Big Horn County, Montana
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Big Horn County is a
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 ...
located in the U.S. state of
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 13,124. The
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 Hardin. The county, like the
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
and the
mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
, is named after the
bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of Ovis, sheep native to North America. It is named for its large Horn (anatomy), horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates th ...
in the
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
. The county was founded in 1913. It is located on the southern boundary of the state. Most of the area is part of the Crow Indian Reservation. Reservation poverty affects the county, which is the second-poorest county in the state.


History

On June 25, 1876, the Battle of Little Bighorn began. The Battle is also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass to the
Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
and other Plains Indians.


Law and government

The county has several jurisdictions, each with its own regulations and law enforcement agencies. The
Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...
and Northern Cheyenne Indian Nations are administered by the tribes. Little Bighorn Battlefield and the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area are regulated by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
. The remainder of the county falls under the State of Montana.


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 (0.4%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Montana by land area. Most of the county's land area is
Indian reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...
s: The Crow Indian Reservation covers 64.2 percent of its area, while the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation covers another 6.37 percent. The county is home to the Big Horn, Pryor and
Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
mountain ranges.


Major highways

* Interstate 90 * U.S. Highway 87 * U.S. Highway 212 * Montana Highway 47 * Montana Highway 313 * Montana Highway 314


Adjacent counties

*
Carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
- west *
Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
- northwest * Treasure - north * Rosebud - northeast * Powder River - east *
Sheridan County, Wyoming Sheridan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 30,921. The county seat is Sheridan. Its northern boundary abuts the Montana state border. Sheridan County comprises the Sherid ...
- south * Big Horn County, Wyoming - southwest


National protected areas

* Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (part) * Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Big Horn County has 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 se ...
, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.


Politics

Big Horn County is generally Democratic, owing largely to its majority Native American population. It is distinguished from most other counties in rural Montana, which often lean heavily Republican. In
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
carried the county by a narrow plurality, the first time a Republican won the county since Reagan in 1980.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,124 people living in the county.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 12,865 people, 4,004 households, and 2,970 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 4,695 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 64.3% American Indian, 31.4% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 1.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.1% were American, and 10.3% were German. Of the 4,004 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.77. The median age was 30.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $36,550 and the median income for a family was $41,985. Males had a median income of $32,216 versus $27,917 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,066. About 20.7% of families and 23.5% 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 32.4% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
and agriculture play major roles in Big Horn County's economy. Farms and ranches in the county produce mainly beef cattle, sugar beets, alfalfa, and small grains.


Communities


City

* Hardin (county seat)


Town

* Lodge Grass


Census-designated places

* Busby * Crow Agency * Fort Smith * Forty Mile Colony * Muddy * Pryor * St. Xavier * Wyola


Unincorporated communities

* Aberdeen * Benteen * Decker * Dunmore * Garryowen * Kingley * Toluca''Toluca, Big Horn County MT'' Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018)
/ref>


Former communities

*
Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
* Kirby *
Quietus Titus Fulvius Junius Quietus (died 261) was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus. History Quietus was the son of Fulvius Macrianus and a noblewoman, possibly named Junia. According to ''Historia Augusta'', he was a military trib ...


See also

* List of lakes of Big Horn County, Montana * List of mountains in Big Horn County, Montana * National Register of Historic Places listings in Big Horn County, Montana


References


External links


Home page
{{Coord, 45.43, -107.49, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1913 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1913