Canton Church Featured In Rural Montana News Magazine
Author: mt43news staff reporter
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Vic Sample and the Canton Church graced the cover of the February Rural Montana Magazine. The monthly newsletter is part of Vigilante Electric Cooperative’s service to its customers in Broadwater County, one of nine counties and one Idaho county it serves.
The article, written by Rural Montana’s editor, Ryan Hall, wrote how the church was built at the town of Canton, now under Canyon Ferry Reservoir, then moved in 1954 to its present location on Highway 284 near St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
The story is particularly interesting to Vigilante’s readers, who are members and owners of the cooperative, because the church arose from abandonment and disrepair to restoration by volunteers, many of whom were members of Vigilante Electric.
In the article, Sample emphasized in his interview after volunteers restored the 150-year-old building, board members reversed direction to repurpose the church for musical and historical presentation events during summer months. The building was originally a community hall, then became an active Catholic Church. The Catholic Diocese later closed it as a religious center. Sample and his fellow directors hold educational tours for Broadwater County’s middle schoolers each year and feature prominently in the county’s historical museum.
Ever the promoter, Sample encouraged Rural Montana readers to come out to enjoy the setting and the events at the non-profit facility. “The acoustics in the church are wonderful,” he noted.
He encouraged readers to check the website for 2025 event dates: https://canton.church.org.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credit: Ryan Hall, Rural Montana Magazine Editor
Image 1 Caption: Relocated Church Restored
Photo Credit: Ryan Hall, Rural Montana Magazine Editor
