Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 6 108 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 6 Best Burger in Montana (406) 788-8839 roadhousegf.com 613 15th Street North. Great Falls Hours: Wed-Sat 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM Located in downtown Red Lodge next to the Roman eater Open 7 days a week year-round. (406) 446-2020 118 Broadway Ave. Red Lodge, MT t h o m p s o n d e n t a l m t . c o m ( 4 0 6 ) 2 5 9 - 2 4 7 5 92 1 B R OA DWAT E R S Q UA R E B I L L I N G S , M T 2026 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F (406) 813-8543 dennisgeneralcontractor.com 2026 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F Conrad is the only incorporated city in Pondera County, but 17 miles to the northwest (24 miles if you drive) is Valier, the only incorporated town in the county. Looking at Valier's his- tory takes us back to the Conrad brothers and their 7 Block Ranch. A fellow from LaCrosse, Wisconsin named Cargill met the Conrads and bought the 7 Block Ranch for $1,000,000 (over $36,000,000 today). Cargill was instrumental in building the 20- mile long Montana Western Railway which ran from Conrad to the town named for the railroad's construction supervisor, Peter Valier. The town was incorporated in 1909 and is served by Mon- tana Highway 44, which connects it to US 89 and Interstate 15. The 2020 Census counted 530 residents. In addition, Pondera County has fourteen census-designated places and other unincorporated communities, few of which have more than 100 residents. Heart Butte, on the Blackfeet Reservation, is the largest with a 2020 population of 621. Five of these census-designated places are Hutterite Colonies with a combined population over 700. Roughly one-tenth of Montana's Hutterite population lives in Pondera County. • • • Pondera County, like most of Montana, is rural. The 2022 Cen- sus of Agriculture counted 435 farms in the county, covering 746,528 acres. Wheat accounts for 170,703 acres and barley an additional 65,459. This should not surprise us in the heart of Montana's Golden Triangle. What did surprise me is that of fif- ty-five counties that produce poultry and eggs, Pondera County is second. And of fifty-two counties that produce hogs and pigs, the county is second again. (Cascade County is first in hogs and pigs, and Glacier County is first in poultry and eggs.) 2026 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F Experience the Winning Town of Red Lodge, voted the best in 60 categories. www.redlodge.com/stay The stone Valier School, built 1911, in a town never larger than 710. S U B S C R I B E S U B S C R I B E T O D AY T O D AY A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N ! A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N ! SUBSCRIBE TO DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE AND GET IT DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME! distinctlymontana.com/subscribe SEND A CHECK FOR THE AMOUNT MATCHING THE SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD YOU'D LIKE: 1 YEAR - $39.95 2 YEARS - $69.95 3 YEARS - $99.95 MAIL CHECKS TO: DISTINCTLY MONTANA PO BOX 84 BOZEMAN MT 59771 TO SUBSCRIBE BY PHONE, CALL 406-600-7660

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