Baker (Montana)

Fallon County

30-03475

Baker is a city in the U.S. state of Montana, United States and the administrative seat of Fallon County.

The city was named after AG Baker, an engineer of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.

Geography

Baker is located in the extreme west of Montana, close to the border with North Dakota. The metropolitan area has a size of 2.77 km ², and of this 2.51 km ² land and 0.26 km ² water surface are.

In 2010, the population was 1,741.

A key feature of the landscape is sandstone. Thus arose by river deposits in the more southerly Carter County up to 15 m high sandstone cliffs, which were listed as part of the Medicine Rocks State Park under protection.

About 2 km south-east of Baker is the Baker Municipal Airport.

Climate

Since the climate in semiarid Baker is the long winters are usually cold and dry, while the summers are hot and wet.

History

Baker was built along the railway line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad on a lake, which supplied the steam locomotives with water. This lake is now called Baker Lake and is surrounded to a large part of the city. For a short time the place was known as Lorraine, before it was renamed in honor of the engineer AG Baker. There were numerous settlers are lured into the area around Baker, whereby the population increased and a large community of dryland farmers emerged. After near Baker petroleum and natural gas were found in 1912, the city experienced a population increase again. 1920 Baker had more than 1,000 inhabitants, and the number grew to 1970 to more than 2,500. Although there are still many sources of gas in the surrounding areas, the population dwindled since then.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Irene Lentz, American costume designer