The first business in Plentywood opened in 1900, and a post office was established two years later. The city incorporated in 1912,[6] following the arrival of a Great Northern Railway branch line that eventually ran from Bainville to Opheim.[7] Local folklore suggests that the name of the nearby Plentywood Creek, after which the city was named, comes from a search for firewood. One day, according to the story, a group of cowboys watched in exasperation as the chuck wagon cook attempted to start a fire with damp buffalo chips. Finally, in frustration, Dutch Henry said, “If you’ll go 2 miles up this creek, you’ll find plenty wood.”