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Fallon County, Montana

25 topographic sheets cover 9 settlements here, and 3 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

3 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Montana within the United States
Fallon County within Montana

What the record shows

  • 73 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings and 1 structure.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 9 populated places in this county; 9 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

3

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Baker Hotelbuilding200504001435
Cottonwood Creek Bridgestructure201414000079
Fallon County Jailbuilding199898000946

Wildfire, 1997 to 2020

80 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 80 of them, burning about 3,066 acres. 31 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural31
Equipment and vehicle use25
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Fireworks3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Debris and open burning2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
1 September 2000Natural1,414 acresMiles City Field OfficeMC CREEK
5 July 2012Natural882 acresEastern Land OfficeBAKER
5 August 2012Railroad operations and maintenance272 acresMiles City Field OfficePLEVNA
8 August 2008Power generation/transmission/distribution185 acresMiles City Field OfficePENNEL
31 March 1997Natural120 acresMiles City Field OfficeMYERS FIRE
6 March 2016Debris and open burning24 acresEastern Land OfficeBENSLEY CREEK - CUSTER
14 July 1998Natural20 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestSTORMY BUTTE
19 August 1999Natural20 acresMiles City Field OfficeLAWRENCE

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1952 to 2025

60 of 348 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 348 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 7 injuries and about $3,463,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail184
Thunderstorm Wind117
Tornado14
Flash Flood14
Funnel Cloud13
Heavy Rain5
Flood1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2016Tornado (EF3)Baker Arpt7 hurt, $1,500,000The pre-storm environment for eastern Montana was such that severe weather was likely. Surface dew point values in the Baker area were in the lower 60s with strong southeasterly flow converging in the vicinity of a stationary surface trough. This area of strong surface convergence, which also separated moist rich air to the east and drier air to the west, played a critical role in the development of this short-lived tornado. ||Although no fatalities occurred , seven injuries, some requiring hospitalization, resulted from the tornado. Two homes were totally destroyed and 40 to 50 more sustained excessive damage. The city blocks located between South 5th Street East and South 10th Street East intersected by Texas Avenue were hit the hardest and sustained the most damage. Many power poles were broken resulting in power lines down and power outages. Single tree trunks were described to look like match sticks as they were stripped of all branches and leaves. ||Over 70 personnel came with boots on the ground from the surrounding tri-state area. The communities of Plevna, Ekalaka, and Wibaux, Montana, Marmarth, Rhame, Bowman and Beach, North Dakota, as well as Ludlow, South Dakota responded shortly after the tornado. ||At the mesoscale level (2 to 2000 km in space), the interaction of pre-existing convergence zones or boundaries can serve as areas of storm development or enhancement. In some cases, pre-existing thunderstorms interacting with a boundary of converging surface winds can rapidly develop short-lived tornadoes with very little precursor indication from weather radar. The time scale of these events typically is on the order of a few minutes (0-10 minutes). ||In the case of the thunderstorms near Baker on Saturday, June 11th, evidence of these types of boundaries was observed.
July 2016HailBaker Arpt$1,000,000Hail up to 2 inches in diameter along with 50 to 60 mph winds occurred at the Baker Airport. The hail was still two to three inches deep on the ground after the storm. Multiple hangers were damaged by the hail and wind. Several hangers received broken window damage. In addition, several vehicles at the airport were severely damaged with some windows of vehicles completely broken. A few of the vehicles were considered total losses.
May 2011FloodWebster$375,000Significant small stream flooding across much of Fallon County. Numerous roads closed and eventually washed out with additional damage reported to several bridges. Water breached a small dam and a couple private holding ponds in the region. Significant erosion threatened the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Baker. Significant flooding reported on O'Fallon Creek where one spotter reported the highest levels on the stream in at least 58 years with over a foot of water covering much of their farmland. At the Boxelder and Horse Creek confluence, flood waters rushed over dikes and into hayfields. Floodwaters surrounded one house in that region. Damage estimates based on FEMA reviews and Individual Assistance approvals.
July 1979Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 1952Tornadonot stated$250,000no account filed
August 1993HailBaker$50,000Wind damage was widespread across Fallon County.
June 1977Tornadonot stated$25,000no account filed
August 1993Thunderstorm WindBaker$5,000Wind damage was widespread across Fallon County.
August 1993HailBaker$5,000Wind damage was widespread across Fallon County.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindPlevna$2,000Several trees downed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindBaker$1,000Spotter northeast of Baker reported 4 inch diameter hail and 60+ mph winds. Backyard and frontyard flooded.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Corrects the time on previous tstm wnd gst report from 1 SE Baker. asos station kbhk Baker.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWillard-Weather Station report.
June 2025HailWebster-Facebook Report .
June 2025HailWebster-Hail report.
June 2025HailWebster-Hail report.
July 2025HailPlevna-Estimated hail that occurred near spotter.
July 2025HailPlevna-Estimated hail size.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Asos weather station at Baker airport.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWillard-Mesonet station mteka Baker Mt-7 mp 14.2 .
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWebster-Estimated gust by a spotter.
July 2025HailBaker-Quarter size hail reported.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWebster-Estimated by a spotter.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWebster-Tree damage reported with estimated maximum branch diameter of 5 inches.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Asos weather station at Baker.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWillard-Mesonet station Baker Mt-7 Mp 14.2.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindBaker-Power poles and large trees were downed.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBaker-Tree and roof damage was reported.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-The Baker Airport reported a wind gust of 67 mph.
July 2022Flash FloodBaker-County DES reported deep standing water and flooding in the town of Baker.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Winds gusted to 67 mph at the Baker Airport.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-This was outflow winds from a cluster of thunderstorms to the east.
July 2021HailOllie-The wind-driven hail broke windows on the house.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindOllie-The wind-driven hail broke windows on the house.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-A wind gust of 60 mph was reported at the Baker airport.
July 2020HailBaker Arpt-Most of the hail was smaller.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindBaker-Several trees were uprooted and power lines were downed. The local farm and fleet store had a number of large stock tanks that traveled about 1/4 mile into town taking out a few fences. In addition, power was out in much of the town.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindBaker-Several trailers were blown over including a fireworks trailer. There was also brick damage to the top of a building.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWebster-Tree limbs 12 inches in diameter were broken out of trees.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindPlevna-A moderate size tree was uprooted.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOllie-Some siding was blown off a house.
June 2016HailOllie-Half dollar size hail fell near Ollie damaging several house windows.
July 2016HailBaker Arpt-A skylight was broken.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindBaker-Wind-driven golf ball size hail broke out windows on the west side of numerous homes in the town of Baker.
July 2016HailPlevna-A spotter reported broken windows in the home, as well as trees stripped of their leaves.
July 2016Tornado (EF0)Baker Arpt-Multiple small spin-up tornadoes were observed.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Shingles were blown off a house and pea size hail was reported 6 miles northeast of Baker.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-A few trees were reported down around the town of Baker. In addition, a roof of a local business was peeled back half way.
July 2016Tornado (EF0)Webster-Several people reported a funnel cloud form and touchdown with obvious debris/dust/dirt picked up on top of a hill.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Winds gusted between 60 and 70 mph continuously for about 10 minutes.
June 2015Tornado (EF0)Willard-A weak tornado was reported between Baker and Ekalaka during the late afternoon hours on the 21st. The tornado was on the ground for around a minute. It began roping out about 4 minutes later and its circulation appeared to fully cut off around 90 seconds after that.
June 2015HailWestmore-Golf ball to tennis ball size hail 3 to 4 inches deep was reported along the road. Trees were completely stripped bare like winter time. Roadside reflectors were completely shattered all along Highway 12 at mile marker 55.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindWestmore-Nickel size hail was also reported.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindBaker Arpt-Thunderstorm wind gusts ranged from 58 mph to 66 mph.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindWestmore-Fifteen inch diameter trees in a shelter belt were snapped. In addition, one shed in the shelter belt had a door shredded and another shed lost its roof.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindBaker-The Sheriff Dispatch reported that an 18 inch diameter tree was uprooted, along with many tree branches down in Baker from the very strong winds. In addition, tin roofing material was ripped from the firehouse.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWestmore-A large water tank was torn out and thrown into a field. In addition, numerous tree limbs were down.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWestmore-A roof was blown off an old trailer house. Windows were blown out and holes were in the siding from wind-driven hail. Trees were also blown down with some branches stuck into the side of the house. In addition, a horse trailer rolled 50 to 70 yards.
July 2014HailWillard-Large hail resulted in severe damage to house and car windows, as well as an RV. Trees were stripped of leaves and some crops were destroyed.
June 2014Funnel CloudWestmore-Three funnel clouds came out of one cloud.

Mines and quarries

15 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 15 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 13 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Uranium12
Pumice2
Aluminum1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Fallon County Bentonite DepositAluminumProspect
Singer Scoria PitPumiceProducer
Zion Portable CrusherPumiceProducer
Burmac Exploration Corp.UraniumOccurrence
Cox LeaseUraniumOccurrenceTyuyamunite
Cox LeaseUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
Cox and Neary RanchesUraniumOccurrence
Lame Jones CreekUraniumOccurrence
Stark LeaseUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
UnknownUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
UnknownUraniumOccurrence
UnknownUraniumOccurrence
WaldronUraniumOccurrence
Waldron LeaseUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
Waldron, Cos, and Stark LeasesUraniumPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

9

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Fallon County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.