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Powder River County, Montana

41 topographic sheets cover 17 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

2 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Montana within the United States
Powder River County within Montana

What the record shows

  • 137 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 district and 1 building.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 17 populated places in this county; 17 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

2

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
Cheever-Cain Ranchdistrict201010000184
Cross Ranch Headquartersbuilding199696000118

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,178 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,178 of them, burning about 469,099 acres. 1,094 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural1094
Missing data/not specified/undetermined42
Equipment and vehicle use21
Recreation and ceremony9
Debris and open burning7
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Firearms and explosives use1
Arson/incendiarism1
Smoking1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 August 2017Natural99,714 acresMiles City Field OfficeSARTIN DRAW
3 July 2012Natural62,111 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestTAYLOR CREEK
26 July 2000Natural61,649 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestSTAG
22 August 2011Natural34,550 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestLITTLE FORK
10 September 2012Natural19,247 acresMiles City Field OfficeDUTCH
13 July 2006Natural17,552 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestWATT DRAW
22 July 2020Natural11,650 acresPowder River CountyBUFFALO
12 August 2007Natural10,733 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestLOST

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

Storms, 1954 to 2025

60 of 578 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 578 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $2,062,250 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail373
Thunderstorm Wind139
Flash Flood23
Tornado18
Funnel Cloud10
Flood8
Heavy Rain7

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
April 1964Tornado (F2)not stated1 hurt, $250,000no account filed
August 1994Thunderstorm WindBroadus$500,000Thunderstorm winds blew off section of County Courthouse roof. Damages estimated in excess of $100,000.
August 1994Thunderstorm WindMiles City$500,000Aircraft hanger and small plane destroyed.
July 1992Tornado (F0)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 2010Tornado (EF2)(4bq)Broadus Arpt$150,000The Cache Creek Tornado was 100 yards wide and on the ground for approximately a half mile. The tornado lasted just over ten minutes. Damage consisted of a house roof and front porch blown off, broken windows, as well as the house being shifted off of its foundation. Winds were estimated at 111-135 mph.
May 2011FloodSonnette$120,000Rainfall amounts ranging from 4-6 inches resulted in significant flooding across Powder River County. Most tributaries feeding the Powder and Little Powder River reported flooding. The Little Powder River subsequently flooded with water reported as flooding Highway 59 in several spots. This flooding resulted in numerous roads being washed out. Flood damage estimates were based on FEMA reports and Individual Assistance approvals.
June 2010Tornado (EF1)Otter$107,000The Otter Tornado was on the ground for approximately one mile with a 200 yard wide path of damage. Numerous trees were snapped off and uprooted. The Otter Post Office and an adjacent home received partial roof damage.
June 2010Thunderstorm Wind(4bq)Broadus Arpt$55,500The Boyes microburst winds were estimated to be 80 to 100 mph. Five grain bins were blown several hundred yards and three power poles were blown down. In addition, portions of rooftops were peeled back on two metal structures. There was some other minor damage as well.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindBroadus$50,000no account filed
June 1984Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 1994Thunderstorm WindBroadus$5,000Eight to ten inch limbs blown over power lines causing power outage.
August 1993HailBiddle$5,000no account filed
August 1993HailSonnette$5,000no account filed
August 1993HailBroadus$5,000no account filed
May 1985Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 1964Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
May 1954Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500no account filed
August 2025Flash FloodBiddle$2,000Report of creeks flowing out of their banks. Fences were damaged and water tanks floated downstream. A few fields were flooded as well.
July 1966Tornado (F2)not stated$250no account filed
May 2025Thunderstorm WindSonnette-Mesonet station mthcd Home Creek Divide Us-212 Mp 81.5.
April 2025HailOlive-Got 1.5 hail reported by public.
April 2025HailOlive-Report from mping.
August 2025HailBiddle-Accumulating hail and heavy rain reported.
April 2025HailOlive-Spotter reported 1.75 hail.
April 2025HailOlive-Spotter reported 2 hail that broke sky lights.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOlive-Roof blown off house, tree uprooted. Time estimated from radar.
June 2025HailEpsie-One inch hail reported.
June 2025HailOlive-Time estimated from radar for hail.
June 2025HailOlive-One inch hail reported.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOlive-Mesonet station Coalwood Mt-59 55.9.
June 2025HailPowderville-Facebook Report .
June 2025Thunderstorm WindMoorhead-Mesonet station Bradshaw Creek.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBay Hope-Wind report.
July 2025HailSayle-Quarter inch hail reported.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Mesonet station mtbid at 6.2 S Biddle.
July 2025HailOlive-Quarter size hail reported.
July 2025HailBroadus-Quarter size hail reported.
July 2025HailBroadus-Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter reported.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindOlive-Large tree (cottonwood) fell over in backyard.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindEpsie-Estimated gust by spotter.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBroadus-Mesonet station mtm32 at 2.4 E Broadus.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSayle-Measured by mesonet weather station.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Multiple tree branches down, up to 3 inches in diameter.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindOlive-Mesonet station mtcwd at Coalwood Mt-59 Mp 55.9.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindPowderville-Several Cottonwood trees were blown down due to winds estimated at 70 mph.
June 2023Flash FloodMoorhead-Moorhead Road was washed out at Plum Creek.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Tree branches of 8 to 10 inches in diameter were broken.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Some branches were downed but no significant damage was reported.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Some branches were down but no significant damage.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindBiddle-Tree limbs 6 inches in diameter were downed. Several out buildings were damaged.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindBiddle-A new roof under construction was blown off a house.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindSayle-A barn was destroyed.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindOtter-A wind gust of 59 mph was recorded 7 miles northeast of Otter.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBiddle-A wind gust of 78 mph was recorded in Biddle.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOtter-An outbuilding on Fletcher Ranch was destroyed.
June 2019HailSayle-Golf ball size hail along with 60 mph winds were reported.
June 2019HailOtter-Some windows on a home were broken.
June 2019HailSayle-Baseball size and larger hail was reported.
June 2019HailBiddle-In addition, a 6 inch diameter half of a tree fell on a roof.

Mines and quarries

15 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 15 workings inside this county. None of them still produces: all are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone, Crushed/Broken6
Sand and Gravel, Construction6
Uranium2
Gold1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Gold MineGoldPast Producer
Bay Horse CreekUraniumOccurrence
Portwine ProspectUraniumOccurrence
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitsSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Scoria PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Scoria PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Scoria PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Scoria PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Scoria PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

17

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 Powder River 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.