A small town held
by a long lake.
Montana General Store in Rexford sits on the north shore of Lake Koocanusa, in the timbered corner of northwest Montana where the Kootenai National Forest meets the Canadian border. It is not a big place — it has never tried to be.
Where this is
01 — GeographyMontana General Store lies along Montana Highway 37, on the banks of the Kootenai River where it widens into Lake Koocanusa — a 90-mile reservoir shared with British Columbia. The town is bordered by the Purcell and Salish mountains and sits inside the 2.2-million-acre Kootenai National Forest.
The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail passes directly through town, and the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway begins its 67-mile run from here.
How it got here
02 — HistoryThe Great Northern Railway builds a branch line north from Jennings toward Fernie, British Columbia, and Rexford grows up alongside the tracks as a water stop for locomotives.
Rexford incorporates so it can negotiate directly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is preparing to build the Libby Dam downstream.
The Libby Dam floods the Kootenai River valley to create Lake Koocanusa. The original townsite is submerged, and Rexford relocates roughly ten miles west to its current site on the new shoreline.
Around 85 people live in Rexford year-round. Bill Marvel serves as mayor, with Patsy Reece and Paul Middlemore on the town council.
Getting your bearings
03 — OrientationThe closest town with full services — groceries, fuel, lodging. Most visitors to Rexford base themselves here.
Boat launch and dock on Lake Koocanusa; also the site of most outdoor community gatherings.
A 67-mile drive tracing the reservoir's shoreline, starting at Rexford.
Over 89 miles of backcountry trail through the Kootenai National Forest, north and east of town.
If you're coming through
04 — PracticalRexford has no hotels of its own. Eureka, seven miles south, has the nearest motels and cabins.
Boating, fishing, and swimming on Lake Koocanusa, with launch access at Abayance Bay Marina.
Construction permits for the area are handled by the Lincoln County Planning Office, not the town directly.