Located in south central Montana, Carbon County spans 2,026 square miles and includes some of the state's most diverse geography. Equally diverse is the county's population, which includes farm and ranch families, small rural towns, an Amish community, and one of Montana's leading tourist destinations, the City of Red Lodge, which is also the county seat.

Located in south central Montana, Carbon County spans 2,026 square miles and includes some of the state's most diverse geography. Equally diverse is the county's population, which includes farm and ranch families, small rural towns, an Amish community, and one of Montana's leading tourist destinations, the City of Red Lodge, which is also the county seat. Carbon County Communities: Bearcreek | Belfry | Boyd | Bridger | Edgar | Fromberg | Joliet | Luther | Red Lodge | Roberts | Roscoe | Silesia Silesia was named for the nearby mineral springs, Silesia Springs. In 1892, Joliet was established as a shipping point by construction of the Rocky Fork and Cook City Railway. Boyd is the gateway to Cooney State Park reservoir, a popular place to fish, boat, and camp. Edgar is located near the Crow Indian Reservation and the town of Pryor where Crow Chief Plenty Coups is buried. Fromberg is home to the Clarks Fork Valley Museum, housed in one of the last class four, rural area railroad depots in the nation. Roberts was started by the Northern Pacific Railroad and originally named Merritt. Bridger is a short distance from the Bluewater Fish Hatchery and gateway to the Pryor Mountains, home to a herd of wild mustangs. Roscoe was originally named Morris. The name was changed to Roscoe in 1905 to avoid confusion with mail going to Norris, Montana. Luther is an unincorporated community located in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountain Range. Red Lodge serves as the seat of Carbon County, and gateway to Yellowstone National Park via the world renowned Beartooth Highway. Established in 1905, Bearcreek drew immigrant miners and their families to work in nearby coal mines during the early part of the 20th century. In 1906, the Yellowstone Park Railroad Company extended into the town of Belfry with plans to continue up the Clark's Fork Valley, but that extension never happened. A Look Back: 1851 - U.S. Government and Crow Tribe entered a treaty with the Crow owning land around Red Lodge 1866 - Coal was discovered 1880 - U.S. Government and Crow Tribe entered a treaty that allowed the area to be settled by Anglo-Saxon pioneers starting in 1882 1884 - Red Lodge Post Office opened 1887 - Rocky Fork Coal Company opened the first mine in the county 1888 - Mining began in the Bearcreek and Washoe valleys 1888 - First deputy sheriff elected 1889 - Railroad came to Red Lodge Winter 1894-1895 - Montana Legislature introduced a bill recommending the creation of Carbon County since the Red Lodge Coalfield was one of the largest producers of coal in Montana March 4, 1895 - Carbon County created from sections of Park and Yellowstone Counties 1907 - Montana, Wyoming & Southern Railroad Depot opened and resulted in the creation of Belfry 1915 - Carbon County becomes the site of the first producing oil well in Montana at the Elk Basin oilfield 1931-1936 - Beartooth Highway constructed for $1.1 million 1943 - 74 miners killed in an underground explosion at Smith Mine near Bearcreek 1946 - Shangri-Law Ski Area resort developed 1949 - Shangri-Law Ski Area resort destroyed by forest fire 1950s - Montana, Wyoming & Southern Railroad line closed 1960 - Grizzly Peak Ski Area established (now Red Lodge Mountain Resort ski area)