Quietus, Montana

Quietus
unincorporated community
Quietus Location in Montana Show map of Montana Quietus Quietus (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 45°05′47″N 106°16′59″W
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Big Horn
Elevation [1]	4,072 ft (1,241 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	0
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	59027
Area code	406
GNIS feature ID	775514[1]

Quietus is the site of a former town, centered on a post office now closed, and a community in the surrounding area. It was located in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The surrounding area is now an unincorporated community.

History

Quietus was established as a post office in 1907 to service homesteaders and ranchers living in the valleys of the Otter and Quietus Creeks. Though never a large community, the local population eventually dwindled to less than a dozen residents, until the post office closed in 1957. Today, Quietus is a "ghost town," the loop road and the post office building remains, though it has collapsed.[4]

Etymology

According to local anecdote Frank Brittain sent a list of fifteen names with the town's application for a post office in 1914, and all of them were rejected. "Well, I guess they put a quietus on that," Brittain said to his wife. She saw the opportunity, and renewed the application, and a few weeks later the name Quietus was approved.[5]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Quietus, Montana
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "Google Maps".
5. Cheney, Roberta Carkeek (August 1, 1983). Names on the Faces of Montana: The Story of Montana's Place Names. Mountain Pr. ISBN 0878421505.