DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE
•
WINTER 2022-23
86
G E T T O K N O W G E T T O K N O W
A C O U N T Y A C O U N T Y
B I G H O R N C O U N T Y B I G H O R N C O U N T Y
W
ith the creation of Montana Ter-
ritory in 1864, all land east of
Bozeman Pass was called Big Horn
County. So few settlers lived in this
vast area that the entire eastern part of the state fell
under Gallatin County's jurisdiction. In reaction to
the defeat of the 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn,
the Montana Territorial Legislature renamed the
"county" in memory of General Custer. Over the
next thirty-seven years, the legislature set up eight
counties in this vast area, the eighth being a new Big
Horn County (January 13th, 1913).
Big Horn County has retained its 1913 borders and today cov-
ers 4,995 square miles, making it the sixth-largest county in the
state. With a 2020 population of 13,124, it was the fourteenth
most populous county in Montana.
Its county number is 22.
The Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations cover over
70% of Big Horn County. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2021 esti-
mates show 66.7% of the county's population is Native American.
Only 28.4% consider themselves "white." The Crow Tribe has
article and photos by BRYAN SPELLMAN
HARDIN
