Judith Basin

Formed December 10, 1920 (54^th county)

Judith Basin County (2,021), Stanford (398)

The red brick Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1925.  The courthouse is on 3^rd Street at Central Avenue.  Third Street is Montana State Highway 80 in this part of the town.  F. F. Bossout is the architect.  The county was formed on December 10, 1920 as the 54^th county with Stanford as the only county seat.  The county is named for the Judith River basin.  Stanford is named for Stanfordville, New York. 

Judith Basin County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  One District Court Judge serves Judith Basin, Fergus, and Petroleum counties and a court clerk serves Judith Basin County (judicial.)  The county is in the central part of the state.  Great Falls, Montana is directly northwest of the county.  The county center is 7.8 miles South of Stanford.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Chouteau, Fergus, Wheatland, Meagher, and Cascade counties.  Judith Basin County looks like a locomotive heading south.  Stanford is in the northern quarter of the county.  Stanford is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 19.7% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 1870 square miles.  It is 35 out of 56 in the state.  It ranks 44 out of 56 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1.1 persons per square mile making it 45 out of 56 in the state.  Judith Basin County has 28.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 87 travels east to west in the county from Fergus County to Cascade County.