View source for Dusting Off the Old Ones (40)

'''40. The County That Died "A-Borning"'''

In the period of time from 1910 to 1925 there were 27 new counties created in the State of Montana. But along about 1914, steps were taken for the creation of a county that would have taken territory from Custer County and from the newly created county of Fallon. This new county would have been called "Union County", and the town of Ismay had high hopes of its being a county seat. The regular petition was filed with the County Commissioners of Custer County, and the same was set for hearing, but the hearing was continued for one reason or another until December 7, 1914, when a resolution was passed by the Commissioners creating the county, subject to a vote of the inhabitants of the territory to be included in the new county. This election was set for March 18th. In the meantime the legislature was in session and other towns in the community got county seat visions. A certain attorney who made county "splitting" a specialty was very much in evidence, and there was put through the legislature a bill which set up a different procedure for the creation of new counties. This law went into effect March 9, 1915, and by its provisions nullified all county division proceedings then pending upon which an election had not been held. Inasmuch as the election for the creation of Union County was set for March 18th, poor old Union County died "a-borning." Shade Tree Bill recollects that Dan Bowman was a candidate for the office of County Commissioner of Union