Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 94 County and its residents. The Milwaukee Depot is now a museum as well, and well worth a visit. Should you want to spend the night, I would recommend the Graves Hotel. Built originally in 1909, and almost forgotten as Harlowton reeled from the demise of the Milwaukee, today the Graves is under new ownership, serv- ing breakfast and lunch, and offer several rooms for over- night guests. In addition to the Graves, Yelp.com lists two other restaurants in Harlowton, as well as one each in Judith Gap, Shawmut, and Two Dot. All got at least 4-star reviews from the limited number of people who have traveled through and stopped for a meal. One of the bucket list items on the Great Falls Tribune's list of things to do in Montana is "Stop for a burger at the Two Dot Bar." Harlowton is the largest community in Wheatland Coun- ty, but it's not the only place to visit. One of the most icon- ic names in Montana is Two Dot (or Twodot, depending on what source you reference). Two Dot got its name from the brand cattleman George R. Wilson used—two dots side by side. Wilson donated the land for the town in 1900. In time, the town had a station and electrification plant for the Mil- waukee Road, a bank, and the aforementioned Two Dot Bar. Hank Williams Jr. even sang about the town on his Strong Stuff album. Two Dot is sixteen miles west of Harlowton, just off US-12. At the northern end of the county, straddling US-191, is Judith Gap, located in the gap between the Little Belt and the Big Snowy Mountains. Originally a stage stop called Ubet, the town of 110 (2020 Census) is home to one of the largest wind farms in the U.S., the Judith Gap Wind Farm. Back in 1958, as a favor to a friend, my father drove a VW Beetle—newly imported into Montana at that point—from Billings to Great Falls. Driving through Judith Gap, the wind picked up that car and set it on the wrong side of the road. My father was not impressed. East of Harlowton, along US-12, is Shawmut, a Census Designated Place home to 51 residents in 2020. Shawmut has had a post office since 1885 and is named for the Shawmut Peninsula where Boston's first streets were laid. It is the place to get off the highway if you're planning on some recreation at Deadman's Basin. A man-made reservoir off the Musselshell, Deadman's Basin has a campground and offers trout fishing, although the website BigSkyFishing.com recommends you bring everything you need as services are few and far between.

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