Red Lodge is a city and
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 st ...
of
Carbon County,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, United States.
As of the
2020 census, the population of the city was 2,257.
History
On September 17, 1851, the United States government signed a treaty with the
Crow Nation
The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation loca ...
, ceding the area which now contains Red Lodge, MT to the Crow Indians. Rich coal deposits were found there in 1866, and gold was discovered nearby in 1870. An 1880 treaty between the U.S. government and the Crow allowed the area to be settled starting April 11, 1882.
The Red Lodge post office was established on Dec 9, 1884 with Postmaster Ezra L. Benton. A rail line was constructed into town, and coal shipments began in June 1889. The boundaries of the Crow Reservation were redrawn October 15, 1892, opening the whole area to settlement. From then until the 1930s, coal mining defined the town.
In the late 19th century, many new settlers came to Red Lodge, MT. The majority came from
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
Sweden,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. By the mid-1880s, migrants were still outnumbered by large numbers of
Native Americans. By 1892 the population reached 1,180.
In 1896, Red Lodge had twenty saloons and, as the library records show, riotous and violent living was characteristic of the town. By 1906 the population had grown to 4,000 and by 1911 this had increased to 5,000.
Red Lodge suffered in the
Great Depression, which forced many mines to close. To offset this downturn, the manufacture of
illegal bootleg liquor, labeled syrup, became an economic mainstay and was sold as far away as
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
In 1931 work began on the
Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road in the western United States on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It crests at Beartooth Pass in Wyom ...
linking Red Lodge to
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
; it was officially opened in 1936.
In 1943
tragedy hit Smith Mine #3 near
Bearcreek, the area's largest remaining mine. An explosion trapped and killed 74 men with only three of the workers in the mine that day escaping, making it the worst coal mine disaster in Montana's history. The mine was shut down shortly thereafter but was reopened in the late 1970s. The Red Lodge cemetery contains a memorial.
The downtown has been redeveloped since the mid-1980s for historic and
cultural tourism, as the
Red Lodge Commercial Historic District. The buildings in downtown Red Lodge fell into disrepair in large part because population had dropped from its 1915 peak of 6,000 people to about 2,000.
As of 2006, an estimate suggests that the population of Red Lodge may increase from about 1,200 people in the winter to over 1,800 people during the summer tourist season, arriving via the
Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road in the western United States on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It crests at Beartooth Pass in Wyom ...
.
Red Lodge was heavily affected by the
2022 Montana floods
In June 2022, the U.S. state of Montana was hit by heavy, damaging floods in multiple major Drainage basin, watersheds including the Yellowstone River. Heavy rain and melting snow over the weekend June 10–13 caused large areas of Yellowston ...
.
Geography
Red Lodge is located at (45.187515, -109.248475).
U.S. Route 212 runs through the town.
Rock Creek flows alongside Red Lodge.
Grizzly Peak is one of several mountains surrounding Red Lodge.
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. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Red Lodge experiences a
continental climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfb'') with cold, somewhat dry winters and warm, wetter summers. Summers are cooler than in areas of Montana further north, due to the high elevation. Winters however, are milder than areas further to the east due to the
chinook wind
Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...
influence, as with most of Montana.
Demographics
Red Lodge is part of the
Billings Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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 2,125 people, 1,082 households, and 513 families residing 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 1,675 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%
White
White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.4%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 0.3%
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 O ...
, 0.6% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.6% 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 forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.9% of the population.
There were 1,082 households, of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were
married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.6% were non-families. 43.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.62.
The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 16.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 34.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 2,177 people, 1,020 households, and 528 families residing 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 846.0 people per square mile (327.1/km). There were 1,415 housing units at an average density of 549.9 per square mile (212.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.14%
White
White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.41%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.10%
Native American, 0.46%
Asian, 0.46% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.42% 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 forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.98% of the population.
There were 1,020 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were
married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.2% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,750, and the median income for a family was $40,260. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $20,208 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 $19,090. About 6.9% of families and 9.7% 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 t ...
, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Red Lodge is the county seat of
Carbon County and is an incorporated city, governed via the mayor/council system. There are six members of the city council, elected from one of three wards of roughly equal population. There are two council members from each ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
Education
Red Lodge is served by three public schools: Mountain View Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and
Red Lodge High School
Red Lodge High School serves several towns in Carbon County, Montana, including Red Lodge, Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther K ...
. They are known as the Rams.
Red Lodge Carnegie Library serves the area.
The Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association's Geology Field Station is located south of Red Lodge.
Outdoor recreation
Red Lodge is well known for many outdoor recreation opportunities: skiing, mountain biking,
fly fishing, and backpacking are nearby. In April it is host to a popular triathlon called the Peaks to Prairie.
Infrastructure
Red Lodge Airport is a public use airport located one mile (1.85 km) northwest of town.
Media
Radio
*
KMXE
KMXE-FM is a commercial radio station in Red Lodge, Montana
Red Lodge is a city and county seat of Carbon County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,257.
History
On September 17, 1851, the Unit ...
FM 99.3
Newspapers
* ''
Carbon County News'' (Weekly)
* ''
The Local Rag'' (Monthly)
* ''Red Lodge Pickett'' (1892-1922)
* ''Red Lodge Pickett-Journal''
Notable people
*
Brady Canfield,
Bronze medal winner in the
2003 FIBT World Championships in
skeleton racing
*
Kim Gillan, former Montana State Senator and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
candidate for the
U.S. House of Representatives
*
John Johnston was elected the first marshal in Red Lodge in 1888.
[''Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson'', by Raymond W. Thorpe and Robert Bunker (1983) pg 188. ]
*
Laurie Niemi
Laurie Jack Niemi (March 19, 1925 – February 19, 1968) was an American and Canadian football offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for th ...
,
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
offensive tackle
*
Alice Greenough Orr, internationally renowned
rodeo performer
*
Gary D. Robson, author and closed captioning innovator
*
Emily E. Sloan, Lawyer, Author
*
K. Ross Toole, Noted Montana historian
References
External links
*
City websiteRed Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Cities in Carbon County, Montana
Billings metropolitan area
County seats in Montana
Cities in Montana