Beaverhead County is the largest

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

by area in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865. Much of the

perimeter A perimeter is the length of a closed boundary that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two-dimensional shape or a one-dimensional line. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference. Calculating the perimet ...

of the county is the Continental Divide, including its entire border with the state of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. The divide heads east into Montana at the county border with Ravalli County, between Lost Trail Pass and Chief Joseph Pass.

History

The county name is derived from a rock formation, which the

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshon ...

described as being shaped like a beaver's head. The original county seat was the gold-mining town of Bannack. In 1881 it was moved to Dillon.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. It is the largest county in Montana by area. Beaverhead impact structure is in the area. The

Big Hole River The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles (246 km) long, in Beaverhead County, Montana, Beaverhead County, in southwestern Montana, United States. It is the last habitat in the contiguou ...

(formerly called Wisdom River) runs through the county.

Adjacent counties

* Ravalli County - northwest * Deer Lodge County - north * Silver Bow County - north * Madison County - east * Fremont County, Idaho - southeast *

Clark County, Idaho Clark County is a rural county in the U.S. state of Idaho; its county seat and largest city is Dubois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 790, making it the least populous county in the state. History Establishment of stage coach stop ...

- south *

Lemhi County, Idaho Lemhi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,974. The largest city and county seat is Salmon. The county was established in 1869 and named after Fort Lemhi (or Limhi), a remote Morm ...

- west

Major highways

* * * * * *

National protected areas

* Beaverhead National Forest (part) * Big Hole National Battlefield *

Nez Perce National Historical Park The Nez Perce National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park comprising 38 sites located across the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington (state), Washington, which include traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez ...

(part) * Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

Politics

Beaverhead is a heavily Republican county. It has not voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate since 1936.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 9,371 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,246 people, 4,014 households, and 2,383 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 5,273 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific islander, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 1.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were German, 23.9% were English, 15.4% were Irish, 7.9% were Norwegian, 6.5% were Scottish, and 3.4% were American. Of the 4,014 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.6% were non-families, and 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 42.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $38,264 and the median income for a family was $53,036. Males had a median income of $35,568 versus $27,314 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,110. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% 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 14.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Beaverhead County is one of the largest cattle and hay producing areas of Montana. Barrett's Minerals, one of the world's largest talc mines, calls Beaverhead County home. In 2009, Barrett Hospital and Healthcare was the largest private employer in the county.

Education

The University of Montana Western is in Dillon.

Communities

City

* Dillon (county seat)

Town

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Census-designated places

* Argenta *

Dell Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...

* Dewey * Glen * Grant * Jackson * Lakeview * Maverick Mountain *

Wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

* Wise River

Other unincorporated communities

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

* Barretts * Bond * Dalys * Elkhorn Hot Springs * Ford * Kidd * Monida *

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

* Red Rock''Red Rock, Beaverhead County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
/ref>

Former communities

* Armstead - flooded by Clark County Reservoir in 1964 * Bannack (presently a National Historic Monument and site of Bannack State Park) * Hecla * Lion City

Notable people

* Joseph Poindexter, later Territorial Governor of Hawaii, served as County Attorney here . * Thomas Savage (1915-2003) spent his childhood and teen years on his family's ranch in Beaverhead County. His experiences there informed his best known novels, ''The Power of the Dog'' and ''The Sheep Queen'' .

References

External links

Official page

Chamber of Commerce page
{{Coord, 45.12, -112.90, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1865 establishments in Montana Territory Populated places established in 1865