List of Montana county name etymologies
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This is a list of Montana county name etymologies:
- Beaverhead County, Montana: Beaverhead is named for a rock in the Jefferson River shaped like a beaver's head.
- Big Horn County, Montana: Big Horn is named for the bighorn sheep in the area.
- Blaine County, Montana: Blaine is named for James Gillespie Blaine, the United States Secretary of State and presidential candidate.
- Broadwater County, Montana: Broadwater is named for Charles A. Broadwater, a pioneer in the area and colonel in the U. S. Army.
- Carbon County, Montana: Carbon is named for coal deposits in the region.
- Carter County, Montana: Carter is named for Thomas Henry Carter, an United States senator from Montana.
- Cascade County, Montana: Cascade is named for the Great Falls of the Missouri River which were located in the county.
- Chouteau County, Montana: Chouteau is named for Pierre Chouteau, Sr. and his son, Pierre Chouteau, Jr., two early trapping founders and officials.
- Custer County, Montana: Custer is named for George Armstrong Custer, the U. S. Army general famous for his death at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
- Daniels County, Montana: Daniels is named for Mansfield A. Daniels, an early rancher and storekeeper.
- Dawson County, Montana: Dawson is named for Andrew Dawson, a trapping official and major in the U. S. Army.
- Deer Lodge County, Montana: Deer Lodge is named for the Deer Lodge Valley, which in turn was either named for the Native American name "Lodge of the White-tailed Deer" or a salt lick where deer came in droves.
- Fallon County, Montana: Fallon is named for Benjamin O'Fallon, a Federal Native American agent.
- Fergus County, Montana: Fergus is named for the father of Andrew Fergus, one of the first settlers.
- Flathead County, Montana: Flathead is named for the Flathead Native American tribe.
- Gallatin County, Montana: Gallatin is named for Albert Gallatin, the United States Secretary of the Treasury at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- Garfield County, Montana: Garfield is named for probably James Abram Garfield, the twentieth president of the United States.
- Glacier County, Montana: Glacier is named for Glacier National Park, which borders the county.
- Golden Valley County, Montana: Golden Valley is probably named in a promotional attempt to lure settlers to the area.
- Granite County, Montana: Granite is named for Granite Peak, the highest point in Montana which also contained a silver mine named "Granite".
- Hill County, Montana: Hill is named for James J. Hill, a leading railroad tycoon.
- Jefferson County, Montana: Jefferson is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.
- Judith Basin County, Montana: Judith Basin is named for the Judith River.
- Lake County, Montana: Lake is named for Flathead Lake.
- Lewis and Clark County, Montana: Lewis and Clark is named for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the famous explorers.
- Liberty County, Montana: Liberty is named for the sentiment of the inhabitants when the county was formed soon after World War I.
- Lincoln County, Montana: Lincoln is probably named for Abraham Lincoln, the 16tg president of the United States.
- Madison County, Montana: Madison is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and the Secretary of State at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- McCone County, Montana: McCone is named for George McCone, a Montana state senator who helped create the county.
- Meagher County, Montana: Meagher is named for Thomas Francis Meagher, a governor of the Montana Territory.
- Mineral County, Montana: Mineral is named for the many mines and mining prospects within the county.
- Missoula County, Montana: Missoula is named for supposedly a contraction of the Flathead word, "im-i-sul-e-etiku", meaning "by or near the place of fear or ambush", a reference to Hell Gate Canyon, in which Flathead Native Americans were sometimes attacked by Blackfeet.
- Musselshell County, Montana: Musselshell is named for the Musselshell River, named in turn by the Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to mussels found on its banks.
- Park County, Montana: Park is named for its proximity to Yellowstone National Park.
- Petroleum County, Montana: Petroleum is named for the production of petroleum at Cat Creek in the county.
- Phillips County, Montana: Phillips is named for B.D. Phillips, a leading sheepman, rancher, and pioneer in the county.
- Pondera County, Montana: Pondera is named for originally "pend d'oreille", French words meaning "ear pendant"; the name was changed to a form resembling the phonetic spelling to avoid confusion with the lake and town of that name in Idaho.
- Powder River County, Montana: Powder River is named for the Powder River, which in turn was named for gunpowder-like sand along its banks.
- Powell County, Montana: Powell is named for Mount Powell, which in turn had been named for John Wesley Powell, the early environmentalist and explorer.
- Prairie County, Montana: Prairie is named for the county's location on the Great Plains.
- Ravalli County, Montana: Ravalli is named for Anthony Ravalli, a Jesuit missionary who came to the area in 1845.
- Richland County, Montana: Richland is named for an attempt to lure settlers to the area.
- Roosevelt County, Montana: Roosevelt is named for Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States.
- Rosebud County, Montana: Rosebud is named for the Rosebud River, which was named for the many wild roses along the banks of the river.
- Sanders County, Montana: Sanders is named for Wilbur Fiske Sanders, a pioneer, vigilante, and United States senator from Montana.
- Sheridan County, Montana: Sheridan is named for Philip Henry Sheridan, the Civil War general.
- Silver Bow County, Montana: Silver Bow is named for Silver Bow Creek. There are multiple theories explaning how the creek got its name.
- Stillwater County, Montana: Stillwater is named for the Stillwater River, named for its very slow current.
- Sweet Grass County, Montana: Sweet Grass is named for the abundant sweetgrass in the county.
- Teton County, Montana: Teton is named for the Teton Range.
- Toole County, Montana: Toole is named for Joseph K. Toole, the first governor of Montana.
- Treasure County, Montana: Treasure was named promotionally, to attract new settlers.
- Valley County, Montana: Valley is named because much of the county lies with in the valley of the Milk River.
- Wheatland County, Montana: Wheatland is named for the many wheat fields found within its borders.
- Wibaux County, Montana: Wibaux is named for Pierre Wibaux, a pioneer and cattleman.
- Yellowstone County, Montana: Yellowstone is named for the Yellowstone River, named in turn for the yellow rocks found along what is now known as the Yellowstone River.
See also
Sources
- [Montana place name etymologies from A to B]
- [Montana place name etymologies from C to F]
- [Montana place name etymologies from G to L]
- [Montana place name etymologies from M to P]
- [Montana place name etymologies from R to T]
- [Montana place name etymologies from V to Y]
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