Welcome to Montana Genealogy Trails!
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Genealogy Trails History Group
Your Montana State Coordinator: Angie Lietzau
 | Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers. Join us in our efforts by becoming a host of one of our county sites. We regret that we have no time to perform personal research for anybody. |
ABOUT MONTANA
 | The name Montana, of Latin origin, and meaning mountainous, was given to the infant commonwealth in 1860 at the suggestion of James M. Ashley, who afterwards became one of its territorial governors. The name was a happy conception, being at once euphonious and descriptive of the rugged country it was destined to designate. |
| Montana is one of the northwestern states. It lies immediately south of Canada ; the Dakotas border it to the east, Idaho and Wyoming to the south andthe state of Idaho forms its western boundary. In point of size Montana is the third largest state in the Union. Only Texas and California are greater in extent. Its land area is about 146,201 square miles. From east to west it is approximately 550 miles and 275 miles from north to south. A better idea of its enormous extent may be gained when compared with other states and groups of states. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland combined have an area just about equal to that of Montana. A few of its counties are larger thanstates.If we go farther afield for comparisons we shall see that Montana, an empire in itself, exceeds in size England. Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This vast and rich country is but sparsely populated, having only about 400,000 inhabitants. |  |
| The main range of the Rocky mountains in Indian phrase "The Backbone of the World" sweeps across the state from northwest to southeast, roughly dividing it into eastern and western sections, the physical characteristics of which are essentially different. The easternportion which composes fully two-thirds of the area of the state is a high plateau of moderate altitude consisting mostly of valleys and broad prairies, broken now and again by rolling hills and characteristic "buttes" or isolated conical hills. The southern and eastern portions of the plateau are somewhat rugged and broken by spurs of the Rocky mountains. The principal ranges, however, are in the west .Considering the fact that Montana is a Rocky mountain state its general elevation is comparativelylow. Professor Gannett of the United States Geological Survey says in his report that "the average elevation of Montana above sea level is 3,900 feet. The mountain passes are generally low and of easy access. Mullan Pass where the Northern Pacific crosses the Continental Divide is 5,547 feet above the sea level. The highest point on the Great Northern Railway is 5,202 feet and Donald, the greatest altitude reached by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, is 6,332 feet. | |
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| County Organization Timeline and Data | County Map |
| State Executions | Military Records |
| Miscellaneous State Data | Native Americans |
| Politics |
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Most of our data is contained within our county websites.
Visit the countiesby clicking the links below
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| County | Date Formed | County Seat |
| Beaverhead | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Dillon |
| Big Horn | Jan. 13th, 1913 | Hardin |
| Blaine | Feb. 29th, 1912 | Chinook |
| Broadwater | Feb. 9th, 1897 | Townsend |
| Carbon | Mar. 4th, 1895 | Red Lodge |
| Carter | Feb. 22nd, 1917 | Ekalaka |
| Cascade | Sept. 12th, 1887 | Great Falls |
| Chouteau | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Fort Benton |
| Custer | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Miles City |
| Daniels | Aug. 30th, 1920 | Scobey |
| Dawson | Jan. 15th, 1869 | Glendive |
| Deer Lodge | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Anaconda |
| Fallon | Dec. 9th, 1913 | Baker |
| Fergus | Mar. 12th, 1885 | Lewistown |
| Flathead | Feb. 6th, 1893 | Kalispell |
| Gallatin | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Bozeman |
| Garfield | Feb. 7th, 1919 | Jordan |
| Glacier | Feb. 17th, 1919 | Cut Bank |
| Golden Valley | Oct. 4th, 1920 | Ryegate |
| Granite | Mar. 2nd, 1893 | Philipsburg |
| Hill | Feb. 22, 1912 | Havre |
| Jefferson | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Boulder |
| Judith Basin | Dec. 10th, 1920 | Stanford |
| Lake | May 11th, 1923 | Polson |
| Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Helena | |
| Liberty | Feb. 11th, 1920 | Chester |
| Lincoln | Mar. 9th, 1909 | Libby |
| Madison | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Virginia City |
| McCone | Feb. 20th, 1919 | Circle |
| Meagher | Nov. 16th, 1867 | White Sulphur Springs |
| Mineral | Aug. 7th 1914 | Superior |
| Missoula | Feb. 2nd, 1865 | Missoula |
| Musselshell | Feb. 11th, 1911 | Roudup |
| Park | Feb. 23rd, 1867 | Livingston |
| Petroleum | Nov. 24th, 1924 | Winnett |
| Phillips | Feb. 5th, 1915 | Malta |
| Pondera | Feb. 17th, 1919 | Conrad |
| Powder River | Mar. 7th, 1919 | Broadus |
| Powell | Jan. 31st, 1901 | Deer Lodge |
| Prairie | Feb. 5th, 1915 | Terry |
| Ravalli | Feb. 16th 1893 | Hamilton |
| Richland | May 27th, 1914 | Sidney |
| Roosevelt | Feb. 18th, 1919 | Wolf Point |
| Rosebud | Feb. 11th 1901 | Forsyth |
| Sanders | Feb. 7th, 1905 | Thompson Falls |
| Sheridan | Mar. 24th, 1913 | Plentywood |
| Silver Bow | Feb. 16th, 1881 | Butte |
| Stillwater | Mar. 24th, 1913 | Columbus |
| Sweetgrass | Mar. 5th, 1895 | Big Timber |
| Teton | Feb. 7th, 1893 | Chouteau |
| Toole | May 7th, 1914 | Shelby |
| Treasure | Feb. 7th, 1919 | Hysham |
| Valley | Feb. 6th, 1893 | Glasgow |
| Wheatland | Feb. 22, 1917 | Harlowton |
| Wibaux | Aug. 17th, 1914 | Wibaux |
| Yellowstone | Feb. 26th, 1883 | Billings |
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