345 16th Avenue W
PO Box 1629
Havre, MT 59501
Phone: (406) 395-6100
Fax: (406) 395-6190
History and Area of Responsibility
The history of the Havre station dates back to July 1, 1924. It was at that time a sub-office of District 26 located in Spokane, Washington.
One of the enforcement problems during the initial period was that of Mexican aliens being transported into the Milk River Valley from the southern border to work in the sugar beet fields. This area along the Milk River proved so well suited for the growing of sugar beets that approximately 6,000 acres were planted in the spring of 1925 and a million dollar sugar beet factory was proposed for construction early in 1925 in the Milk River Valley area. The factory was constructed in Chinook, Montana and operated there for nearly thirty years until it closed in 1953 for economic reasons. Other factors effecting the enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality laws were the yearly influx of threshing crews from Canada to work in the wheat and barley harvest and occasional alien bootlegging before the repeal of prohibition.
The Havre station area covers approximately 108 miles of the International border with Canada. The population of the Havre station area is approximately 28,000. Of this number, approximately 1,050 are native Americans who live on the Rocky Boy's Reservation. About 18,000 persons live in cities and towns located mostly on U. S. Highway 2 and 187, with the remaining 10,000 persons residing in the rural areas on farms and ranches. Havre, the county seat of Hill County, has a population of about 11,000.
The area in Canada lying directly north of the Havre station is sparsely populated and there are no towns or cities in the immediate border area. Most of the small towns are located approximately 20 miles north of the border along Canadian Highway 18. Medicine Hat, Alberta, with a population of about 32,000 is the nearest city of any size. It is located on Canadian Highway 1 also known as the Trans-Canada Highway, which runs east and west approximately 78 miles north of the border.