Big Horn County, Montana Facts For Kids

Quick facts for kids Big Horn County
U.S. county
Hotel Becker in Hardin, Montana
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	January 13, 1913
Named for	Bighorn sheep
Seat	Hardin
Largest city	Hardin
Area
• Total	5,015 sq mi (12,990 km2)
• Land	4,995 sq mi (12,940 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,124
• Estimate  (2022)	12,851
• Density	2.6169/sq mi (1.01041/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Montana county number 22

Big Horn County is a county in the state of Montana, USA. In 2020, about 13,124 people lived there. The main town and county seat is Hardin.

The county got its name from the bighorn sheep. These animals live in the Rocky Mountains. The river and mountain range are also named after them. Big Horn County was created in 1913. It is located on the southern border of Montana. A large part of the county is within the Crow Indian Reservation. Some areas of the county face economic challenges.

Contents

• History of Big Horn County
• Geography of Big Horn County
  • Major Roads in Big Horn County
  • Neighboring Counties
  • Protected Natural Areas
  • Climate in Big Horn County
• Population of Big Horn County
• Economy of Big Horn County
• Towns and Communities
  • City
  • Town
  • Census-designated places
  • Unincorporated communities
  • Former communities
• Images for kids
• See also

History of Big Horn County

A very important event happened here on June 25, 1876. This was the Battle of Little Bighorn. It is also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. This name is used by the Lakota and other Plains Indian tribes.

Geography of Big Horn County

Big Horn County covers a total area of about 5,015 square miles. Most of this area, about 4,995 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 19 square miles, is water. This makes it the fifth-largest county in Montana by land area.

Most of the land in the county is part of Indian reservations. The Crow Indian Reservation covers about 64% of the county. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation covers another 6%.

The county is also home to several mountain ranges. These include the Big Horn, Pryor, and Wolf mountains.

Major Roads in Big Horn County

You can travel through Big Horn County on several important roads:

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 212
• Montana Highway 47
• Montana Highway 313
• Montana Highway 314

Neighboring Counties

Big Horn County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Carbon - to the west
• Yellowstone - to the northwest
• Treasure - to the north
• Rosebud - to the northeast
• Powder River - to the east
• Sheridan County, Wyoming - to the south
• Big Horn County, Wyoming - to the southwest

Protected Natural Areas

Parts of Big Horn County are protected natural areas:

• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Climate in Big Horn County

Big Horn County has a semi-arid climate. This means it is generally dry, but not a desert. It gets more rain than a desert, but less than a humid area.

Population of Big Horn County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	7,015	—
1930	8,543	21.8%
1940	10,419	22.0%
1950	9,824	−5.7%
1960	10,007	1.9%
1970	10,057	0.5%
1980	11,096	10.3%
1990	11,337	2.2%
2000	12,671	11.8%
2010	12,865	1.5%
2020	13,124	2.0%
2022 (est.)	12,851	−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020

In 2020, the county had 13,124 people. In 2010, there were 12,865 people living here. There were about 4,004 households. The average household had about 3 people. The average age of people in the county was about 30.5 years old.

Economy of Big Horn County

The main industries in Big Horn County are coal mining and farming. Farms and ranches in the area mostly raise beef cattle. They also grow crops like sugar beets, alfalfa, and different types of grains.

Towns and Communities

City

• Hardin (This is the county seat)

Town

• Lodge Grass

Census-designated places

These are areas that are like towns but not officially incorporated:

• Busby
• Crow Agency
• Fort Smith
• Forty Mile Colony
• Muddy
• Pryor
• St. Xavier
• Wyola

Unincorporated communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially recognized as cities or towns:

• Aberdeen
• Benteen
• Decker
• Dunmore
• Garryowen
• Kingley
• Toluca

Former communities

These communities no longer exist:

• Corinth
• Kirby
• Quietus

Images for kids

• 

  Interstate 90 sign

• 

  U.S. Highway 87 sign

• 

  U.S. Highway 212 sign

• 

  Montana Highway 47 sign

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Big Horn (Montana) para niños