Chester, Montana Community Information

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  TiberDam

  Photo courtesy: Shelby Chamber

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  Liberty County Museum

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  Lewis Overlook

Chester, on the Hi-Line 57 miles west of Havre, is the county seat of Liberty County. The name was chosen by the first telegraph operator there in honor of his hometown in Pennsylvania. Chester is located on the banks of Cottonwood Creek at the place where ranches in the 1880s paused to rest on the long drive to the railhead at Minot, North Dakota before the Great Northern Railroad was built. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) When the Great Northern Railroad arrived in 1907, the whole town was forced to move to the south side of the tracks in order to straighten a bend in the tracks.

Chester offers plenty of recreation in this northern town with an elevation of 3,283 feet. Lake Elwell and Tiber Dam (Tiber Reservoir), located on the Marias River, offer camping, boating and fishing opportunities. While in town explore the Liberty County Museum and Liberty Village Arts Center and Gallery for area history and culture.