Glacier County is a very diverse land area containing manymountains including Mount Cleveland at 10,438 feet, in contrast tothe plains to the east. The county holds a rugged portion of Glacier
National Park, with many mountains exceeding 9000 feet elevationlevel. On the west side of the county near the Flathead County linelies the Rocky Mountains and Glacier National Park. Throughout the central and eastern portion of the County are rolling and flat plains,
and scattered buttes. The plains are often windy, and trees in this area are scarce. There are small lakes and rivers throughout
Glacier County. The northern border to the county meets Alberta,
Canada. To the east borders Toole county, and on the southern
end lies Pondera county.

To The
Glacier County Historical Society
107 Old Kevin Highway
P.O. Box 576
Cut Bank, Montana 59427
Phone: 406-873-4904


Glacier County Public Library
21 1st. Ave. S.E.
873-4572
For more information

 
       The area now known as Glacier County became a part of the United States in 1803 when
President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the "Louisiana Purchase" deal with France. The land
was then occupied by the Blackfeet Indians who had moved down from the Saskatchewan area
of Canada sometime after 1730.
           The Lewis and Clark Expedition entered Montana in 1805 but it was not until July of 1806
when Captain Meriwether Lewis led a small team up the North Fork of the Marias River, (now
known as the Cut Bank River) into what has become Glacier County.
            Due to conflicts with the Blackfeet Tribe few pioneers ventured into this territory. Only
a few trappers and fur traders found it worth while to face the hardships to survive here.  As
time went on more interest was found in mining, farming and ranching. This interest was
eventually focused towards the now Glacier County.
           Oil was first discoverd in Montana in 1864, however it was not
until 1902 when a copper miner "Sam Somes" accidentally found oil
in the Swift Current Creek region. A few more wells were drilled in the
area but then interest was lost until the 1920's when a large oil strike
near Shelby revived the interest again. By 1931 a well in Cut Bank was
into production and by the mid 1930's the Cut Bank field was doing
extremely well and went on to become Montana's top ranking oil field in
1936. While most of the oil industry in Montana suffered during the
depression the Cut Bank field held on and managed to increase it's
oil production. There are still many oil wells standing in Glacier County
and although production has dropped off considerably, many are still
in operation.
 
 
      The Railroad played a great part in the overall
development of Glacier County. The railroad moved into Montana
in the late 1800's to compliment the mining and livestock
industries and was into our area around 1890. Cut Bank became
a vital part to the Railroad as the river provided the much needed
water for the operation of the steam locomotives. A "Round
House" was constructed here in order to turn around the big
"Mallets" that were used here for the sole purpose of pulling
the trains back and forth across the mountians. The Railroad also
had a big roll in the development and operation of the oil industry,
and still has a big part in the farming operations.

           When Montana was divided into counties in 1865 we were then a part of Chouteau
County, with Fort Benton as our County seat. In 1893 Chouteau County was split up and we became
a part of Teton County and the town of Choteau was the County seat. (Note: A difference in
spelling of Chouteau County and the town of Choteau.)
           Teton County was divided again in 1919 and Glacier County was formed. After a much
heated battle and election Cut Bank won the County seat position over Browning.
Cut Bank Chamber of Commerce Members by type
Select a type of business:  -select a business type- Accounting Ag, Farm, Feed & Equipement Art Studios Attorneys Aviation Bail Bonds Banks and Credit Unions Bars and Casinos Beatuy Shops Car Dealers, Parts and Repair Services Car Rental Car Wash Chiropractors Clubs and Organizations Construction Dentists Distributors (beer/wine/water) Economic Development Electricians EMS Financial Services Food & Drink Funeral Homes & Directors Glass Repair Government Hardware & Lumber Heating & Cooling Hospitals Insurance Job Service Lodging Media (newspapers, website, radio) Medical Clinics Mental Health Services Nursing Homes & Assisted Living Oil & Gas Optometrists Petroleum Sales Plumbing Real Estate Recreation & Entertainment Recycling Retail Schools Storage Title Companies Utilites Veterinary Wind Energy

In the early 1800’s Captain Meriwether Lewis led a small group of men up the north fork of the Marias River, now known as Cut Bank Creek. Since that time visitors have continued to enjoy traveling to the Cut Bank area. With the majestic Rocky Mountains on one side and gently rolling hills and wheat fields on the other, it’s no wonder visitors keep returning.




The city of Cut Bank was appropriately named for the creek running on the outskirts of town. The Blackfeet Indians described the stream as “…the river that cuts into the white clay bank.”

The city itself actually began back in the 1890’s with the onset of the railroad and the building of a bridge across Cut Bank Creek. At this time the city was located on the west side of Cut Bank Creek. Several years later it was determined Cut Bank was located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, so the whole town was relocated to the east side of the creek. With the town in its new and now permanent home, residents started moving in and the flow of visitors continued.

Cut Bank’s years of history and tradition are well founded throughout the area. The Blackfeet Indian Nation is in close proximity as are numerous Hutterite colonies. Glacier National Park, founded in 1910, and arguably one of the most stunning national parks to visit, is less that an hour away. Two historically significant sites along the Lewis & Clark Trail, Camp Disappointment and Meriwether Lewis Fight, site are also located in the Cut Bank area.

As the largest community in Montana’s Golden Triangle, Cut Bank visitors can find a variety of businesses and services to fill their every need. It is a full-service community with excellent customer service to back it up.

With so much to do and see around Cut Bank, visitors may never get their fill of all this area has to offer. We invite you to come see Cut Bank for yourself. It’s a great place to visit.

Cut Bank Area Lewis and Clark Historical Sites

Camp Disappointment
This is the northernmost camp established by the expedition. On July 17, 1806, Lewis and three members of the expedition (George Drewyer (Drouillard), Joseph Fields and Reuben Fields) split from the main group at the Great Falls to look for a water passage to the Pacific. They started out following the Missouri River for about one day and camped just above the Great Falls. On July 18, the four men continued on horseback. They crossed the Teton River and followed the Marias River to the point where the Two Medicine River and the Cut Bank Creek come together to form the Marias River.

Lewis followed the Cut Bank Creek for two days and finally reached a point on the bluff where he could see the river headed west toward the mountains. He wrote, "I thought it unnecessary to proceed further and therefore encamped resolving to rest ourselves and horses a couple of days at this place and take the necessary observations."

The party spent four days camped in a large clump of cottonwood trees under cold and rainy conditions. These conditions prevented Lewis from obtaining any astronomical observations to determine the longitude of the site. On July 25, 1806, Lewis, still not able to get the reading he wanted, broke camp with his men and set out, determined to return to the Missouri River.

Camp Cut Bank
Captain Meriwether Lewis followed the north branch of the Marias River, now known as the Cut Bank Creek and camped south and east of Cut Bank on Monday, July 21, 1806.

There wasn’t any timber to be found to build a fire so buffalo chips were used. The company was nearly out of provisions. They wounded a buffalo, but were unable to retrieve it. The following day, the group proceeded on to Camp Disappointment

On July 26, 1806, Captain Meriwether Lewis with George Drewyer (Drouillard), Joseph Fields and Reuben Fields camped with a party of eight young Blackfeet Indians. At first the meeting was cordial, but the encounter turned hostile when Lewis disclosed to the Blackfeet that the United States government had plans to supply all the Plains Indians with firearms for hunting. This was not good news for the Blackfeet, who until that point had controlled firearms through trade relations with the Hudson Bay Company.

The Blackfeet decided to make off with the party’s guns and horses leaving them on foot. At this point, this was the only armed encounter with Indians during the entire expedition. Two of the young Blackfeet were killed in this fight over horses and guns.

This actual site wasn’t discovered until 1964 by two Cut Bank Boy Scout leaders (Ben Epstein and Robert H. Anderson), who used the directions and descriptions contained in Lewis’ journal. The "three solitary trees" described by Lewis in his journal still stood in the place Lewis depicted. The site has been marked and fenced by the local Boy Scouts.