Penwells
Ghost town · Gallatin County, Montana

Penwells is a ghost town in Gallatin County, Montana. It is one of 21 former communities in Gallatin County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 55 Montana counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Penwells as a historical populated place on the Saddle Peak topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 45.8416° N, 110.9947° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Saddle Peak |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5,154 ft |
| Nearest living town | Springhill, MT |
| Distance to it | 5.1 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1743846 |
| Coordinates | 45.84160, -110.99467 |
What's there now
Penwells is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Springhill, MT (population 118), about 5.1 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 5,154 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Thomasvilleghost town · Gallatin County · 2.4 mi
- Reese Creekghost town · Gallatin County · 4.6 mi
- Walkerghost town · Gallatin County · 5.4 mi
- Upper Bridgerghost town · Gallatin County · 8.5 mi
- Lower Bridgerghost town · Gallatin County · 10.1 mi
- Gallopghost town · Gallatin County · 10.6 mi
- Dogtownghost town · Gallatin County · 12.6 mi
- Middle Creekghost town · Gallatin County · 12.9 mi
- Nelsons Crossingghost town · Gallatin County · 13 mi
- Reasvilleghost town · Gallatin County · 13.3 mi
- Monfortonghost town · Gallatin County · 14.3 mi
- Shedsghost town · Gallatin County · 15.5 mi
Questions
Where is Penwells?
Penwells is in Gallatin County, Montana, at 45.8416, -110.9947.
How many ghost towns are in Gallatin County?
Gallatin County, Montana has 21 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.