Gallatin Gateway
Gallatin Gateway is twelve miles southwest of Bozeman on the Gallatin River. It is located at the mouth of the canyon on the road leading to Yellowstone National Park, hence the Gateway part of the name. It was originally called Salesville, for Alan Sales, a storekeeper and his brother, Zach Sales, who had a mill here in the late 1860s. Logs were sawed and gloated down the river. In more recent years the town’s economy has depended upon tourist trade and fine dude ranches such as the Elkhorn, that provide a taste of Western life for Eastern visitors. (from Cheney’s
Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)
Gallatin Gateway Inn, fully restored to its original 1920s splendor, is among the finest historic inns in the Rocky Mountain West. Designed as the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad's most elegant hotel, its palatial structure features arched windows, Spanish-style corbels, and carved beams. The original railroad clock still keeps accurate time in the lobby.
Located in the Gallatin National Forest near Gallatin Gateway, visitors can enjoy Spire Rock Campground and Spanish Creek Picnic Area. From the Spanish Creek parking area there are many options for ski routes into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Also near Gallatin Gateway, Kirk Wildlife Refuge offers fishing on the Gallatin River.
