The history of Dutton is very diverse. It starts back in the late 1860's and early 1870's when many settlers came to the Lethbridge area by way of a trail from Fort Benton. Through the efforts of Sir Alexander Galt and his son Elliot, the region was opened and populated by transportation and trade from Canada to Montana via the Great Falls and Canada Railway, which was the United States segment of a narrow gauge railroad connecting the Great Northern Railway at Great Falls, Montana with the Canada-Pacific Railway at Lethbridge, Alberta. The Great Northern to assume control of the narrow gauge as soon as it had been standardized and until the line was widened, a third was added to continue the flow of business. Floods in 1902 made the narrow gauge unsafe to use thus ending its life. The standard gauge began its operation in the summer of 1902. Portraying a archetypal development of a mojority of towns in the West, Dutton sought its birth through the railroad. Upon building the track across the Western Plains, the crew paused every few miles to build a siding and a one-room station. Then they gave the siding a name which established it as a future town. Dutton was such an establishment.

Before Dutton became a settlement, the region was grazed by both cattle and sheep. The first settlers placed themselves on the Teton River. The first homesteader was William Frixel. The original townsite was owned by Frixel, who filed on the land Sept. 14, 1906. He sold it on Sept. 27, 1909, after having "proved it up," to the Townsite Company of Sam, George, and Caroline Sollid, and Thompson. The town was surveyed into lots on October 23, 1909 and the title was finally granted on April 25, 1910. The original townsite was a total of forty acres. When the surveys were done and the land was plotted, houses and businesses began to be costructed. 

The newspaper has been under three different titles: the Dutton Sentinel, The Wheat Center News, and presently the Dutton Dispatch. The Dutton Sentinel began in 1915 and continued until the late 1940's. The Wheat Center News began in 1958 until the 1989 where it was renamed the Dutton Dispatch.

Water was hauled on the railroad until 1935 when it was piped to the town. The first running water and plumbing installation was in Harry Jones' business where the present bank is located, in 1927.

The first phone was installed in O. T. Wiprud's Store in 1912. The first telephone system came to Dutton in the 1930's.

The first child born in Dutton was Edna Carney. She was also one of the first to graduate from Dutton High School.

The first house built in Dutton was the Hume house which was located behind the Fire Hall.

The first auto buggy was that of H. S. Hodges in 1910--- self propelled. The first car was of George Sollid in 1912 or 1913. In 1913 both McFarland and Andy Martin bought a Ford--- Martin sold Fords in Dutton for many years.

Electricity came to Dutton in 1929 or 1930. The Dutton ball park was an area of recreation which was west of the road tracks where Bergan's live today. Rodeos and other forms of entertainment resulted there. Dutton had a baseball team in its early inhabitants, also, playing many of the surrounding towns.

Dutton officially became a city on December 19th, 1935 when the first incorporation meeting was held.

In 1938, the Dutton Volunteer Fire Department was organized with Ed Smith as fire chief.