Formed February 16, 1881 (12th county)
Silver Bow County (35,128), Butte (34,495)
The brick and masonry Beaux Arts courthouse for Silver Bow County was built in 1910. It sits at the corner of Montana and Granite streets. A hidden rotunda is visible only from the inside. Interstate Highway 90 Business is two blocks south of the building. An 1884 courthouse was also located in Butte, the only county seat. The county was created on February 16, 1881 as the 12th county. John G. Link and Charles S. Haire were the architects for this facility. Silver Bow comes from a local creek. Butte was named for a local formation on the outskirts of the city. Silver Bow County was the birthplace for 1 Montana Governor, John W. Bonner.
Silver Bow County government consists of a sheriff, an Executive, and 12 Commissioners. Two District Court Judges serve Silver Bow County. The county is located in the southwest part of the state. The county is a ragged diamond shape. The Continental Divide makes up portions of both the west and east borders. All of the borders, except the extreme southeast, follow mountain ranges. The county center is in Butte 3.7 miles South of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Jefferson, Madison, Beaverhead, and Deer Lodge counties.
The area of the county is 718 square miles. It is 56 out of 56 in the state. It ranks 8 out of 56 in population in the state. It has a density of 48.9 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 56 in the state. Silver Bow County has 100.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 90 crosses the county from northwest to exit to the east. Interstate Highway 15 enters from the northeast and leaves to the south. Butte is contiguous with the county. Butte is the county seat and the largest city. It is 98.2% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced BEOOT. This county is in the Butte-Silver Bow Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Butte
Walkerville
