Formed April 1, 1919 (50th county)
Pondera County (5,905), Conrad (2,321)
The tan brick courthouse was erected in 1938. Pondera County was established on April 1, 1919 as the 50th county. The name is a consolidation of French words meaning “ear pendant.” The county seat is presumably named for a settler. Conrad has always been the county seat. The courthouse is on 4th Avenue between Main and Virginia streets. Montana State Highway 91 is Main Street. A. V. McIver provided the courthouse designs.
Pondera 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 Pondera, Glacier, Teton, and Toole counties and a court clerk serves Pondera County (judicial.) Pondera County is in the northwest part of the state. Great Falls, Montana is southeast and Missoula, Missoula is southwest of the county. The Continental Divide forms its southwest border. The county center is 22.6 miles West-Northwest of Conrad nearer Valier. The county is surrounded clockwise by Toole, Liberty, Chouteau, Teton, Flathead, and Glacier counties.
The area of the county is 1625 square miles. It is 44 out of 56 in the state. It ranks 33 out of 56 in population in the state. It has a density of 3.6 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 56 in the state. Pondera County has 48.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 15 crosses the county north to south from Toole County to Teton County. United States Highway 89 travels from north to south from Glacier County to Teton County. The county looks like a rifle pointing west. Conrad is in the southeast quarter of the county. Conrad is the county seat and the largest city. It is 39.3% of the county population. The county is pronounced PON-DE-RAE.
Conrad
Valier
