Terrett Butte, also called the Turret Buttes, are a prominent landmark on the east side of the Powder River in south-central Powder River County, Montana. They are better known today as the Turret Buttes because of their resemblance to a castle or gun turret.

History

The first time the buttes were mentioned in writing was on September 12, 1865, in the diary of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Lyman G. Bennett, the chief engineering officer accompanying Colonel

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's column of the Powder River Expedition. Bennett wrote: The buttes appear on maps from the 1880s and were likely named after a homesteading family whose last name was Terret or Terrett. From around 1915 until the 1940s a rural country schoolhouse called the Terret Butte School was situated along the east side of the Powder River below the buttes. During the mid-20th century, the buttes were located on the Swope Family Ranch. Between the early 1980s and 2005, the buttes were owned by

Andrew L. Lewis Jr. Andrew Lindsay Lewis Jr. (November 3, 1931 – February 10, 2016), generally known as Drew Lewis, was an American businessman and politician from the state of Pennsylvania. He was United States Secretary of Transportation in the first portio ...

, the 7th

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

Location

Terrett Butte is located on private land, about two hundred yards east of Powder River East Road South, about southwest of present-day Broadus, Montana, in south-central Powder River County, Montana.

References

{{reflist Buttes of Montana Landforms of Powder River County, Montana