List of Montana county name etymologies

This is a list of Montana county name etymologies:

*Beaverhead County, Montana: Beaverhead is named for a rock in the Jefferson River shaped like a beaver's head.
*Big Horn County, Montana: Big Horn is named for the bighorn sheep in the area.
*Blaine County, Montana: Blaine is named for James Gillespie Blaine, the United States Secretary of State and presidential candidate.
*Broadwater County, Montana: Broadwater is named for Charles A. Broadwater, a pioneer in the area and colonel in the U. S. Army.
*Carbon County, Montana: Carbon is named for coal deposits in the region.
*Carter County, Montana: Carter is named for Thomas Henry Carter, an United States senator from Montana.
*Cascade County, Montana: Cascade is named for the Great Falls of the Missouri River which were located in the county.
*Chouteau County, Montana: Chouteau is named for Pierre Chouteau, Sr. and his son, Pierre Chouteau, Jr., two early trapping founders and officials.
*Custer County, Montana: Custer is named for George Armstrong Custer, the U. S. Army general famous for his death at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
*Daniels County, Montana: Daniels is named for Mansfield A. Daniels, an early rancher and storekeeper.
*Dawson County, Montana: Dawson is named for Andrew Dawson, a trapping official and major in the U. S. Army.
*Deer Lodge County, Montana: Deer Lodge is named for the Deer Lodge Valley, which in turn was either named for the Native American name "Lodge of the White-tailed Deer" or a salt lick where deer came in droves.
*Fallon County, Montana: Fallon is named for Benjamin O'Fallon, a Federal Native American agent.
*Fergus County, Montana: Fergus is named for the father of Andrew Fergus, one of the first settlers.
*Flathead County, Montana: Flathead is named for the Flathead Native American tribe.
*Gallatin County, Montana: Gallatin is named for Albert Gallatin, the United States Secretary of the Treasury at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
*Garfield County, Montana: Garfield is named for probably James Abram Garfield, the twentieth president of the United States.
*Glacier County, Montana: Glacier is named for Glacier National Park, which borders the county.
*Golden Valley County, Montana: Golden Valley is probably named in a promotional attempt to lure settlers to the area.
*Granite County, Montana: Granite is named for Granite Peak, the highest point in Montana which also contained a silver mine named "Granite".
*Hill County, Montana: Hill is named for James J. Hill, a leading railroad tycoon.
*Jefferson County, Montana: Jefferson is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.
*Judith Basin County, Montana: Judith Basin is named for the Judith River which was in turn named by William Clark for Julia "Judith" Hancock, whom he would later marry.
*Lake County, Montana: Lake is named for Flathead Lake.
*Lewis and Clark County, Montana: Lewis and Clark is named for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the famous explorers.
*Liberty County, Montana: Liberty is named for the sentiment of the inhabitants when the county was formed soon after World War I.
*Lincoln County, Montana: Lincoln is probably named for Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.
*Madison County, Montana: Madison is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and the Secretary of State at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
*McCone County, Montana: McCone is named for George McCone, a Montana state senator who helped create the county.
*Meagher County, Montana: Meagher is named for Thomas Francis Meagher, a governor of the Montana Territory.
*Mineral County, Montana: Mineral is named for the many mines and mining prospects within the county.
*Missoula County, Montana: Missoula is named for supposedly a contraction of the Flathead word, "im-i-sul-e-etiku", meaning "by or near the place of fear or ambush", a reference to Hell Gate Canyon, in which Flathead Native Americans were sometimes attacked by Blackfeet.
*Musselshell County, Montana: Musselshell is named for the Musselshell River, named in turn by the Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to mussels found on its banks.
*Park County, Montana: Park is named for its proximity to Yellowstone National Park.
*Petroleum County, Montana: Petroleum is named for the production of petroleum at Cat Creek in the county.
*Phillips County, Montana: Phillips is named for B.D. Phillips, a leading sheepman, rancher, and pioneer in the county.
*Pondera County, Montana: Pondera is named for originally "pend d'oreille", French words meaning "ear pendant"; the name was changed to a form resembling the phonetic spelling to avoid confusion with the lake and town of that name in Idaho.
*Powder River County, Montana: Powder River is named for the Powder River, which in turn was named for gunpowder-like sand along its banks.
*Powell County, Montana: Powell is named for Mount Powell, which in turn had been named for John Wesley Powell, the early environmentalist and explorer.
*Prairie County, Montana: Prairie is named for the county's location on the Great Plains.
*Ravalli County, Montana: Ravalli is named for Anthony Ravalli, a Jesuit missionary who came to the area in 1845.
*Richland County, Montana: Richland is named for an attempt to lure settlers to the area.
*Roosevelt County, Montana: Roosevelt is named for Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States.
*Rosebud County, Montana: Rosebud is named for the Rosebud River, which was named for the many wild roses along the banks of the river.
*Sanders County, Montana: Sanders is named for Wilbur Fiske Sanders, a pioneer, vigilante, and United States senator from Montana.
*Sheridan County, Montana: Sheridan is named for Philip Henry Sheridan, the Civil War general.
*Silver Bow County, Montana: Silver Bow is named for Silver Bow Creek. There are multiple theories explaining how the creek got its name.
*Stillwater County, Montana: Stillwater is named for the Stillwater River, named for its very slow current.
*Sweet Grass County, Montana: Sweet Grass is named for the abundant sweetgrass in the county.
*Teton County, Montana: Teton is named for the Teton Range which is in turn named for the French word for beast Teton.
*Toole County, Montana: Toole is named for Joseph K. Toole, the first governor of Montana.
*Treasure County, Montana: Treasure was named promotionally, to attract new settlers.
*Valley County, Montana: Valley is named because much of the county lies with in the valley of the Milk River.
*Wheatland County, Montana: Wheatland is named for the many wheat fields found within its borders.
*Wibaux County, Montana: Wibaux is named for Pierre Wibaux, a pioneer and cattleman.
*Yellowstone County, Montana: Yellowstone is named for the Yellowstone River, named in turn for the yellow rocks found along what is now known as the Yellowstone River.

ources

* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page11.html Montana place name etymologies from A to B]
* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page12.html Montana place name etymologies from C to F]
* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page13.html Montana place name etymologies from G to L]
* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page14.html Montana place name etymologies from M to P]
* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page15.html Montana place name etymologies from R to T]
* [http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/page16.html Montana place name etymologies from V to Y]

ee also

*Montana
*List of counties in Montana
*County (United States)
*Lists of U.S. county name etymologies