BlockBefore

Townsend, Montana

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 2001. It stands in the Townsend East census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59644. It stands on Indian Creek. The Survey maps it on the Townsend quadrangle. 1,787 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,842 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Townsend within Broadwater County

On record in Townsend

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 6 records

Population over time

2 figures

Townsend fell from 1,878 to 1,787 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
20101,878
20201,787-91 (-5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 17 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

31 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 31 fires within 5 miles of Townsend between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,104 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 2 were 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined15
Natural3
Debris and open burning3
Smoking2
Arson/incendiarism2
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Equipment and vehicle use2
Firearms and explosives use1
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
28 September 1992Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreButte Field OfficeNG 11
25 September 1994Smoking246 acresHelena - Lewis and Clark National ForestMISSOURI RIVER
5 August 1995Recreation and ceremony80 acresHelena - Lewis and Clark National ForestINDIAN CREEK/
24 August 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCentral Land Officenot named
21 August 1997Naturalunder an acreHelena - Lewis and Clark National ForestLIME PLANT
17 August 2006Naturalunder an acreHelena - Lewis and Clark National ForestBIG TRUCK
8 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreBroadwater CountyDAVIS
31 July 2000Natural5.0 acresCentral Land Officenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Broadwater County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 16 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Townsend: 7 occurrences, 5 past producers, 2 producers, 2 unknowns. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Copper, Graphite, Limestone, General. 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
Indian Creek LimeLimestone, GeneralProducer
Unnamed LocationStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
Valley View MineGold, Zinc, Silver, LeadPast Producer
White Gulch MineLeadUnknown
Indian CreekGraphiteUnknown
United Minerals Co. MillGraphitePast Producer
Unnamed LocationGold, CopperOccurrence
Unnamed LocationCopperOccurrence
Unnamed LocationCopperOccurrence
Unnamed LocationCopperOccurrence

Every working recorded in Broadwater County

Storms near this place

36 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Townsend in 36 storm reports between 2002 and 2025: 22 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 1 lightning, 1 flood. The reports record 1 death. 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
May 2007LightningTownsend1 killedMan fishing alone in boat on southern Canyon Ferry Resevoir, on east shore across from Silos, struck and killed by lightning around 320 pm MDT.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Mesonet station GINM8 Ginger RAWS measured a 61 mph wind gust. Time estimated using radar given the station reports once per hour.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Mesonet station GINM8 Ginger RAWS measured a 61 mph wind gust. Time estimated using radar.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Measured via site GINM8 Ginger.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Measured by and reported via Ambient Weather.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindTownsend-RAWS station GINM8 Ginger measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph. The station reports hourly so the time of the gust was estimated using radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Mesonet station Ginger Raws recorded a wind gust of 50 knots.
August 2022HailTownsend-Public report of ping pong sized hail.
August 2022HailTownsend-Social media post from the Townsend area showed quarter sized hail.
August 2022HailTownsend-Public report via social media of quarter sized hail.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindTownsend-EKHM8 station measured a 56 kt (65 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Ginger RAWS measured a 53 kt (61 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindTownsend-The Ginger RAWS near Townsend measured a 67 kt (77 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.
August 2019HailTownsend-A trained spotter reports hail size of 1.75 inches in diameter.
August 2019HailTownsend-A trained spotter reported hail up to the size of 1.75 inches in diameter.
July 2019Funnel CloudTownsend-Trained spotter reported a funnel cloud in Townsend.
July 2019HailTownsend-Trained spotter reported hail sized 1.25 inches in Townsend.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Sheriff's office reports a tree limb down on a power line.
August 2019HailTownsend-A member of the public estimated hail size up to 2 inches in diameter. There are reports of house windows broken, car windshields cracked, and vehicles dented. the time of event was estimated.
March 2018FloodTownsend-Broadwater County Emergency Manager reported widespread snowmelt flooding for valley locations in the county. Water was entering basements of some homes. Some roadways were flooded too.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Mesonet reported thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Thunderstorm outflow winds caused branches to be knocked off trees near the town of Townsend...which fell on nearby power lines...knocking them down. No hail reported...but there was a significant rain shower nearby at the time.
April 2016Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A thunderstorm gust to 71 mph was reported at Townsend 8W (the Elkhorn RAWS site).
August 2016HailTownsend-A thunderstorm dropped 1 inch diameter hail at Townsend 11E. Also, a thunderstorm wind gust to 66 mph was reported at Townsend 3WNW.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 62 mph at Townsend 8W. Also, 1.25 inch diameter hail was reported at Townsend.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindTownsend-High winds measuring 50KT (58MPH) were reported 3 miles W of Townsend, MT.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindTownsend-Strong outflow winds gusted to an estimated 50KT (58MPH) and knocked down up to 20 power poles 1 mile N of Townsend.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 70 mph at Townsend 8W (the Elkhorn RAWS site).
August 2011Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 64 mph at Townsend 7NNW (the Silos Recreation site).
July 2008Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 83 mph at Townsend 8W.
August 2008HailTownsend-A severe thunderstorm dropped .75 inch diameter hail at Townsend 7SSE.
July 2002HailTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced 0.75 inch hail at Townsend 8E.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced a 70 mph wind gust at Ginger. Winds were gusting to over 60 mph in the city of Townsend, with a few trees knocked down.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced an 82 mph wind gust at Canyon Ferry Lake near Townsend, and a 61 mph wind gust in the city of Townsend. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Hail up to one quarter inch was reported.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 60 mph at Townsend 6 NE.
August 2002HailTownsend-A severe thunderstorm produced 0.88 inch hail in Townsend.

Every storm recorded in Broadwater 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
Bedford3.4 miles17
Holker5.0 miles19
Deep Creek (historical)5.2 miles19
Canton (historical)6.6 miles16
Hassel7.7 miles17
Radersburg10.3 miles19
McMullan10.4 miles17
Crow Creek City (historical)10.6 miles19

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 TownsendAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q956048The 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 792298. 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.