The Sears Gazetteer contains a list of locations in the USA with the name Sears, compiled by Ray Sears over the years. Also see Maine, Mississippi, Alaska, New Mexico, Virginia and others on this site.
Montana has 11 placemarks, including the former town of Sears, Montana.
Much of the information below comes from the Montana Memory Project, and “Courage Enough Mon-Dak Family Histories Bi-Centennial Edition”.
Sears Creek
Sears Creek is located in Richland County, at 47.5502937°N, -104.2654957°W.
Richland County was previously known as Dawson County.
Early Ranches of Dawson County.
https://mtmemory.org/digital/collection/p15018coll43/id/24243
A quote from a quote, “Quoting from the Sidney Herald Centennial Souvenir Edition, 1964, and from the records of Walter Kemmis: “When the Thompson Kemmis family arrived in Glendive, Montana Mr. Meadors met them. While Walter, 14, was following him around town to do some business, they visited Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Sears who had a shoemaker shop. In later years Walter was to know J. D. well, as he ventured into the sheep business in the valley, and Sears Creek was named after him.”
https://mtmemory.org/digital/collection/p15018coll43/id/23906
J.D. Sears
“from an obituary John D. Sears, old-time resident of Glendive, Montana died at Tom’s Creek, Virginia, on December 2. He was 96 years of age. He left Glendive 25 years ago and since then has lived in Virginia. His wife preceded him in death about two years ago. He formerly owned a shoe shop on Merrill Avenue and was one of the early settlers in Glendive. He and his wife were the first two members of the local Methodist Church. He leaves two daughters, Mrs. E. S. Becker of Virginia and Mrs. Gunn of Washington and several grandchildren, among them Harry and John Matthews, formerly of Glendive and Leland Becker who is now in Siberia. – Dawson County Review. Mr. Sears once resided on Sears Creek at Midway, the creek being named after him. He had a sheep ranch at the present site of the Pete Maney farm. Surviving pioneers in Sidney and territory will hark back in memory many years at this news of his death.”
Special Timber Agent Downey of Miles City, Montana was thoroughly chastized when he tried to get Mr. Sears in trouble for cutting down 10 cords of public forest.
Another J.D. Sears, geologist Julian Ducker Sears (1891-1970) and a memorial to him.
https://www.geosociety.org/documents/gsa/memorials/v02/Sears-JD.pdf
This J.D. Sears surveyed and mapped the Lake Basin Field of Montana.