Welcome to the Denton, Montana Picture Tour

The town of Denton Montana (population 269) is located on the former Milwaukee Railroad line. The town was named for two brothers named Dent, stock men who owned the land on which the original town site was located.  “Dent” was considered too short a name for a town, so it was changed to Denton in 1888.

As a kid riding in the backseat of the family car we would hear interesting facts and stories about specific Montana locations. Here are two facts about Denton, Montana:

James A. Shelton was born in Denton, Montana in 1916, and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941. Ensign Shelton was with the group of six Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers that attacked the carrier Kaga on 4 June 1942, one of four Japanese carriers sunk in the pivotal Battle of Midway. During their return to the US aircraft carrier Enterprise many in the dive bombers ran out of fuel and were forced to ditch in the vast Pacific Ocean. Ensign Shelton was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism and devotion to duty.  Two ships have been named USS Shelton in his honor.

On a lighter note… The one-time tallest man in the world was born in Denton, Montana, northwest of Lewistown, in 1925. Don Koehler started shooting up at the age of 10 because of a condition called acromegalic gigantism, and eventually became one of 13 people in medical history to surpass 8 feet. He reached 8-2, making him the tallest man in the world from 1969 to his death, at age 55, in 1981.