DILLON

city, seat of Beaverhead county, southwestern Montana, U.S., on the Beaverhead River (part of the Jefferson River system). It was founded as Terminus in 1880 with the arrival of the Utah and Northern Railroad and was renamed (1881) for Sidney Dillon, president of the Union Pacific, who directed completion of the line to Butte, 55 mi (89 km) north. The community (incorporated in 1885) developed as a wool-shipping point, and the founding there in 1893 of Montana's first normal school (later Western Montana College) sustained its growth. The city lies between divisions of the Beaverhead National Forest, for which it is headquarters, in an area of old mining camps (reflected in the Beaverhead County Museum). Nearby Bannack, now a ghost town and site of Montana's first major gold strike (1862), was once a bustling community of 8,000 and the first territorial capital. Dillon's economy now depends on ranching and farming (livestock, hay, and seed potatoes), mining, and tourism. Dude ranches dot the surrounding countryside. The Maverick Ski Area is to the northwest and, Clark Canyon Reservoir State Recreation Area is 20 mi south. Pop. (1990) 3,991. county, eastern South Carolina, U.S. It lies in a fertile tobacco-growing region of the Coastal Plain. North Carolina forms the northeastern border, the Lumber River the southeastern border, and the Great Pee Dee River the southwestern border. The county is also drained by the Little Pee Dee River and includes Little Pee Dee State Park. Its river regions are swampy. During the American Civil War, Maple Swamp was a refuge for Confederate army deserters. The county was formed in 1910 and named for J.W. Dillon, an early settler. The county seat is Dillon. In addition to tobacco, the other principal farm products are wheat, cotton, and hogs. Factories produce carpets, clothing, and other textile products. Much of Dillon county is covered by pine and hardwood forests, and logging and the manufacture of wood products are also important to the economy. Area 405 square miles (1,049 square km). Pop. (1990) 29,114; (1998 est.) 29,747.