Sweet Grass County, Montana

64 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 8 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

8 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Montana within the United States

Sweet Grass County within Montana

What the record shows

166 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
8 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings, 2 districts and 1 site.
1 of the 8 listings was added during the 1970s.
The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

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

Property	Type	Listed	Reference
Big Timber Town Hall	building	1998	98000125
Brannin Ranch	district	1989	88003142
Carnegie Public Library	building	2002	02000725
Grand Hotel	building	1985	85002424
Harrison, Waborn (Wabe) and Sarah E., Ranch House	building	1998	98001111
John Otto Spannring Family Farm	district	1995	95000145
St. Mark's Episcopal Church	building	1995	95000900
Yellowstone Crossing, Bozeman Trail	site	1978	78003407

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

205 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 205 of them, burning about 291,036 acres. 102 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	102
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	67
Recreation and ceremony	10
Equipment and vehicle use	8
Debris and open burning	6
Misuse of fire by a minor	3
Power generation/transmission/distribution	3
Fireworks	3
Smoking	1
Railroad operations and maintenance	1
Arson/incendiarism	1

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

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
22 August 2006	Natural	207,115 acres	Custer Gallatin National Forest	DERBY
8 August 2003	Natural	36,180 acres	Southern Land Office	HOBBLE FIRE
12 November 2007	Recreation and ceremony	17,954 acres	Southern Land Office	CHI CHI
8 September 1994	Natural	12,500 acres	Custer Gallatin National Forest	BLACK BUTTE
16 December 1999	Power generation/transmission/distribution	4,400 acres	Southern Land Office	CHRISTMAS
11 August 2001	Natural	2,560 acres	Custer Gallatin National Forest	MONUMENT
26 July 2015	Natural	1,500 acres	Billings Field Office	BEAVER FIRE
26 August 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1,275 acres	Billings Field Office	MENDONHALL

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

Storms, 1955 to 2025

60 of 188 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 188 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $4,500,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Hail	130
Thunderstorm Wind	37
Flood	5
Flash Flood	5
Heavy Rain	5
Tornado	2
Wildfire	2
Funnel Cloud	2

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

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 2011	Flood	Melville	$4,000,000	Significant flooding occurred on creeks and streams across Sweet Grass County resulting in widespread lowland flooding and numerous county roads flooded, closing roads and resulting in significant damage. Numerous bridges also washed out. Specifically, Upper Deer, Lower Deer, Bridger, Sweet Grass, Big Timber and Otter Creeks Flooded. Specific roads flooded include; Anderson, Lower Sweet Grass, Mendinhaul, and Windsor Loop. At the height of the flooding, water was overtopping Interstate 90 from Mile Post 376 to 377. Damage estimates based on FEMA reviews and Individual Assistance approvals.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber	$500,000	Many trees and powerlines down north, east and south of Big Timber.
May 1973	Tornado (F0)	not stated	$30	no account filed
June 2025	Hail	Melville	-	One and a quarter inch hail reported.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber	-	Mesonet station gw0007 near Big Timber.
June 2025	Hail	Big Timber	-	Hail report.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Greycliff	-	A thunderstorm 8 to 10 miles north/northwest of Reed Point produced heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding that affected West White Beaver Creek. The flash flood created some log jams and took out some fencing.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Greycliff	-	Water was reported over the roads along with an inch accumulation of pea size hail.
July 2022	Flood	Big Timber	-	Minor street flooding reported by broadcast media.
June 2014	Hail	Melville	-	Hail accumulated to 2 inches on the ground and was accompanied by 40 to 50 mph winds.
March 2014	Flood	Melville	-	County officials and the Montana Department of Transportation reported that small stream and low land flooding occurred across the area. Water was reported to be flowing over Highway 12 near Two Dot and Highway 191 between Harlowton and Judith Gap. Water also flowed across some of the roads along the Beartooth Foothills south of Reed Point and Columbus.
March 2014	Flood	Greycliff	-	County officials reported that some streams and creeks were running high, and in some areas, water was running over roadways and flooding fields. Some roads became impassable.
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Mc Leod	-	Four to five large Cottonwood trees were downed.
June 2013	Funnel Cloud	Big Timber	-	A funnel cloud was reported over the Big Timber Airport.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Greycliff	-	Winds were estimated at 75 mph.
June 2013	Hail	Big Timber Arpt	-	The hail was accompanied by 50 to 60 mph winds.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph were reported.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Greycliff	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were estimated.
June 2013	Flash Flood	Big Timber	-	A mudslide was reported just north of Big Timber on Highway 191. There were additional reports of flash flooding from Big Timber to Melville.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Greycliff	-	Cottonwood tree branches of 2 to 3 inches in diameter were broken.
September 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	A wind gust of 60 mph was estimated 20 miles northeast of Big Timber.
September 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	A wind gust of 70 mph was estimated 12 miles west/northwest of Rapelje.
August 2013	Hail	Big Timber	-	The winds were estimated at 60 mph. The hail and wind combination broke skylights and windows.
June 2011	Funnel Cloud	Greycliff	-	A funnel cloud was spotted between Greycliff and Big Timber.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	An estimated wind gust of 65 mph was reported 12 miles WNW of Rapelje.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	An estimated thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was estimated 11 miles north of Big Timber.
June 2010	Hail	Big Timber	-	Damage from hail resulted in windows being knocked out of a two-story house, as well as a broken vehicle windshield.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	An estimated wind gust of 60 mph was reported 11 miles north of Big Timber.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	Winds caused two dirt devils in pastures plus the laying over of large trees. Sustained winds were estimated at 50 mph.
July 2010	Hail	Melville	-	Hail size ranged from peas to nickels to quarters.
May 2007	Hail	Big Timber	-	Soft hail with heavy rain and light winds were reported.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber	-	3 inch diameter Willow branches down. 30 foot dead Cottonwood tree also knocked down.
July 2006	Hail	Greycliff	-	Pea size hail covering the ground and heavy rain.
May 2005	Heavy Rain	Melville	-	1.40 inches of rain 4W Melville (24-hour total)
May 2005	Heavy Rain	Melville	-	2.87 inches of rain 4W Melville (24-hour total)
May 2005	Heavy Rain	Big Timber	-	2.80 inches of rain 6S Big Timber (24-hour total)
May 2005	Heavy Rain	Melville	-	1.10 inches of rain in 12 hours
June 2004	Flash Flood	Melville	-	Flash flooding was observed on Otter Creek between 5 pm and 7pm with some damage to fences and bridges. Some flooding was also observed on Sweet Grass Creek.
July 2001	Hail	Greycliff	-	Hail completely covered the ground
August 1999	Hail	Big Timber	-	Spotter report of dime size hail.
July 1998	Hail	Mc Leod	-	A coop observer reported half dollar sized hail.
July 1998	Heavy Rain	Greycliff	-	A spotter reported 2.60 inches of rainfall in one hour.
July 1995	Hail	not stated	-	Cars were dented, windshields broken, and house windows broken by golf ball size hail.
July 1995	Hail	Wibaux	-	Cars were dented, windshields broken, and house windows broken by golf ball size hail.
July 1995	Hail	Nr Big Timber	-	Cars were dented, windshields broken, and house windows broken by golf ball size hail.
July 1995	Hail	Big Timber	-	Cars were dented, windshields broken, and house windows broken by golf ball size hail.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	no account filed
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
July 2022	Hail	Big Timber	-	no account filed
September 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber	-	no account filed
July 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
July 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Melville	-	no account filed
July 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Big Timber Arpt	-	no account filed
May 2020	Hail	Melville	-	no account filed
May 2020	Hail	Greycliff	-	no account filed

Mines and quarries

151 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 151 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 148 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity	Workings
Gold	50
Chromium	29
Silver	21
Calcium	12
Platinum	10
Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium	10
Nickel, Copper	10
Copper, Nickel	8
Nickel	7
Copper	7
PGE, Silver, Gold	6
Cobalt	5
Gold, Copper, Nickel	5
PGE	4

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

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Alaskite	Platinum, Palladium, Copper, Nickel, Chromium	Occurrence	Chromite
Anderson's Springs	Geothermal	Producer
Bluebird Cr-Pt	Platinum, Chromium, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Bluebird Ni-Cu	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Palladium, Platinum, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Boulder Creek Mine	Palladium, Platinum, PGE, Gold, Nickel, Copper	Producer	PGE Reef
Boulder River Ni-Cu East	Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Gold, Silver, PGE	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Boulder River Nickel Prospect	Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Silver	Prospect
Chrome Mountain Ni-Cu	Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Silver, Gold, PGE	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Crescent Creek Cr-Pt	Platinum, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Palladium, Rhodium	Occurrence	Chromite
Crescent Creek Ni-Cu	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Palladium, Rhodium, Platinum, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	1932
Forge Ni-Cu	Copper, Nickel, Rhodium, Palladium, Platinum, Cobalt, PGE, Gold, Silver	Occurrence	1932
Frog Pond East	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Copper, Nickel, Gold	Occurrence
Half Moon Mine	Lead, Gold, Silver	Prospect	Vein
Half Moon Mine	Gold, Lead, Silver	Occurrence
Initial Cr-Pt	Platinum, Chromium, Nickel, Copper	Occurrence	1941
Iron Mountain Ni-Cu Camp	Nickel, Copper, Rhodium, Cobalt, Platinum, Palladium, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Iron Mountain-Camp Ni-Cu Deposit	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Sulfur	Prospect	1968
Iron Mountain-Gold Hill Area	Gold, Silver, Iron	Prospect
Janet 50	Zinc, Gold, Arsenic, Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium, Lead	Occurrence	1967
Knapp Mine	Iron, Copper	Prospect
Majestic & Flora B Claims	Palladium, Platinum, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Monkey East Camp Zone	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Nickel, Copper	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite
Picket Pin	Platinum, Palladium, Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Iridium, Gold, Arsenic, Antimony	Occurrence	1936
Pine Claim	Gold, Silver, Chromium	Prospect
Skyline Prospect	Lead, Silver, Gold	Past Producer	Galena
Stillwater Anorthosite	Aluminum, Silica, Magnesite, Iron, Calcium, Sodium	Prospect	1916
Boulder River Ni-Cu Riverside	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, PGE, Gold, Silver	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Coors 602	Platinum, Palladium, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence	1967
North Star	Silver, Lead, Copper	Prospect
Omega Lode	Gold, Lead, Copper	Prospect
Poorman No. 2 Lode	Lead, Zinc	Prospect
Unnamed Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Unnamed Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
West Fork Cr-Pt Tuttle	Platinum, Chromium, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Yellowjacket No. 2 Lode	Lead, Zinc	Prospect
Bluebird	Chromium, Rhodium, Palladium, Platinum	Occurrence	1939
Crown Lode	Copper, Zinc, Lead	Prospect
East Rainbow	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Lilliput Fraction 221	Gold, Zinc, Lead	Prospect
Rainbow	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Skylark	Silver, Zinc, Lead	Prospect
Unidentified Occurrence	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
West Fork East Adit	Rhodium, Palladium, Platinum, Gold, Nickel, Copper	Occurrence	1967
West Fork G Taylor-Fry	Chromium, Rhodium, Palladium, Platinum	Occurrence	1919
Big Group Claims	Iron	Prospect
Blakely Cliffs	Chromium, PGE	Occurrence	Chromite
Brilliant	Gold, Lead	Prospect
Butte and Butte No. 1 Claims	Iron	Unknown
Deer Creek	Iron	Prospect
Iron Dike	Iron	Prospect
Iron Mountain-Chrome Group E	Chromium, PGE	Occurrence
Iron Mountain-Chrome Group W	Chromium, PGE	Occurrence	1940
Picket Pin	PGE	Prospect
Ski Line Mine	Lead, Silver	Past Producer	1941
Boulder East	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Boulder West	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Crescent Peak Ni-Cu	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Dow	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Frog Pond West	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite
Intial Ni-Cu	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	1883
Iron Mountain Ni-Cu Iron Creek	Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, PGE, Silver, Gold	Occurrence	Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite
Monkey West	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Crescent Creek Ni/Cu	Nickel, Copper	Prospect
Eve Group	Copper, Nickel	Prospect
Iron Creek	Nickel, Copper	Prospect
Majestic and Flora B Claims	Platinum, Nickel	Prospect
Poorman Lode	Gold, Copper	Prospect
Unnamed Copper Mine	Copper	Unknown
Unnamed Copper Occurrence	Copper	Occurrence
Whittaker Property	Nickel, Platinum	Prospect
West Fork West	Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold, Copper, Nickel	Occurrence
Bluebird	Chromium, Platinum	Occurrence
East Boulder Plateau	Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium	Occurrence	1940
East Boulder Plateau	Chromium, Platinum	Prospect
East Boulder River	Chromium, Platinum	Occurrence
East Boulder River-Chrome Queen	Chromium, Platinum	Occurrence	1940
Gish Mine	Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium	Occurrence	1918
Gish Mine	Chromium, Nickel, Copper	Past Producer	1918
Initial	Chromium, Platinum	Prospect
Iron Mountain Chrome Group	Chromium, Platinum	Prospect
Taylor-Fry-Tuttle	Chromium, Platinum	Prospect
Ayers Property	Calcium	Occurrence
Boulder Calcite	Calcium	Unknown
Bridger Creek	Calcium	Occurrence
Cartwright Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Past Producer
Cartwright Crystal Spar Group	Calcium	Prospect
Curry Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Occurrence
Fox	Calcium	Occurrence
Smith Homestead	Calcium	Unknown
Ueland Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Occurrence
Unnamed Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Occurrence
Unnamed Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Occurrence
Unnamed Calcite Deposit	Calcium	Occurrence
Accident	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Clara	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Dixie	Silver	Prospect
Eve Group Moonlight Group	Silver	Prospect
Hidden Treasure Mine	Gold, Silver	Past Producer	Vein
Hidden Treasure No. 4	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Independence A	Silver, Gold	Prospect
Independence Mine	Gold, Silver	Past Producer	1814
Midnight Bell	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Omega	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Placer and Placer	Gold, Silver	Past Producer
Poor Man	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Ross Mine	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Silver King Mine	Silver, Gold	Unknown
Springfield	Silver	Prospect
Surprise Mine	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Tam and Zana	Silver	Prospect
Unnamed Prospect	Gold, Silver	Prospect
Blakely Cliff Deposit	Chromium	Occurrence
Bluebird Fraction	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Bonanza No. 1 Lode	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Bonanza No. 3 Lode	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Bonanza No. 4 Lode	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Bonanza No. 5 Lode	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Dark Horse	Chromium	Prospect	Chromite
Ground Hog	Chromium	Past Producer
Lost Shaft	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
M & R No. 1	Chromium	Prospect	Chromite
M & R No. 2	Chromium	Occurrence	Vein
M & R No. 3	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
M & R No. 4	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
M & R No. 5	Chromium	Prospect	Vein
Annie	Gold	Prospect
Blue Lake Prospects	Gold	Prospect
Columbus	Gold	Prospect
Crown	Gold	Prospect
Cumberland	Gold	Prospect
Daisy	Gold	Past Producer
Daisy Group	Gold	Past Producer	1894
Delta	Gold	Prospect
Delta Lode	Gold	Prospect
East Rainbow	Gold	Prospect
Emma	Gold	Prospect
Gold Hill Mine	Gold	Occurrence
Golden Slipper	Gold	Prospect
Haystack Peak Prospect	Gold	Prospect
Hidden Treasure	Gold	Prospect
Ida B	Gold	Prospect
Independence Mine	Gold	Prospect
Kelly Prospect	Gold	Occurrence
Mud Lake Prospects	Gold	Prospect
Poor Man No. 2	Gold	Prospect
Queen Victory	Gold	Prospect
Rainbow	Gold	Prospect
Seneca	Gold	Prospect
Swamp Lake Area	Gold	Prospect
Wheelon	Gold	Prospect
Yellowjacket No. 2	Gold	Prospect

Every populated place in the county

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.

Big Timber

South of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · On Pig Creek · Big Timber quadrangle

16 sheets, 1891 to 1979
Carney

South of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · On Fryer Creek · Carney quadrangle

16 sheets, 1891 to 1992
Greycliff

South of the Yellowstone census division · 59033 · Near Dillon Gulch · Greycliff quadrangle

16 sheets, 1891 to 1979
Knob Hill

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · Locomotive Butte SW quadrangle

11 sheets, 1889 to 1993
McLeod

South of the Yellowstone census division · 59052 · On West Boulder River · McLeod quadrangle

19 sheets, 1891 to 2000
Melville

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59055 · Melville quadrangle

11 sheets, 1889 to 1993
Norwegian Settlement

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59055 · On Billy Creek · Melville quadrangle

11 sheets, 1889 to 1993

No longer a settlement
Quebec

South of the Yellowstone census division · 59033 · On Bridger Creek · Work Creek quadrangle

16 sheets, 1891 to 1979
Sioux Crossing

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · On Henry Creek · Kelly Hills quadrangle

17 sheets, 1891 to 1992
Sourdough

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · Ryan Creek quadrangle

15 sheets, 1891 to 1979
Wormser

North of the Yellowstone census division · 59011 · Otter Creek School quadrangle

18 sheets, 1891 to 1992

No longer a settlement

The vanished settlements of Sweet Grass 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.