Citizen's Bank & Trust Company -- Area

OUR AREA

Big Timber, the county seat of Sweet Grass County, is situated along Interstate 90 about eighty miles west of Billings and 60 miles east of Bozeman.

Sweet Grass County has a population of about 3,760, of which, 1,800 live in Big Timber. The residents are an interesting mix of people who have lived here their entire lives together with a diverse assortment of people who have come here from all over the country and in some cases the world. A significant number of people have upscale second homes here. Some of these people move here full time when they retire. Many painters, sculptors, writers and history buffs live here. A number of well-know stars from the entertainment industry live quietly here. For more than a hundred years Big Timber has been home to the largest Norwegian community in Montana, and their influence is visible.

Harlowton, county seat of Wheatland County, sits at the junction of Highway 191 and Highway 12 about 44 miles north of Big Timber. The city’s population is about 900 while the county population totals 1,160. Wheatland County is largely an agricultural community. Harlowton is a quiet country town populated by a mix of small businessmen, working people and retirees.

Ryegate, the county seat of Golden Valley County, lies about 30 miles east of Harlowton on Highway 12. The population of the county is 1,150 including the city with about 290 people. Ryegate is a quiet and friendly place to live.

Geography: The topography of our three county arc of central Montana provides a diverse visual feast that enriches the spirits and lives of both visitors and residents. From Big Timber, the Absaroka Mountains rise up in the south and the Crazy Mountains dominate the skyline to the northwest. Both ranges are truly spectacular. From Harlowton, the rugged Crazy Mountains claim the southwestern horizon while the Snowy Mountains hulk to the north. The Castle Mountains and the Little Belts are also visible to the west and north. Ryegate is a little further into the plains. You have get over the ridge north of town to see the Snowies, but if you look for them, the tips of the Crazies are visible. The cliffs of Big Coulee south of town create a separate world with a long history of ranching and farming.

The mountains meet the plains here in our part of Montana. The western sector of our territory has mountains and plains interspersed. Traveling east, this combination gives way to the plains of Eastern Montana. Driving rapidly past, it is easy to dismiss the starkness of the plains and miss both the wonder of the openness and the hidden mini-eco-niches that dot the prairie. Here, the plains are frequently broken by creeks and up-thrusts of sandstone that form bluffs and ridges with pine covered slopes. This jumbled land has a quiet beauty of its own.

Recreation: Fishermen come from far and wide to test the waters in our area. The magnificent Yellowstone River weaves from west to east across Sweet Grass County. The Boulder River arises in the Absarokas and flows rapidly north to the Yellowstone. Over the eons it has carved out the beautiful Boulder Valley.

The Mussellshell River rises in the Crazies and the Castles then meanders east and a hundred or so miles further east turns north and runs into the Missouri. Martinsdale Reservoir and the lake at Deadman’s Basin both provide good fishing and are filled from the waters of the Musselshell River.
Big game hunting, bird hunting, trout fishing, summer pack trips are popular forms of recreation and a significant part of our community caters to sportsmen and visitors. There are a number of excellent guest ranches and outfitters in the area.

Yellowstone National Park lies about fifty miles to the south of Big Timber, as the crow flies—though it is somewhat further by road.
History: All three of the towns where our bank has branches started because of the coming of the railroad. Big Timber is the oldest. Founded in 1882, its original name was Dornix. The town began as a construction camp for the Northern Pacific Railroad. The campsite sat near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers. The early day town fathers had the foresight to move the town up onto the bench above the rivers’ flood plain and changed its name to Big Timber. Local legend has it that the name came from a reference in the Journals of Lewis and Clark to the unusually large cottonwood trees growing where the Yellowstone River meets the Boulder River. Clark passed through the area in 1806 on his return trip to St. Louis.

Milwaukee locomotive Harlowton started with the coming of the Jawbone Railroad which was quickly bought out by the Milwaukee Road.

Ryegate was founded in 1910 near the railroad, to serve the incoming homesteaders who were able to claim 160 acres of land and gain title to it if they lived on it for three years and made improvements.

Economics: From the early days of settlement, agriculture and mining have been the major sources of wealth. Both of these pursuits are still major employers but the economy has broadened and differentiated somewhat. Wind, tourism, retirement, telecommuting and stone quarries are important parts of our economy.

Sheep and cattle ranching has always been a major industry in this part of Montana. Ranching began in mid-to-late 1860s north of the Yellowstone River. Settlement didn’t begin south of the Yellowstone until after 1882 when boundaries of the Crow Indian Reservation were moved further east. In the early days, it was all open range without fences. Gradually, homesteaders took up land and in time the range was divided with fences. Dryland farming continues to be an important enterprise, particularly in the general area where the three counties come together.

Gold was discovered up the Boulder Valley south of Big Timber as early as 1864 but the area was part of the Crow lands and mining was not developed until the late 1880s. Between 1888 and 1910 the mines flourished, producing both gold and silver. Today none of these mines are active. However, the East Boulder mine, part of the Stillwater Mining venture, opened in the 1980s primarily producing platinum and palladium. It is a major employer for the area. The Castle silver mines which flourished in the late 1800s were located in the Castle Mountains just west of what is now the Wheatland County line.

With a round house here and crews headquartered in Harlowton for about 70 years, the Milwaukee was a primary employer in the area until the early 1980s. Montana Raillink operates a portion of the old Northern Pacific Railroad tracks in Montana and employs a crew that works out of Big Timber.

A surprising number of people have their primary residence here and either telecommute or actually commute to employment in distant places. There are two gun manufacturing companies in Big Timber that make high quality replicas of the historic Sharps rifles. Harlowton has Montana’s Cream of the West cereal company. Invenergy Services operates a wind farm north of Harlowton with 90 huge wind mills. At least two companies quarry specialty rock in the Harlowton and Ryegate areas and ship it all over the country.

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