Bonita, Montana, about 1900. Bonita was located about 25 miles east of Missoula near Bearmouth. It was established in the mid-1880s and, like hundreds of other settlements along the transcontinental railroad lines, serviced the engines with fuel and water. It also had a steam-operated sawmill. About 100 people lived in and around Bonita, including railroad workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesspeople lived in and around Bonita. This image shows nearby buildings with freight and telegraph offices; a luggage trolley is in the foreground. (77-104, K. Ross Toole Archives, The University of Montana—Missoula. Gift of Tim Gordon.)

 Bonita, Montana, about 1900. Bonita was located about 25 miles east of Missoula near Bearmouth. It was established in the mid-1880s and, like hundreds of other settlements along the transcontinental railroad lines, serviced the engines with fuel and water. It also had a steam-operated sawmill. About 100 people lived in and around Bonita, including railroad workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesspeople lived in and around Bonita. This image shows nearby buildings with freight and telegraph offices; a luggage trolley is in the foreground. (77-104, K. Ross Toole Archives, The University of Montana—Missoula. Gift of Tim Gordon.)