Formed February 2, 1865 (7th county)
Lewis and Clark County (70,967), Helena (32,090)
A masonry and rock Romanesque Revival building built in 1887 serves as the courthouse. It’s located at Broadway and Ewing streets. United States Highway 12 is ten blocks north of the building. The county was formed on February 2, 1865 as the 7th county with Helena as the only county seat. Hodgson and Stem were the architects for the facility. The building was remodeled in 1935. Helena was named in an election after Saint Helena, Minnesota. The county was named after the infamous explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Lewis and Clark County was the birthplace for 2 Montana Governors, Forrest H. Anderson and Thomas L. Judge.
Lewis and Clark County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners. Four District Court Judges serve Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties. The county is located in the western part of the state between Butte, Montana and Great Falls, Montana. The county center is 16.4 miles North-Northwest of Helena nearer Marysville. The county is surrounded clockwise by Teton, Cascade, Meagher, Broadwater, Jefferson, Powell, and Flathead counties. The Montana state capitol is located in the county. The county is roughly the shape of the flatten L. The Continental Divide makes up part of the west border with the rest being four steps facing east. The east borders mirror the steps of the western border. The north and south borders are straight and relatively straight, respectively.
The area of the county is 3461 square miles. It is 14 out of 56 in the state. It ranks 6 out of 56 in population in the state. It has a density of 20.5 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 56 in the state. Lewis and Clark County has 48.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 15 enters from the northeast and exits to the south. United States Highway 12 enters southeast and exits west. United States Highway 287 enters from the north, joins Interstate Highway 15, splits at Helena, joins United States Highway 12 and exits to the southeast. Helena is in the extreme south of the county. Helena is the county seat and the largest city. It is 45.2% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced HELL-EN-AH. This county is in the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.
East Helena
Helena
