I-90 Through Clinton


I came across this August 17, 1964 photo of the then-newly-constructed interstate highway near Clinton at the Montana History Portal. I have been hoping to find construction photos of the interstate where it passes through the Betters homestead, but this is the closest I have come. This is west-northwest of Clinton, where the interstate crosses over the railroad. The view is looking west-northwest (towards Missoula). I have labeled notable landmarks.

One thing I haven't yet delved into in my research is the McQuarrie siding. If you have driven past Clinton on the interstate, you may have seen sign(s) for it. I have included a photo I took in 2013 below. At first, I thought McQuarrie had been a station on the NPRR, but it's too close to Clinton for that to make any sense. Dan McQuarrie was heavily involved in logging, so my current theory is that the siding was where he loaded his logs onto railcars. Ironically, there is an old rock quarry in the vicinity. I don't know when the quarry opened, or if McQuarrie had any ownership interest in it, but I find it kind of amusing that Google Maps labels U.S. Hwy. 10 in this area as "Quarrie." I don't think Missoula County recognizes that as the local road name, but if they do, they should know that "McQuarrie" is the origin of the name, not a Missoula County (M.C.) quarry with a funny spelling.



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