Bonner-West Riverside, Montana

Bonner-West Riverside, Montana
Location in Missoula County and the state of Montana
Location in Missoula County and the state of Montana
Coordinates: 46°52′40″N 113°53′20″W / 46.87778°N 113.88889°W / 46.87778; -113.88889
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
CountyMissoula
Area
 • Total1.61 sq mi (4.18 km2)
 • Land1.53 sq mi (3.97 km2)
 • Water0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation3,288 ft (1,002 m)
Population
 • Total1,690
 • Density1,101.69/sq mi (425.34/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Codes
59851
Area code406
FIPS code30-08462
Rock marking Two Rivers Memorial Park
John Mullan monument

Bonner-West Riverside (Salish: Nʔaycčstm, "Place of the Big Bull Trout"[4]) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Missoula County, Montana, United States, including the unincorporated communities of Bonner, Milltown (formerly Riverside), West Riverside, and Pinegrove. It is part of the Missoula metropolitan area. The population was 1,690 at the 2020 census.[3]

Bonner was named for Edward L. Bonner, president of the Missoula and Bitter Root Valley Railroad.[5] Bonner was also a partner in Eddy, Hammond & Company, who were contracted by the Northern Pacific Railroad for lumber to build their railway between the Thompson and Blackfoot rivers.[6] Eddy, Hammond & Company founded the Montana Improvement Company, which built a sawmill in Bonner in 1886.[6]

Milltown is named for the mill. West Riverside is named for its position west of Milltown, formerly called "Riverside" for its position at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers. Pinegrove was named either for the Pine family that settled there or for the many large pines in the area. The associated Piltzville was named for Billy Piltz, early mill worker and yard boss.

  1. ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Montana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bonner-West Riverside Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b "P1. Race – Bonner-West Riverside CDP, Montana: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "Salish Audio Files". Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee. 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  5. ^ Carkeek Cheney, Roberta (1983). Names on the Face of Montana. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company. p. 5. ISBN 0-87842-150-5.
  6. ^ a b "Montana Place Names Companion". Montana Historical Society. Retrieved 25 July 2017.