Essex is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Flathead County, Montana, United States. Named for a county in England, Essex (originally known as Walton) began as a small town on the Great Northern Railway’s main line in 1890.Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman; Aarstad, Arguimbau, Baumler, Porsild, Shovers; Montana Historical Society, 2009; page 78 As of the 2020 census, Essex had a population of 44.
Located in the northwestern part of the state, Essex lies along the BNSF's Hi-Line route, near Glacier National Park, southwest of East Glacier and southeast of West Glacier. Amtrak's Empire Builder makes a flag stop at Essex station: scheduled westbound at 8:44 pm and eastbound at 8:37 am. Essex is also home to a small BNSF Railway yard. Historically, it was used to replenish coal and water for steam locomotives, and to base helper units used to assist trains over Marias Pass. It is still used to base snow-clearing crews in wintertime.
The Izaak Walton Inn hotel is near the Amtrak station platform, but closed in March 2026 due to the bankruptcy of its parent company (LOGE).
Essex is also home to the Glacier-Waterton hamfest, which claims to be the oldest continually running such amateur radio event in the world, beginning in 1934 and held during the third full weekend in July at an area RV park. Demographics
References
Further reading
2005 Empire Builder Magazine Empire Builder Timetable