18. Beaverhead County

One of the original nine counties formed when Montana became a territory, Beaverhead County is the only one not to lose much of its original size due to the formation of new counties. Aside from a minor county line adjustment with neighboring Madison County (number 25), Beaverhead County today covers the same area it did in 1865. Today it is the largest county in area in the State of Montana, covering 5,572 square miles of which 30 are water. With a 2010 population of 9,246 (up .5% from the 2000 count of 9,198), the county has a population density of 1.7 people per square mile. Located in the southwestern corner of the state, Beaverhead County is bounded by the Continental Divide which separates it from the state of Idaho on the south and west, and from Ravalli County (number 13) on the northwest. While there are numerous mountain lakes throughout the county, the largest single body of water is the Clark Canyon Reservoir, formed in 1964 when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built the Clark Canyon Dam on the Beaverhead River south of Dillon, the County Seat.

The Beaverhead County Courthouse
Dillon, Montana

Founded in 1857, Dillon is one of the oldest cities in Montana, and with a 2010 population of 4,134, the largest city in Beaverhead County. Named for the president of the Union Pacific Railroad, Sidney V. Dillon, the town got its start as a shipping point for goods coming up from Utah for the mining camps in Montana. Agriculture and livestock production soon established its pre-eminence, and Dillon for a time shipped more wool out of Montana than any other Montana location. Cattle, too, have played an important role in the county's history, and the Big Hole Valley in the western part of the county has been called the "Land of 10,000 Haystacks."

Dillon is home to the University of Montana-Western(formerly known as Western Montana College). Founded in 1893 as the Montana State Normal School, Western today maintains its tradition of excellence in teacher education while offering a full course of study leading to Associate and Bachelors Degrees in Biology, Business, Education, English, Environmental Studies, Equine Studies, Fine Arts, Mathematics and the Social Sciences.

Land of 10,000 Haystacks
The Big Hole Valley

Beaverhead County offers a wealth of recreational opportunities. Fisherman consider the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers to be blue-ribbon trout streams. Hunters flock to the Big Hole Valley for big game and birds. RATPOD (Ride Around the Pioneers in One Day) attracts over 600 bike riders each year for a 130 mile ride through breath-taking mountain vistas and elevations ranging from 5100 feet at Dillon to over 8000 feet on the Pioneer Scenic Byway. Along the way, riders pass by Elkhorn Hot Springs and Crystal Park, two other favorite recreational sites in Beaverhead County. In the winter, snowmobilers take over the mountain roads, and skiers can find miles of cross-country trails and downhill skiing available at Maverick Mountain.

Upper Twin Lake
Bitterroot Mountains

History buffs have plenty sites to visit in Beaverhead County. Those first great western US travelers, Lewis & Clark, came through the area. Their Shoshone guide Sacagawea showed them a rock formation the Shoshone thought looked like a beaver's head. The county is named for that rock formation. The Corps of Discovery (Lewis & Clark) camped for several days at Camp Fortunate, now unfortunately submerged under the waters of the Clark Canyon Reservoir. When Sidney Edgerton convinced the U.S. Congress to create Montana Territory in 1864, and arrived to serve as the first territorial governor, his capital city was Bannack, now a Montana State Park and well preserved ghost town. On a more somber note, the Big Hole National Battlefield commemorates the August 9, 1877 battle between the U.S. Cavalry and a group of Nez Percé indians led by Chief Joseph. The cavalry attacked before dawn, killing over 90 sleeping indians and losing over thirty of their own men. I cannot visit the site without chills running down my spine.

The Masonic Lodge
Bannack Montana

Today, agriculture (including forestry, fishing and hunting) accounts for twenty-five percent of the county's industrial base, roughly two and a half times the state average. Construction follows at twelve percent and educational services at ten. For men, eleven percent are employed as farmers with an additional nine percent employed as agricultural workers. No other industry comes close. The average size of a Beaverhead County farm is 3,038 acres with an average annual sales of $150,274 and average expenses of $129,006. The average age of the principal farmer is 55, and 66% of the farms are family or individually owned.

Median household income is $37,116, or $5,000 below the Montana state median, and sixty-three percent of workers earn a salary or wage. Twenty-five percent work for the government, and eleven percent are self-employed. All data comes from the city-data.com website.

Photo Information:

Beaverhead County Sign: Taken 2/14/2010 at the Beaverhead/Madison County Line on Montana Highway 41. Focal length: 52 mm. ISO 125, f /19.0, 1/45 second.

Beaverhead County Courthouse: Taken 2/14/2010 in Dillon, Montana. Focal length: 18 mm. ISO 125, f /19.0, 1/60 second.

Land of 10,000 Haystacks: Taken 9/7/2008 near Jackson, Montana. Focal length: 48 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5, 1/350 second.

Upper Twin Lake: Taken 9/7/2008 in the Bitterroot Mountains. Focal length: 56 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5, 1/125 second.

Masonic Lodge: Taken 6/6/2009 in Bannack, Montana. Focal length: 45 mm. ISO 200, f /5.6, 1/500 second.