Altamont had started in 1879 when a railroad was built through there. The first people of Altamont was the Huston family. When they went to the nearby town of Oswego, people would ask them where they lived. They would say about a mile east of the lone tree. Since there were not many trees in Kansas at the time, it was easy to know what tree they were talking about. It was named after Altamont, Illinois. Altamont was incorporated in 1884.