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Ekalaka, Montana

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the Ekalaka census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59324. It lies near Carter Gulch. The Survey maps it on the Ekalaka quadrangle. 399 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,425 feet above sea level.

Ekalaka within Carter County

On record in Ekalaka

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Ekalaka grew from 332 to 399 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010332
2020399+67 (+20%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 9 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

32 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 32 fires within 5 miles of Ekalaka between 1995 and 2019, burning about 10,584 acres in total. 24 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Natural24
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Equipment and vehicle use2
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 1995Naturalunder an acreCuster Gallatin National ForestSINRUD SPRINGS
20 September 2001Naturalunder an acreCuster Gallatin National ForestJ.P. SMITH
17 September 2013Naturalunder an acreMiles City Field OfficeMILL
14 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined10,473 acresMiles City Field OfficeDUGAN
14 September 2006Naturalunder an acreMiles City Field OfficePUMPER STATION
8 August 2007Naturalunder an acreCuster Gallatin National ForestOPEECHE DRAW
8 August 2003Natural27 acresCuster Gallatin National ForestHEGGEN
4 August 2019Naturalunder an acreCarter CountyDRAW - CARTER

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Carter County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Ekalaka: 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Aggregate, Light Weight. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Site I Gravel DepositAggregate, Light WeightOccurrence

Every working recorded in Carter County

Storms near this place

60 of 105 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ekalaka in 105 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 75 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 3 heavy rain, 3 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2025HailEkalaka-Spotter reported 1.5 hail.
June 2025HailEkalaka-Facebook report .
June 2025HailEkalaka-Hail report.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-A severe thunderstorm moved across portions of Carter County during the early morning hours on the 13th. Very intense straight line winds from this thunderstorm downed |30-35 large pine trees. In addition, a number of additional trees had limbs snapped.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-Considerable damage occurred in the town of Ekalaka. The door from a newspaper building was blown off its hinges. An 80 foot tall 36 inch diameter Cottonwood tree was blown over along with numerous trailers being overturned. There was tree damage and power lines down all over town resulting in power outages. Other damages included blown down distribution poles and broken windows. In addition, four hangers and an enclosed private aircraft at the county airport suffered severe damage.
July 2011HailEkalaka-Many broken windows along with house siding being removed was reported.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-Winds were estimated to be around 70 mph. This combined with hail resulted in damage to the siding of a house and windows being blown out on the west side.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-A few power outages were reported.
August 2007HailEkalaka-Some minor crop damage was reported.
July 2007HailEkalaka-Very heavy rain also accompanied the hail.
June 2005HailEkalaka-Penny size hail reported by County Sheriff
June 2005HailEkalaka-Garden shredded
June 2005HailEkalaka-Leaves stripped from trees
May 2005Heavy RainEkalaka-2.12 inches of rain in Ekalaka (2-day total)
May 2005Heavy RainEkalaka-2.12 inches of rain in Ekalaka (2-day total)
June 2005HailEkalaka-Wind gusts to 60 mph
June 2005Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-Some dime size hail
June 2002Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-Aspen tree blown down
June 2002Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-Four cattle shelters destroyed in Ridgeway. 400 gallon propane tank blown over. Cattle shelter blown into creek. Roof damage to houses. Wooden fences blown down.
August 2002WildfireEkalaka-Kraft Spring Complex: Begin Date: August 31, 2002End Date: September 9, 2002Acres Burned: 69,900Total Persons: 471Structural Loss: 1Cost: 2M
July 2001Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-60 mph thunderstorm wind gust with dime sized hail
July 2001Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-70 mph thunderstorm wind gust with nickel size hail
July 2001Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-70 mph thunderstorm wind gust with dime size hail...2 foot diameter trees downed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-65 mph thunderstorm winds with nickel size hail
June 2000HailEkalaka-Wind gusts 60 to 70 mph.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-60 mph thunderstorm wind gust
July 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
August 1999HailEkalaka-Carter County Sheriff reported nickel size hail.
August 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of half dollar size hail.
June 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
June 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
August 1999HailEkalaka-Carter County Sheriff reported dime size hail.
June 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
June 1999HailEkalaka-DES reported quarter size hail.
July 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
July 1999HailEkalaka-Spotter report of dime size hail.
July 1998Heavy RainEkalaka-A spotter reported 0.72 inches of rainfall in 45 minutes.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-A spotter reported a thunderstorm with wind gusts to 60 mph.
July 2020HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2020HailEkalaka-no account filed
July 2019HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2018Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-no account filed
May 2017HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2016HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2016HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2016HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2016HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2016HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2014HailEkalaka-no account filed
May 2013HailEkalaka-no account filed
May 2013HailEkalaka-no account filed
July 2011HailEkalaka-no account filed
July 2011HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2010Thunderstorm WindEkalaka-no account filed
July 2010HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2009HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2009HailEkalaka-no account filed
July 2008HailEkalaka-no account filed
June 2008HailEkalaka-no account filed
August 2006HailEkalaka-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Carter County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Beaver Flats (historical)8.4 miles9
Pershing (historical)9.2 miles8
Elgin (historical)11.7 miles10
Prairie Dale (historical)13.5 miles8
Chausse (historical)15.8 miles8
Mill Iron17.8 miles9
Chalk Buttes (historical)18.7 miles9
Belltower19.6 miles8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on EkalakaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q961306The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 771161. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.