BOZEMAN — It's been nearly five years since the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office lost one of its own. On Monday, at a memorial dedication, a stretch of highway along Bridger Canyon Road was dedicated to the late Jacob Allmendinger.
“He served on the search and rescue and worked in dispatch before he decided to apply to be a sheriff's deputy,” said Monica Allmendinger, Deputy Allmendinger’s wife.
Jacob Allmendinger, known to his family and friends as Jake, was killed in the line of duty in an accident along Fairy Lake Road in October of 2019. Nearly five years later his family continues to honor him.
“You know, the kids and I, still we kind of try to do things in his honor. Like we always drive up Fairy Lake on the anniversary,” says Allmendinger. "When we go on vacation, we would go find a nameplate or something with Jake's name on it and take a picture of it as a family.”
In 2023, the Montana legislature signed a bill dedicating a stretch of Bridger Canyon Road to Deputy Allmendinger.
“Those mountains actually hold a very special place in our heart. Jake and I also got married up here,” says Allmendinger.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer says that Allmendinger's memory serves as a reminder to current deputies of the sacrifices that come with the job.
“We put you out there in dire situations. And there's always the possibility that something bad can happen if that day does come for any of these deputies. They need to know that we will always remember them,” says Springer.
Now from Fairy Lake Road to Brackett Creek Road along Montana Highway 86 in the shadow of the Bridgers will be known as the Jacob Allmendinger Memorial Highway.
“It's special to know that forever, that'll be that way. It's a reminder of the work that he did, the community that he served, and the family member that he was,” says Springer.
During the ceremony, Allmendinger's mother described him as a hero. Monica agreed:
“Jake, exactly—hero. Like I said, he always had a passion for serving, protecting. He was our hero, my kids and my hero. So the word to me, I mean, if I could describe anybody in that position, it would be Jake."
