]
2011 novellaTrain Dreamsmentions the town.[48]
The nearbyKootenai Fallsand the Swinging Bridge were featured in the 1994 movieThe River Wild.[32]The original bridge was constructed by theCivilian Conservation Corpsduring the Great Depression, and the falls are a sacred site to theKutenaitribes who originally lived in the area.[49]
The Kootenai Falls were featured in the 2015 movieThe Revenant.[50]
References
[edit]- ^"ArcGIS REST Services Directory".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedSeptember 5,2022.
- ^abU.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Troy, Montana
- ^abcde"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedNovember 2,2021.
- ^abcdef"LIBBY ASBESTOS SITE Site Profile".cumulis.epa.gov.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"Tribal Territories in Montana – Indian Education for All".Montana State University.January 19, 2019.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"History of the Libby, Montana area".libbymt.com.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^abcdef"NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM (Troy Jail)"(PDF).October 1990.
- ^abcdefghij"History of the City of Troy, Montana".The City of Troy, Montana.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^abCalvi, Jim, ed. (2002).SOURCE OF LOCAL LANDMARK NAMES for the Bull Lake Valley, Yaak River Valley and the Troy, Montana Area(PDF).Kootenai National Forest: Three Rivers Ranger District.
- ^"Asset Detail".npgallery.nps.gov.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^abHistorical Research Associates (1982)."National Register of Historic Places Registration: Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge / Troy Bridge".National Park Service.RetrievedAugust 8,2017.Withseven photos from 2005.
- ^Bolton, Aaron."EPA Moves To Transfer Oversight Of Libby, Troy Superfund Sites To Montana".Montana Public Radio.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^Brown, Matthew."US transfers care for towns polluted with asbestos to state".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^"Land Deal Could Aid Grizzly Bear Connectivity In The Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem".Montana Public Radio. January 30, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 23,2021.
- ^"US Gazetteer files 2010".United States Census Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon July 2, 2012.RetrievedDecember 18,2012.
- ^"Troy, MT – Troy, Montana Map & Directions".MapQuest.RetrievedFebruary 3,2021.
- ^Chaney, Rob (January 21, 2015)."Citing low metals prices, Revett closes Troy mine".Missoulian.RetrievedApril 16,2015.
- ^"Revett Places Troy Mine on Care and Maintenance".January 19, 2015.RetrievedApril 16,2015.
- ^abc"Visit Troy".Chamber of Commerce.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^Inbody, Kristen."Kootenai Falls a treasure".Great Falls Tribune.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^Monthly Weather Averages for Troy, Montana
- ^"TROY, MONTANA – Climate Summary".www.wrcc.dri.edu.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^Trusler, Cheri."Wind, Flooding Problems Across Western Montana".Montana Public Radio.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedDecember 13,2023.
- ^"Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedDecember 13,2023.
- ^"Census of Population and Housing".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 4,2015.
- ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedDecember 18,2012.
- ^"Our Communities".Lincoln County Port Authority.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^ab"Live In Troy".Chamber of Commerce.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"Resources and Information".Montana Community Solar Project.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"From Wood Waste to Renewable Energy: A Summary Report of Wood Utilization Efforts in Heating Systems in the Western United States and Territories"(PDF).Western Forestry Leadership Coalition.June 2008.Archived(PDF)from the original on May 12, 2021.
- ^abc"Recreational Opportunities in and around the City of Troy, Montana".www.cityoftroymontana.com.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"New swinging bridge will hold sway for years to come".AP NEWS.April 21, 2019.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"RMEF History".Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^"Montana Public Libraries".PublicLibraries.com.RetrievedJune 14,2019.
- ^"Library History".Lincoln County Library.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"Adult Education".Troy Public Schools.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^"Morrison Elementary boasts new playground for new year".The Montanian.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^"AmeriCorps Host Sites".Campus Compact Montana.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^"About Us".Wild in Montana.RetrievedDecember 13,2020.
- ^"Superintendent of Schools".Lincoln County Montana.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"Tuition & Fees".Flathead Valley Community College.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^"Lincoln County Campus".Flathead Valley Community College.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^Montana Road Log(PDF).Montana Department of Transportation.2019. p. 178.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 5, 2020.
- ^"57S – Troy Airport".AirNav.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^Sanders, Craig (2006).Amtrak in the Heartland.Indiana University Press. p. 172.ISBN0253027934.
- ^"World War Z Chapter 3".Shmoop.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^Prabhaker, Sumanth (August 25, 2011)."Of Living Obsolete: Denis Johnson's Train Dreams".Slant Magazine.
- ^"Kootenai Falls, Libby, Montana".libbymt.com.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
- ^"Oscar Force 'The Revenant' Shot Near Libby".Flathead Beacon.December 20, 2015.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
External links
[edit]
Municipalities and communities ofLincoln County, Montana,United States | ||
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