Lewistown is a city in and 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 st ...

Fergus County, Montana Fergus County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,446. Its county seat is Lewistown. The county was founded in 1885 and named for James Fergus, a Montana politician who was instrumental in cr ...

, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2020 census. Lewistown is located in the geographic center of the state, southeast of

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

and northwest of

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

. First planned in 1882, it was the site of an 1880s

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

, and served as an important railway destination, supplying surrounding communities with bricks via rail.

History

The area was the territory of the

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

Native Americans. In 1874, Fort Lewis was established there by Company "F" of the 7th U.S. Infantry to provide military protection for people traveling on the Carroll Trail, then the shortest route between Carroll,

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 Columbi ...

and Helena. Lewistown is named after this fort. The first permanent settlers of Lewistown were

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

. The Metis established Lewistown in 1879. Pierre Berger is credited with being the founder of Lewistown. Berger, along with his wife Judith Wilkie Berger, son Isadore Berger, Isaie Berger, Jean Baptiste Berger and Jacques Berger, as well as several other families made the trek into the Lewistown area in 1879. Francis Janeaux came with the second group. Janeaux founded the first

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

house in 1883. Lewistown became an incorporated city in 1899. Lewistown was the site of a

when

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

was discovered in the nearby

Judith Mountains The Judith Mountains are located in central Montana in the Central Montana Alkalic Province in Fergus County, just to the northeast of Lewistown, Montana. Judith Peak is the highest summit of this range, with an elevation of . History To the s ...

in 1880. Before the gold rush,

Maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

was the largest city in central Montana. When the gold supply ran out, many of the miners gained new employment in Lewistown and settled there permanently. Lewistown was the eastern terminus of the

Montana Railroad The Montana Railroad was an American railroad built and operated between the towns of Lombard and Lewistown, Montana, a distance of approximately 157 miles. The railroad connected with the national railway network via a connection with the North ...

which connected with

Lombard, Montana Lombard is a ghost town in southeastern Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The town was located on the east bank of the Missouri River, just north of the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek. Lombard was established in 1895 as the western ter ...

, a distance of approximately . The railroad connected with the national railway network via a connection with the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

at Lombard. The Montana Railroad line was constructed between 1895 and 1903, and operated independently until 1908, when it was acquired by the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

("the Milwaukee Road"). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in 1942 the

US Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

established a

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

training base just west of Lewistown to train aircrews for missions in North Africa and Europe. The former airbase is now the

Lewistown Municipal Airport Lewistown Municipal Airport is two miles southwest of Lewistown, in Fergus County, Montana. It is owned by the city and county. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 596 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar yea ...

, which is home to the last remaining Norden bombsight storage facility, used to keep the device safe from theft by enemy spies during

. The city park displays a Minuteman III ballistic missile.

Geography

U.S. Highway 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 ...

intersects with

U.S. Route 191 U.S. Route 191 (US 191) is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for from the north ...

in town. 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 the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is located in the exact center of the state of Montana and is part of the Rocky Mountains. The city's water source is Big Spring Creek, which originates in the foothills of the

Big Snowy Mountains The Big Snowy Mountains ( ats, níichʔibííkʔa, lit=it is never summer) are a small mountain range south of Lewistown in Fergus County, Montana. Considerably east of and isolated from the main crest of the Northern Rockies, they are one of the ...

south of Lewistown.

Climate

Lewistown experiences a relatively dry

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

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 long, dry and usually cold winters and short, warm, wetter summers. Winter weather can either be severe due to the movement of cold polar air from Canada, or occasionally very mild or even warm due to gusty

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 ...

s. On average 9.3 afternoons will reach during the three winter months, but on the other hand, 46.6 afternoons during a full year will fail to top freezing, is reached on 21.5 mornings and on two mornings each winter, with as many as twelve this cold during the severe winter of 1928–29. Temperatures do not consistently stay above freezing until June: the average window for freezing temperatures is from September 19 to May 23 – allowing a "growing season" of 92 days – and for subfreezing maxima from October 26 to April 2. The hottest temperature at Lewistown has been on June 21, 1900 and July 31, 1900, and the coldest on 28 January 1929. The hottest minimum has been on July 17, 1925, and the coldest maximum on January 29, 1916; the coldest month was January 1950 which averaged . During the summer, days are very warm, but nights remain cool and rare freezes have occurred. Most precipitation is from spring thunderstorms: the wettest calendar year has been 1953 with and the driest 2021 with . Despite the dry conditions, winter snowfall is substantial with an average of ; however the frequent chinooks keep mean snow cover down to in January. The most snow on the ground has been on February 1 and 2, 1978. February 1978 also had the highest mean snow cover at ; the snowiest year has been 1955 with and the least snowy was 1992 with only , and the most snow in a month during March 1954.

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 5,901 people, 2,761 households, and 1,512 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 3,007 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4%

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 on ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 1.7% Native American, 0.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% 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 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 2.1% of the population. There were 2,761 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.2% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 45.4 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,594 households, and 1,507 families living in the city. The

was 3,055.3 people per square mile (1,181.3/km²). There were 2,868 housing units at an average density of 1,507.4 per square mile (582.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.53%

, 0.07%

, 1.41% Native American, 0.34%

, 0.14% from

, and 1.51% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 2,594 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,949, and the median income for a family was $36,888. Males had a median income of $30,231 versus $20,019 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 $16,817. About 9.0% of families and 13.6% 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 17.3% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

is two miles southwest of town.

Education

Lewistown Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are three elementary schools, a middle school, and Fergus High School. They are known as the Golden Eagles. Lewistown 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 Lewistown Public Library.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The Chokecherry Festival is an annual event that includes a

chokecherry ''Prunus virginiana'', commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry (also black chokecherry for ''P. virginiana'' var. ''demissa''), is a species of bird cherry (''Prunus'' subgenus ''Padus'') nat ...

culinary contest, pit spitting contest, 5k run/walk and 10k run. The event has been held for more than twenty-three years.
The Metis Celebration is the only celebration for Metis people within the continental US. Traditionally held on labor day weekend, this festival includes a pow wow, fiddling, jigging, and other Metis related activities. 2015 marked the 21st year for the festival

Media

;Radio * KXLO AM 1230 – 1,000 watts; country music * KQPZ FM 95.9 – 3,000 watts; classic rock. modern rock ;Newspaper
Lewistown News-Argus
Loren Wilber Acton 02835

Notable people

Loren Acton Loren Wilber Acton (born 7 March 1936) is an American physicist who flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-51-F as a Payload Specialist for the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory. He is also the father of Cheryll Glotfelty, a leading Ecocriticism ...

, astronaut and physicist * Roy E. Ayers, governor and congressman * Alma Smith Jacobs, first African American Montana State Librarian *

Ed McGivern Edward ('Ed') McGivern (October 20, 1874 – December 12, 1957) was a famous exhibition shooter, shooting instructor and author of the book ''Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting''. McGivern performed extensive research into the art of handgun sho ...

, shooter, instructor, author of ''Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting'' *

Jim Otten James Edward Otten (born July 1, 1951) is a former American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 64 games in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals between 1974 and 1981. He we ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

Bobby Petrino Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head coa ...

, former head

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach of

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

and former head coach with

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

and

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

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 mycol ...

radio talk show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

host and author * Tom Stout, congressman * Mike Taylor, politician and rancherOur Campaigns.com.-Mike Taylor (Montana)
/ref> *

Roger Youderian Roger Youderian (January 21, 1924 – January 8, 1956) was an American Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca. Early ...

, Christian

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

References

External links

Official City of Lewistown website

Lewistown Community Resources website

Lewistown Chamber of Commerce website

ePodunk: Profile for Lewistown Montana

{{authority control Cities in Fergus County, Montana County seats in Montana Populated places established in 1882 1882 establishments in Montana Territory Cities in Montana