Havre ( ) is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

and largest city in

Hill County, Montana Hill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,309. Its county seat is Havre. It lies along the United States border with Canada, abutting Alberta and Saskatchewan. Part of its ...

, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after the city of

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, ver ...

in France. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,362.

History

Havre was incorporated in north-central Montana on 5 September 1893. In August 1893, twenty-six people voted to incorporate Havre as a city on September 5 of that year. The townsite was platted south of the railroad tracks on parts of Descelles’ and Simon Pepin’s ranches. Like many railroad towns, Havre’s streets were set in a grid formation, with the east–west orientation of the railroad serving as the northern boundary of the town running parallel to the south by Main Street, which fronted the railroad tracks, followed by First through Third Streets. The avenues ran perpendicular to the tracks with Third Avenue running south from the Great Northern depot. The depot served as the gateway to the commercial district of Havre. First Street between Second Avenue and Fourth Avenue served as the main commercial street, and Third Avenue became the main avenue. The buildings in Havre during the 1890s were typical first-generation structures and mainly consisted of tar papered wood-framed shacks. Built close together, these buildings were false-fronted and one story high, with a few scattered one-and-a-half and two-story buildings, like the Windsor Hotel on the south side of First Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. Iiif-service gmd gmd425m g4254m g4254hm g4254hm g050151892 05015 1892-0001-full-pct 25-0-default

Iiif-service gmd gmd425m g4254m g4254hm g4254hm g050151892 05015 1892-0001-full-pct 25-0-default

Along with its annex, the Windsor, at two stories, was the tallest building on First Street until brick structures were constructed in the mid-1890s. Havre had many businesses typical of a frontier town including saloons, barbers, restaurants, Chinese laundries, cobblers, bakeries, mercantiles, hardware stores, and hotels. Havre was founded primarily to serve as a major

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

service center for the Great Northern Railway built by James J. Hill with the city's location midway between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

- St. Paul. A statue of Hill stands near the Havre Amtrak station to commemorate the key contributions his railroad has made to Havre's and Montana's history. Next to the station on display is Great Northern S-2 Class #2584, a

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The ty ...

"Northern" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

that served the station while it was in passenger service. Originally named "Bullhook Bottoms", the town held a series of meetings to determine a new name. The original settlers were given the final decision, and due to a strong French influence, the town was renamed "Havre". To decide on a new name, the town held a meeting. Though that first meeting ended in a brawl, the second meeting was more successful. There, the citizenry agreed that only the original five homesteaders, Gus Decelles, Exor Pepin (nephew of Simon Pepin), Tom McDevitt, Joe Demars and Charlie Goutchie would be allowed to vote. After several suggestions, including "France" to acknowledge their common heritage, Gus Decelles then suggested Havre after his parents’ hometown of Le Havre, France. "Havre", which means "the haven or harbor", won the vote. Simon Pepin (1840–1914), the "Father of Havre", was born in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

and emigrated to Montana in 1863, where he became a contractor, furnishing supplies for the construction of Fort Custer, Fort Assinniboine, and Fort Maginnis. Pepin purchased ranch land near Fort Assinniboine. When James J. Hill built the Great Northern Railway across northern Montana, he built several locomotive shops on property Pepin owned at the site of Havre. Pepin became a major contributor to Havre's economic growth through his cattle, real estate, and banking enterprises. Havre is the eighth-largest city in Montana, and the largest city in the Montana section of the Hi-Line. With the nearest larger city, Great Falls, about to the south, Havre serves as a medical and business center for the Montana section of the Hi-Line. U.S. Highway 87 has its northern terminus at Havre. U.S. Highway 2, running east–west, is the city's main street. The largest employers are Northern Montana Hospital, Montana State University–Northern, and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (). Throughout much of the twentieth century, was the most prominent employer in the city, but the company scaled back its workforce in Havre in the 1990s. The Milk River (tributary of the Missouri River) runs through the town, and the Bears Paw Mountains can be seen to the south. Small grids of purple squares can be seen in some of the sidewalks downtown. These are skylights for an underground mall built in the city at least a hundred years ago. Throughout its history, this underground area has been host to a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...

, a Chinese laundromat, a saloon, a drugstore, at least three opium dens, and rooms used for smuggling alcohol during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. When fire destroyed Havre's business district in 1904, legitimate above-ground businesses joined the illicit businesses operating in the underground while the new brick buildings were built in the streets above. The underground area, now designated "Havre Beneath the Streets", currently operates as a tourist attraction. The

Wahkpa Chu'gn The Too Close for Comfort Site is an archaeological site located in Havre, Montana, United States. The area was used as a buffalo jump. The site, also known as Wahkpa Chu'gn has yielded artifacts from three Native American groups. Between 2000� ...

buffalo jump, or bison kill, is located behind the Holiday Village Shopping Center near the northwest corner of Havre. Over 2,000 years old, it is one of the largest and best-preserved buffalo jumps anywhere. In prehistoric times, Native Americans would drive

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...

over the edge of the cliff, killing or severely injuring the animals. Afterward, the Native Americans skinned the animals and preserved the meat. The buffalo jump is now an archaeological site and a small tourist attraction. The buffalo jump is located at the southern edge of the Havre Badlands, a

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes ...

formation that runs alongside the Milk River to the west of the city. Small fossils, including seashells and petrified wood, can be found in the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

sediment in this area. Hill County Courthouse

southwest of Havre is Fort Assinniboine, which served as one of Montana's principal military posts from 1879 through the Prohibition era. The fort was one of many used by the United States to protect against potential attacks from Native Americans and to block incursions from Canada. At its peak, the fort housed and employed 489 soldiers in 104 buildings. Also near Havre is the Bear's Paw Battlefield site of the Battle of Bear Paw, where the Nez Perce were attacked and defeated by the U.S. Cavalry. Chief Joseph surrendered to the Cavalry and made a famous speech ending with the line, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." In 2018, two natural-born U.S. citizens were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents; in 2020, they settled with CBP for an undisclosed sum.

Geography

Havre is located in eastern Hill County at (48.5454, -109.6775). U.S. Route 2 (1st Street) is the main road through the city, running east to west near the city's northern border. Route 2 leads east to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and west to Shelby and

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

U.S. Route 87 U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north-south roa ...

has its northern terminus in West Havre, west of downtown Havre. US 87 leads southwest to Great Falls. Montana Secondary Highway 234 leads south from the center of Havre to the

Bear Paw Ski Bowl Bear Paw Ski Bowl is a small ski area which draws visitors primarily from Havre, Montana and the nearby Rocky Boys Indian Reservation located on the Chippewa Cree The Chippewa Cree Tribe (Officially in cr, italics=no, ᐅᒋᐻᐤ ᓀᐃᔭ ...

in the Bears Paw Mountains. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, Havre has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Havre experiences a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

( Köppen ''BSk'') with long, cold, dry winters and hot summers with cool nights. Winter weather can vary greatly from brutal cold when Arctic air moves in from Canada, to temperatures far above due to chinook windsfor instance the coldest month (and only one to never top freezing) of January 1916 averaged and February 1936 during a notorious cold wave , but February 1954 averaged as high as and January 1919, . The hottest temperature recorded in Havre is on August 5, 1961, and the coldest on January 27, 1916.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 9,310 people, 3,900 households, and 2,293 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 4,285 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.6%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 13.0% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 3,900 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 33.9 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,621 people, 4,015 households, and 2,449 families living in the city. The

was 2,778.2 people per square mile (1,073.6/km²). There were 4,400 housing units at an average density of 1,270.6 per square mile (491.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.08%

, 0.11%

, 9.01% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.51% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. There were 4,015 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were

living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,944, and the median income for a family was $38,870. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $19,189 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,847. About 14.8% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Havre is located on the Northern Transcon of the BNSF Railway;

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's '' Empire Builder'' stops at

Havre station Havre station is a train station, re-fueling, and service stop for the Amtrak ''Empire Builder'' in Havre, Montana. The station, platform, and parking are owned by BNSF Railway, and the station was previously owned and operated by the Great Nor ...

daily. Havre City–County Airport is a public use airport located west of Havre. North Central Montana Transit provides limited bus service to

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

, the

Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation (also known as Rocky Boy Reservation) is one of seven Native American reservations in the U.S. state of Montana. Established by an act of Congress on September 7, 1916, it was named after ''Ahsiniiwin'' (Rocky Boy ...

, Harlem, Montana, and

Fort Belknap, Montana Fort Belknap Agency is a census-designated place (CDP) in Blaine County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,293. Fort Belknap Indian Reservation Fort Belknap Agency is the capital of the Fort Belknap Indian Rese ...

Local media

Radio

* KOJM AM 610/FM 98.3 (

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as wel ...

) * KNMC FM 90.1 (

College Radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

) *

KPQX KPQX (92.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Havre, Montana. The station is owned by New Media Broadcasters Inc. It airs a country music format. The broadcast studios are located north of town, at 2210 31st Street North. This facility is ...

FM 92.5 (Country) * KXEI FM 95.1 (Christian) *

KRYK KRYK (101.3 FM, "Sunny 101") is a radio station licensed to serve Chinook, Montana. The station is owned by New Media Broadcasters, Inc. It airs a hot adult contemporary music format. The broadcast studios are located north of Havre, at 2210 31s ...

FM 101.3 (

Adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

)

Television

Stations available from the Great Falls market: * KRTV Ch. 3 ( CBS) * KTGF-LD Ch. 50 ( NBC) * KUGF-TV Ch. 21 ( PBS) * KFBB Ch. 5 ( ABC) Satellite television providers are available to the entire area, and cable service comes from Charter Cable.

Newspapers

The ''

Havre Daily News The ''Havre Daily News'' is an afternoon newspaper printed in Havre, Montana, US. The paper serves Hill County and the Hi-Line of north-central Montana, named for the northernmost line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, originally bu ...

'' is regionally available. Its circulation is 3,500 papers daily, published Monday through Friday. It has a full online edition by subscription, as well as some free content online. The larger ''

Great Falls Tribune The ''Great Falls Tribune'' is a daily morning newspaper printed in Helena, Montana. It is one of Montana's largest newspaper companies. History The first edition of the newspaper then called the ''Weekly Tribune'' was printed on May 14, 1885 ...

'' is also available in most areas. The Havre Herald was a free online site for local news (closed mid-2020).

Education

The city is served by Havre Public Schools, which operates Havre High School, S.U.N.S. Alternative High School, Havre Middle School, and three elementary schools. Higher education is provided at the

Montana State University-Northern Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

campus.

Havre has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Havre-Hill County Library. The city hosts one

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * Private (Ryōko Hirosue song), "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private ...

within city limits, Saint Judes Thaddeus School; it is affiliated with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Saint Jude Thaddeus Church, Havre, Montana

Points of interest

* LORAN-C transmitter Havre * Big Bud 747, the world's largest farm tractor * Too Close for Comfort Site, a buffalo jump archaeological site, open to visitors * Havre also hosts historic bars, namely the Oxford Sports Bar and The Palace. * The Havre Underground, a tourist attraction that takes you to the historic under city, is a local favourite. Gussenhoven House Havre Hill County Montana

Gussenhoven House Havre Hill County Montana

Notable people

* Philip Aaberg, pianist and composer * John Ahern, Washington state legislator and businessman * Jeff Ament, musician,

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...

's bassist *

Karan Armstrong Karan Armstrong (December 14, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American operatic soprano, who was celebrated as a singing actress. After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1966, she was given small roles at the Metro ...

, opera singer * Harriet Bossnot, social and civic worker * T.V. Buttrey, academic and numismatist * Ryan Divish, journalist for the ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...

'' * Jeff Doyle, Major League Baseball player * William Hulett, actor in

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 ...

, Zumanity * Marc Mariani, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

football player *

Larry Maze Larry Earl Maze (born September 13, 1943) is an American cleric who was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas from 1994 to 2006. Early life and education Maze was born on September 13, 1943, in Havre, Montana, the son Archie William Maze an ...

, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, 1994–2006 * Jill McLain, Miss Montana USA 2006 *

Karl Ohs Karl Ohs (November 18, 1946 – November 25, 2007) was the 28th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Montana serving under Judy Martz. Background Karl Ohs was born in Malta, Montana, the son of a Swedish immigrant. He was a Montana rancher an ...

, former lieutenant governor of Montana * Flint Rasmussen, professional rodeo clown * Rob Ryan, Major League Baseball player *

Rick Rydell Rick may refer to: People * Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name * Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality * Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and my ...

, radio talk show host and outdoors author *

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democr ...

governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of Montana Montana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or ve ...

2005–2013 * Stan Stephens,

1989–1993 *

Jon Tester Raymond Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is an American farmer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Tester is the dean of Montana's congressi ...

, incumbent

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

* Mike Tilleman, former