Sheridan County
Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture
P.O. Box 104 • Plentywood, MT 59254-0104
email: chamber59254@yahoo.com
History
In July of 1910, Isaac Culver, a railroad man, relinquished eighty acres for a town site to be called Antelope, named after a creek one-half mile to the east.
During the growing years of Antelope from 1910 to 1920, the town was considered “The Biggest Little City in Eastern Montana.” There were times of fun but also tragedy. A storekeeper accidentally put gasoline in a kerosene can for a section worker. The man lit the lamp and it exploded and set his clothes on fire. He ran up town where he was wrapped in blankets to put out the fire. The man died before morning. He is buried in the Antelope Cemetery with a simple marker, “Italian”.
Antelope is a little town with a lot of history. You could easily spend an enjoyable afternoon beginning with a delicious lunch at the Antelope Tavern. This building was built in 1911 and was called The Gold Dollar Saloon. The bar is an antique to be admired. Lunch is served daily together with warm hospitality. After lunch, you can cross the street and browse through the antique and used furniture store.
Then stop and enjoy a little history by taking your picture inside the old jail, just south of the post office. The jail was built by Bill Ambrose and Bill Yocum in the early years. To our knowledge, the only ones to be locked up were in fun and had to buy drinks for the house to be released.
The Antelope Post Office was built in 1915 and is still in operation. At one time, Antelope had two active churches. The Antelope Lutheran Church, located on the east side of town was acquired in 1921. The red church building on the south edge of town was built in 1912, and served as the Adventist Church. Both congregations now attend church services in Plentywood.
The present community hall was built in 1911 as the Saint Anthony Lumber Company. It was later sold to the Sons of Norway Lodge, and eventually gifted to the community in 1993.
In 1912, a two room school was built. That building is still standing on the park location. A large school building was built north of this building in 1916. That building was destroyed by fire in 1978, which brought about the disbandment of the school district in 1979. A monument stands at its previous entrance.
Fire also destroyed all but one of the town’s elevators. The remaining one was purchased and moved to a farm just northeast of town. If you are interested in game farming, we have three game farms within a three mile radius, raising Dexter cattle and elk. A nationally known velvet antler drying plant for elk antlers is positioned in the town of Antelope. Big Sky Antlers is a company that purchases velvet antlers nationwide for processing. Korean technicians reside in antelope from July to February to do the drying. A wide range of products are then shipped worldwide.
The economic base in and around Antelope is dry land farming.
ANTELOPE
established in 1910
