Stillwater County Geography
Stillwater County
is located in south-central Montana and consists of 1,793 square miles with
geographic features that range from the Beartooth Mountains at the southern end
of the county, to the Stillwater and Yellowstone River Valleys in the central
section, to the lake basins and coulees at the northern end. Elevation ranges
from 3,400 feet above sea level near Park City, in the east-central part of the
county, to over 12,000 feet above sea level near Granite Peak, on the southern
boundary of Stillwater County. Columbus, the County Seat has an average daily
temperature of 70° in the summer and 21° in the winter, with the summer
temperatures seldom reaching 100° and low humidity. The population of
Stillwater County in 2002 was 8420, including Columbus with a population of
1,854.
Stillwater County
is divided roughly into halves by the Yellowstone River. To the north of the
Yellowstone is the Lake Basin, a sag in the general landscape, that extends for
30 miles varying in width from 5 to 30 miles. The basin is bordered on the
north by the Musselshell drainage and to the south by the Yellowstone drainage.
On the east end of the basin is Canyon Creek, the natural outlet of the Lake
Basin to the Yellowstone River. The south slopes of the basin are drained to the
Yellowstone River by Valley Creek, Hensley Creek, Keyser Creek, and White
Beaver Creek. The towns of Rapelje and Molt are located within the basin.
Dryland farming and livestock ranching are the primary means of livelihood.
The southern half
of the county is watered by four major streams and their tributaries issuing
forth from the Beartooth mountain range. The West Fork of the Stillwater River
comes in from the western edge of the county. The Stillwater River rises in the
extreme south west corner of the county. Soon after it leaves the mountains it
is joined by the West Fork near the town of Nye. West Rosebud Creek originates
at Mystic Lake near the southern county border. East Rosebud Creek begins in
Carbon County near the south east corner of Stillwater County. The East and
West Rosebud Creeks combine a few miles above Absarokee and in turn the Rosebud
joins the Stillwater just below Absarokee. Each of these rivers descends
through rolling foothills after it leaves the mountain canyons. The towns of Absarokee,
Fishtail, Dean, and Nye serve this area. Cattle ranching with irrigated farming
of hay and grain are the mainstays of this area.
In recent years
mining has provided many jobs as the development of platinum/palladium deposits
in the upper Stillwater area has expanded. South of the Yellowstone River and
west of the Stillwater River is an expanse of rolling hills known as the
Huntley Butte region. East of the Stillwater is the Shane Ridge, a stretch of
prairies, hills and gulches. Both of these areas are devoted primarily to
livestock pasture and to a lesser degree dry land farming.
The irrigated
bottoms along the Yellowstone River are extensively cultivated with hay,
grains, sugar beets, and corn grown for silage being the main crops. Reed
Point, Columbus, and Park City are located in this region.
SOURCES
Annin, Jim. THEY
GAZED ON THE BEARTOOTHS , Reporter Printing and Supply Co., Billings MT. 1964
Stillwater County
Placenames
Stillwater County
is named after the Stillwater River which has its source in the Absaroka
Beartooth Wilderness. The county was formed in 1913. The county has had various
mining ventures throughout the years. Currently a platinum-palladium mine is
located near Nye. The Yellowstone River acts as a geographical dividing line.
To the south are mountains and to the north are prairies and dry land farming.
Absarokee, named
after the Absaroka Mountains and located 14 miles south of Columbus. It's post
office was established in 1892.
Barley, a post
office in the northern part of the county which operated from 1911-1919.
Beehive, a post
office from 1910-1953.
Busteed, a post
office from 1903-1933.
Columbus, the
county seat of Stillwater County. The post office was established in 1893. It
is located on the Yellowstone River about 40 miles west of Billings.
Coombs, it was a
town located near Big Lake and on the Rapelje branch line of the Northern
Pacific Railway north of Park City.
Craver, named for a
superintendent of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Dean, a post office
from 1902-1951. The town was located near Fishtail, southwest of Columbus.
Fishtail, a small
town about 25 miles southwest of Columbus. The post office was established in
1901.
Lake Basin, a post
office established in the northern part of the county. In 1917 the name was
changed to Rapelje. The town was located on the Milwaukee Railroad while it was
in operation.
Limestone, located
in the mountains near the Sweet Grass county border.
Marne, a post
office from 1922-1924.
Merrill, a post
office which operated near Columbus from 1890-1910.
Molt, a small town
22 miles west of Billings. Originally called Stickley, it took its present name
in 1918.
Mouat, an area in the
Beartooth Mountains. It was the site of a chrome mine during WWII.
Nye, a post office
opened here in 1887. It is in a mining area southwest of Columbus.
Park City was first
known at Young's Point. The post office was established in 1882. It is located
about 20 miles west of Billings on the east edge of the county.
Rapelje is located
in the northern part of Stillwater County. The post office was established in
1917.
Reed Point,
population about 100, is located on the Stillwater County - Sweet Grass County
line. The town of Reed Point is in Stillwater County while it's cemetery is in
Sweet Grass County. The cemetery records are maintained in the Sweet Grass
County Clerk and Recorder's office. The post office was established as Reed in
1901. The name was changed to Reed Point in 1906.
Sheep Dip, an early
settlement. It was moved and became known as Columbus.
Springcreek, a post
office from 1914-1916. It was located south of Columbus.
Springtime,
formerly known as Merrill. It had a post office from 1916-1932. An area just
west of Columbus is still known as Springtime.
Spurling, a station
named after a district freight and passenger agent at Billings.
Stickley, a post
office established in 1909. In 1918, the post office moved and the name was
changed to Molt.
Stillwater, a post
office from 1914-1916. It was located near Stickley.
Stockade, an area
located in a high plateau area on the Stillwater - Sweet Grass County line. The
community had a post office from 1916-1923.
Tacy, located near
Rapelje in the northern part of Stillwater County, the community had a post
office from 1915-1929.
Wheat Basin, a post
office from 1918-1936.
Young's Point, a
landing on the Yellowstone River which was used as a jumping off spot for
travelers heading west. The post office opened in 1878 and in 1882 was moved to
Park City.
Absaroka Mountains,
a mountain chain in the southwestern part of the county named after a tribe of
Indians which used to live in the area.
Beartooth
Mountains, a mountain chain in the southeastern part of the county which is
closely associated with the Absarokas. One mountain in the range has a
resemblance to a bear's tooth. Together the Absaroka's and Beartooth's separate
the area from Yellowstone National Park.
Copyright © 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Thanks to Mike Hoines for providing geographical
information. Stillwater County map from Tigermaps. Photo compliments of the
Library of Congress photo archives. Sources: They Gazed on the Beartooths,
James Annin, Billings, MT, Reporter Printing and Supply, 1964; History of the
Yellowstone Valley, Unknown author, Western Historical Publishing Co., Spokane,
WA, 1907; Names on the Face of Montana, Roberta Carkeek Cheney, Mountain Press
Publishing Co., Missoula, MT, 1983.This page was created by Stillwater County
GenWeb Volunteer Joan Shurtliff with assistance from Mike Hoines and last
updated 1 June, 2009.