Carbon

Formed March 4, 1895 (22^nd county)

Carbon County (10,476), Red Lodge (2,260)

The red brick facility was erected in 1899.  It is located on 10^th Street at Broadway Avenue.  Broadway is United States Highway 212.  P. J. Donahue is this Classical Revival building designer.  The courthouse was enlarged in 1940 and an Administrative Building has recently been added.  The county was founded on March 4, 1895 as the 22^nd county with Red Lodge as the only county seat.  The county is named for local coal deposits.  Red Lodge is named for local Native American lodges made from the red clay. 

Carbon County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Carbon, Big Horn, and Stillwater counties.  Carbon County is located on the southern border with Wyoming.  Billings, Montana is northeast and Great Falls, Montana is northwest of the county.  The county center is 12.5 miles Northeast of Red Lodge nearer Roberts.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Yellowstone and Big Horn counties and Wyoming and Park and Stillwater counties. 

The area of the county is 2048 square miles.  It is 33 out of 56 in the state.  It ranks 21 out of 56 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.1 persons per square mile making it 17 out of 56 in the state.  Carbon County has 38.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 212 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Yellowstone County to Wyoming.  United States Highway 310 enters joined with United States Highway 212 from Yellowstone County, splits and exits south into Wyoming.  Carbon County looks like a ship sailing east.  Red Lodge is situated in the southwest quarter of the county.  Red Lodge is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.6% of the county population.  This county is in the Billings Metropolitan Statistical Area.