Shelby, the seat of Toole County, dates to 1892 and the construction of the Great Northern Railroad through this area. On the bluffs south of town stands the Shelby Cemetery, also known as Mountain View Cemetery.

Burials here date to 1893 when Irene Hughes was interred and there were few burials in the next 7 years. But by 1903-1904, as the great homesteading movement began, the number of grave markers began to increase. By circa 1905 the Shelby Cemetery Association was established and a rectangular plan was introduced, giving the cemetery a formal, linear look common in Hi-Line cemeteries. The association provided irrigation and planted many trees and soon the cemetery took on the characteristics of a well-maintained and valued public space.

Among the highest points in the cemetery, and dominating it visually, is the World War I memorial that defines the large and impressive veterans section.

The local American Legion lodge sponsored the memorial marker of beautiful sandstone topped by a metal machine gun. It identified the local men who fought and died in the war.

The quality of the memorial—the machine gun motif is fascinating—together with its landscaping and low walled entrance gives a dignified aura to this central component of the cemetery.

Not far away is a second impressive stone memorial, installed c. 1938 to honor the achievements of Gordon Campbell (1873-1938) acknowledged then as the father of the Montana oil industry.

The inlaid stone details have weathered gracefully. Its stone design within a concrete base is so different than the grand classical statements found for so many of Montana’s economic titans. Perhaps that is a reflection of the Great Depression’s impact on Campbell’s fortunes. His great 1920s strike at Kevin, northwest of Shelby, had fallen on difficulties by the late 1930s. Campbell just didn’t live long enough to prosper from the great oil boom created by World War II that continued well into the 1950s. But the multi-color stone memorial also spoke to the place, the ground under which oil and gas were discovered by Campbell and others in early 20th century.

The Shelby Cemetery, now known as Mountain View, is worth detailed exploration not only for its two captivating stone memorials but for the many others markers and stories within its boundaries.