Silesia near the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Clarks Fork Rivers was named for the nearby mineral springs, Silesia Springs. The springs named by Julius Lehrkind, who came from the eastern German province of Silesia. The Lehrkind family started a brewery in Silesia, but after a few years it burned down and some of the family moved to Red Lodge to start another one. Near Silesia is Cooney State Park, an irrigation reservoir which is a popular recreation area serving south-central Montana.