Clifton Boyd Worthen was born in Lynden, Washington, on January 30, 1899. He attended the University of Washington and received a master's degree in social studies and education in 1928. His thesis was entitled "The history of Central Montana to 1871." Worthen moved to Montana and taught for 13 years at Fergus County High School in Lewistown and for 26 years at Missoula County High School. During the summers he worked as a fire lookout for the U.S. Forest Service in western Montana. He was a World War I veteran and served as historian for the Missoula American Legion for many years. As an amateur historian Worthen did extensive research on the history of the Judith Basin region of Montana and the mining development in the Maiden-Kendall area near Lewistown. Worthen and his wife Gladys were married on December 25, 1922, and had one son and two daughters. Clifton Boyd Worthen died at the age of 64 in Missoula on July 3, 1963.
From the guide to the Clifton Boyd Worthen Research Collection: Central Montana History, 1882-1955, (Montana Historical Society Archives)
