Lodge Grass () is a town in Big Horn County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 441 at the 2020 census. It is at the confluence of Lodge Grass Creek and the

Little Bighorn River The Little Bighorn River is a tributary of the Bighorn River in the United States in the states of Montana and Wyoming. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was fought on its banks on June 25–26, 187 ...

, on the

Crow Indian Reservation The Crow Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Crow Tribe. Established 1868, the reservation is located in parts of Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Treasure counties in southern Montana in the United States. The Crow Tribe has an enrolled membe ...

Source and derivation of name

The two words of the name of "Lodge Grass" are not usually put together, in that order, to make a commonly used name, or meaningful phrase. This is because the name "Lodge Grass" came from a mistake of interpretation of the Crow Indian name for "Greasy Grass". Lodge Grass is named after Lodge Grass Creek, which flows through the town, but as explained in a video viewed in 2013 on YouTube by Joe Medicine Crow, Crow tribal historian, the correct Crow name for Lodge Grass Creek is Greasy Grass Creek. Crow tradition holds that when the Crows camped on the bottoms of the Lodge Grass Creek or the Little Bighorn River in the spring and summer, when the grass in the valley would be high and when the dew was heavy the bellies and legs of the horses would become wet and glisten as if covered with grease. In another traditional version of the same derivation of the name, when the Crows camped on the creek and walked through the thick grass in the morning when it held dew, their moccasins and leggings would get wet and they would look greasy. Thus the Crows called the valley areas of the Little Bighorn River and Lodge Grass Creek "the Greasy Grass". The Sioux also called the Little Horn River the Greasy Grass Creek. The Crow name for "greasy" and the Crow name for "lodge" sound very much alike. The Crow word for "greasy" is ''Tah-shay'', and the Crow word for "lodge" is ''Ah-shay'', and the words sound so much alike that an early interpreter mistakenly interpreted the Crow name for "Greasy Grass" as "Lodge Grass". The misinterpreted name stuck, and so the creek, and then the town became known as Lodge Grass.

Geography

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

passes near the community, with access from Exit 530. Grey Blanket Creek runs nearby. 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 town has a total area of , all land. A traditional camping area near the town is called in the

Crow language Crow (endonym, native name: or ) is a Missouri River Valley, Missouri Valley Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken primarily by the Crow Tribe in present-day southeastern Montana. The word translates to "Children of the Large Beaked Bird" ...

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, Lodge Grass 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.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 428 people, 114 households, and 95 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 133 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 9.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 86.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 114 households, of which 59.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 13.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 16.7% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.75 and the average family size was 4.05. The median age in the town was 24.7 years. 39.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 20.7% were from 45 to 64; and 8.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 510 people, 147 households, and 115 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 164 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 11.57%

, 86.67% Native American, 0.59% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population. There were 147 households, out of which 57.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were

living together, 27.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 42.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 13.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,120, and the median income for a family was $22,222. Males had a median income of $20,833 versus $20,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $8,130. About 37.1% of families and 40.3% 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 47.4% of those under age 18 and 31.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Lodge Grass city limits and surrounding is located within School District 2 & 27, or Lodge Grass Schools. The public school system has been in existence since 1908. The mascot for Lodge Grass Schools are the Indians and Lady Indians. The Lodge Grass High School boys' basketball program is noted for having won five Class B state championships from 1980 to 1990, under Coach Gordon Real Bird.

Notable people

* Hairy Moccasin (1854 — 1922), a scout for the Seventh Cavalry * Tuff Harris (b. 1983),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

, 2007–2011 and in 2011,

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

* Joe Medicine Crow (1913 – 2016), author and historian of the

Crow Tribe The Crow, whose Endonym and exonym, autonym is Apsáalooke (), are Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a List of federally recognized tribes in the United St ...

* Clara Nomee (1938 – 2012), former five-term chairwoman of the Crow Tribe (1990-2000) * Kevin Red Star (b. 1943), Native American artist * Pauline Small (1924 – 2005), first woman to be elected to any office of the Crow Tribe * White Man Runs Him (c. 1858 – 1929), scout and source for the history of the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Si ...

. * Thomas Yellowtail (1903 - 1993),

medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...

and chief of the Crow Tribe; born in Lodge GrassYellowtail, Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief
Autobiography, Thomas Yellowtail and Michael Oren Fitzgerald, March 15, 1994. Retrieved June 10, 2016.

References

{{Big Horn County, Montana Towns in Big Horn County, Montana Crow Tribe of Montana