Beaverhead County, Montana
Encyclopedia
National protected areas
- Beaverhead National Forest (part)
- Big Hole National BattlefieldBig Hole National BattlefieldBig Hole National Battlefield is a memorial located in Montana, United States. The Nez Percé, under Chief Joseph Big Hole National Battlefield is a memorial located in Montana, United States. The Nez Percé, under Chief Joseph Big Hole National Battlefield is a memorial located in Montana, United...
- Nez Perce National Historical ParkNez Perce National Historical ParkThe Nez Perce National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park comprising 38 sites located throughout the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington which are the traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez Perce. The sites commemorate the history, culture, and stories of the...
(part) - Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife RefugeRed Rock Lakes National Wildlife RefugeRed Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is a remote refuge located in the high altitude of the Centennial Valley, in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Montana. Adjacent to Gallatin National Forest and near Yellowstone National Park, the refuge is an integral part of the Greater...
History
The county name is derived from a rock formation, which the Shoshone described as being shaped like a beaver'sBeaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
head.
The original county seat was the gold-mining town of Bannack
Bannack, Montana
Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.-History:...
. In 1881 it was changed to Dillon
Dillon, Montana
- Notable residents :* Ed Barker - NFL wide receiver - Washington Redskins* Cree Paul - [Where is she now?]* Charles Xavier Larrabee - owner of the nearby stock ranch Brooknook.* Lloyd Meeds - Politician, lobbyist, and navy officer....
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5572 square miles (14,431.4 km²), of which 5542 square miles (14,353.7 km²) is land and 30 square miles (77.7 km²) (0.53%) is water.The Big Hole River
Big Hole River
The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles long, in southwestern Montana in the United States. It rises in Skinner lake in the Beaverhead National Forest in the Beaverhead Mountains of the Bitterroot Range at the continental divide along the...
runs through the county.
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.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 9,202 people, 3,684 households, and 2,354 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,571 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.86% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.18% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.46% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.18% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.18% from two or more races. 2.67% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 16.7% were of German, 14.9% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 10.7% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 9.0% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 7.2% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,684 households out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.10% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 105.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,962, and the median income for a family was $38,971. Males had a median income of $26,162 versus $18,115 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $15,621. About 12.80% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.30% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Other communities
- ArmsteadArmstead, MontanaArmstead is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, about south of the county seat of Dillon. It was named after miner Harry Armstead. Armstead was located in a narrow valley of the Beaverhead River, near the mouth of Horse Prairie Creek. The town was a station stop on the...
- BannackBannack, MontanaBannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.-History:...
- DellDell, MontanaDell is an unincorporated community in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Although Dell is unincorporated, it has a post office with a ZIP code of 59724. Dell lies on Big Sheep Road next to I-15 and is northwest of Lima.-References:...
- GlenGlen, MontanaGlen is an unincorporated community in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Although Glen is unincorporated, it has a post office with a ZIP code of 59732. Glen lies on U.S. Route 91 south of Melrose and north of Dillon.-References:...
- Glendale
- Lion City
- Greenwood
- JacksonJackson, MontanaJackson is an unincorporated community in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Although it is unincorporated, Jackson has a post office with a ZIP code of 59736. Jackson lies on Montana Secondary Highway 278 south of Wisdom and northwest of Dillon....
- LakeviewLakeview, MontanaLakeview is an unincorporated community in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Lakeview lies along Southside Centennial Road about halfway between Lima to the west and West Yellowstone to the east....
- PolarisPolaris, MontanaPolaris is an unincorporated community in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Although it is unincorporated, Polaris has a post office with a ZIP code of 59746. Polaris lies on rural roads southeast of Wisdom.-References:...
- Wise RiverWise River, MontanaWise River is an unincorporated community in northern Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state.-Community information:...
Notable residents
- Joseph PoindexterJoseph PoindexterJoseph Boyd Poindexter was the eighth Territorial Governor of Hawai'i and served from 1934 to 1942.-Early life:...
, later Territorial Governor of Hawaii, served as County Attorney here.
See also
- List of cemeteries in Beaverhead County, Montana
- List of lakes in Beaverhead County, Montana
- List of mountains in Beaverhead County, Montana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Beaverhead County, MontanaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Beaverhead County, MontanaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Beaverhead County, Montana. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States...