This water tower, of indeterminate age, serves the town of
St. Ignatius, a town of just over 800 people, which grew up around
St. Ignatius Mission, founded in 1854, the second in Montana. St. Ignatius is the oldest town in Montana, but we feel safe in saying that this water tower isn't the oldest in Montana. It stands cloaked in cell phone antennas on the eastern edge of town, at the east end of Flathead Street.
St. Ignatius, the town and the mission, are on the eastern side of Highway 93 as it meanders its way through Lake County in northwestern Montana. The town is about 40 miles up Highway 93 from the nearest big city, which is Missoula.