Powder River County, Montana

Powder River County
County
Powder River Courthouse in Broadus
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°23′N105°38′W / 45.38°N 105.64°W / 45.38; -105.64
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	March 17, 1919 [1]
Named for	Powder River
Seat	Broadus
Largest town	Broadus
Area
• Total	3,298 sq mi (8,540 km2)
• Land	3,297 sq mi (8,540 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.02%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,694
• Estimate  (2022)	1,725
• Density	0.51/sq mi (0.20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.prco.mt.gov
Montana county number 09

Powder River County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,694. ^[2] Its county seat is Broadus. ^[3]

History

Powder River County's area was probably first entered by Europeans when French trappers worked its streams in the early 1800s. In 1865 the federal government sent soldiers (Powder River Expedition) to the Powder River country to combat Native Americans from the Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, and Arapaho tribes. September 1865 saw several skirmishes (Powder River Battles) near present-day Broadus. ^[4] On March 17, 1876, the Battle of Powder River occurred in the south-central part of the county, about 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Broadus. ^[5]

Powderville was the area's first established settlement; it began operating on November 1, 1878, as the Powder River Telegraph Station on a line connecting Fort Keogh to Deadwood, South Dakota. ^[6] On April 5, 1879, the Mizpah Creek Incidents began near the Powderville telegraph station.

Custer County was organized in early 1877, consisting of most of SE Montana Territory. In February 1900, the Broadus Post Office opened. In October 1918 the first edition of the area's first newspaper ^[7] appeared. On March 17, 1919, Powder River County was formed from southern Custer County. In a 1920 election, Broadus was chosen as the county seat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,298 square miles (8,540 km²), of which 3,297 square miles (8,540 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (0.02%) is water. ^[8]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 212
• Montana Highway 59

Transit

Powder River County Transit provides demand-response services throughout the county.

Adjacent counties

• Custer County - north
• Carter County - east
• Crook County, Wyoming - southeast
• Campbell County, Wyoming - south
• Sheridan County, Wyoming - southwest
• Big Horn County - west
• Rosebud County - northwest

National protected area

• Custer National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	3,357		—
1930	3,909		16.4%
1940	3,159		−19.2%
1950	2,693		−14.8%
1960	2,485		−7.7%
1970	2,862		15.2%
1980	2,520		−11.9%
1990	2,090		−17.1%
2000	1,858		−11.1%
2010	1,743		−6.2%
2020	1,694		−2.8%
2022 (est.)	1,725	[9]	1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790–1960, [11] 1900–1990, [12] 1990–2000, [13] 2010–2020 [2]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,694 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,743 people, 755 households, and 505 families in the county. The population density was 0.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.19/km²). There were 1,022 housing units at an average density of 0.3 per square mile (0.12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.0% white, 1.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 1.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.6% were German, 31.0% were American, 15.1% were English, 14.0% were Irish, and 8.6% were Norwegian.

Of the 755 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 49.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,685 and the median income for a family was $50,156. Males had a median income of $27,721 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,543. About 11.6% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Powder River County is heavily Republican; it has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1940.

United States presidential election results for Powder River County, Montana ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	963	87.07%	131	11.84%	12	1.08%
2020	970	85.39%	154	13.56%	12	1.06%
2016	884	83.95%	127	12.06%	42	3.99%
2012	833	81.11%	170	16.55%	24	2.34%
2008	802	77.26%	208	20.04%	28	2.70%
2004	856	83.19%	154	14.97%	19	1.85%
2000	860	85.32%	115	11.41%	33	3.27%
1996	663	63.44%	236	22.58%	146	13.97%
1992	547	47.32%	258	22.32%	351	30.36%
1988	815	66.15%	395	32.06%	22	1.79%
1984	1,066	74.60%	346	24.21%	17	1.19%
1980	985	68.26%	336	23.28%	122	8.45%
1976	683	55.30%	429	34.74%	123	9.96%
1972	844	69.35%	267	21.94%	106	8.71%
1968	699	64.96%	258	23.98%	119	11.06%
1964	649	59.05%	449	40.86%	1	0.09%
1960	665	60.18%	438	39.64%	2	0.18%
1956	700	60.55%	456	39.45%	0	0.00%
1952	888	72.67%	327	26.76%	7	0.57%
1948	784	60.17%	480	36.84%	39	2.99%
1944	650	57.17%	476	41.86%	11	0.97%
1940	633	52.23%	561	46.29%	18	1.49%
1936	545	40.40%	758	56.19%	46	3.41%
1932	515	35.52%	875	60.34%	60	4.14%
1928	780	65.05%	410	34.20%	9	0.75%
1924	480	48.68%	123	12.47%	383	38.84%
1920	955	71.27%	330	24.63%	55	4.10%

Communities

Town

• Broadus (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Biddle

Unincorporated communities

• Bay Horse ^[15]
• Belle Creek
• Cameron Crossing ^[16]
• Coalwood
• Elkhorn Crossing
• Epsie
• Moorhead
• Olive
• Otter
• Powderville
• Sayle ^[17]
• Sonnette
• Willow Crossing ^[18]

Notable people

• Jess Lockwood, 2017 and 2019 PBR World champion
• Lee Randall, Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives (2009–2017)
• Ronnie Rossen, World Champion PRCA Bull rider (1961, 1966)
• Jason Evans, six-time National Steer Roping Finals qualifier
• Steve Held, professional actor, rancher, and Democratic candidate for Montana's 2nd congressional district in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election in Montana

See also

• Fort Howes
• List of lakes in Powder River County, Montana
• List of mountains in Powder River County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Powder River County MT

References

1. "Powder River County, Montana". www.prco.mt.gov. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. Wagner, David E. (2009). Powder River Odyssey: Nelson Cole's Western Campaign of 1865, The Journals of Lyman G. Bennett and Other Eyewitness Accounts. Arthur H. Clark Co.
5. Vaughn, J.W. (1961). The Reynolds Campaign on Powder River. University of Oklahoma Press.
6. Powderville: A Personal History.
7. The Broadus Independent, now called Powder River Examiner.
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
15. Bay Horse MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
16. Cameron Crossing MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
17. Sayle MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
18. Willow Crossing MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)

45°23′N105°38′W / 45.38°N 105.64°W / 45.38; -105.64