Shay
Ghost town · Petroleum County, Montana

Shay is a ghost town in Petroleum County, Montana. It is one of 8 former communities in Petroleum County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 22nd among the 55 Montana counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Shay as a historical populated place on the Ingals Dam 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 47.0744° N, 108.1562° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Ingals Dam |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 2,902 ft |
| Nearest living town | Winnett, MT |
| Distance to it | 10.2 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1721626 |
| Coordinates | 47.07443, -108.15623 |
What's there now
Shay is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Winnett, MT (population 173), about 10.2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 2,902 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Hoyleghost town · Petroleum County · 4.3 mi
- Jitneyghost town · Petroleum County · 7.1 mi
- Weedeghost town · Petroleum County · 15.3 mi
- Dovetailghost town · Petroleum County · 18.8 mi
- Mecahaghost town · Garfield County · 20 mi
- McTwigganghost town · Garfield County · 21.6 mi
- Martinghost town · Garfield County · 22.5 mi
- Blakesleeghost town · Petroleum County · 25.7 mi
- Wallviewghost town · Petroleum County · 26 mi
- Tindallghost town · Garfield County · 26 mi
- Smithsonghost town · Garfield County · 28.4 mi
- Aliceghost town · Garfield County · 28.6 mi
Questions
Where is Shay?
Shay is in Petroleum County, Montana, at 47.0744, -108.1562.
How many ghost towns are in Petroleum County?
Petroleum County, Montana has 8 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.