Gallatin County

Phillip Thorpe, A. F. Nichols and D. H. Ketchum were appointed by Governor Edgerton as County Commissioners of Gallatin County. The county was organized by these men at the Nichols’ ranch near Gallatin City on March 11, 1865. W. M. Wright was appointed clerk. The commissioners were sworn in by Thomas Dunbar, probate judge, and the bond of the clerk was approved. The commissioners appointed C. D. Loutzenheiser as Sheriff to serve until the election. J. B. Campbell, County Treasurer, and George D. Thomas, County Assessor, were appointed by the governor, and the bonds of all were approved. First Officers […]

The Gallatin County Courthouse was built in 1880 at a cost of $25,000, the lots on Main Street near the corner of what is now Third Avenue, being donated to the county. A separate building was erected a few years later for the office of the clerk and recorder. This was later torn down and an addition was built to the main building. See County Organization, names of first officials. Bozeman Opera House and City Hall The first opera house in the county, combined with a city hall, was completed in 1890, and was opened with a grand concert by

Hot springs that have proved beneficial for health and recreation have been discovered in what was formerly Gallatin County. Hunter’s Hot Springs, now in Park County, were discovered by Dr. A. J. Hunter, an early Montana pioneer, in 1864, while he and his family were traveling overland from Missouri on the way to Alder Gulch. Later, he secured a patent to the land, developed the springs, treated hundreds of patients and finally sold the property and spent the rest of his days in Bozeman. Chico Hot Springs, now in Park County, have been visited by many for health and recreation.

Gallatin County Census Records It seems hard to imagine today, that our ancestors made the long, hard journey from their comfortable homes in the East to the wilds of Montana. Census Records are a wonderful resource for following your Ancestor across the country. Sometimes hard to read, often hard to find them where you thought they would be, always the joy of finally making a connection. In your census journey, pay close attention to your ancestors neighbor, often you will find them living close together in another part of the country. Gallatin County MTGenWeb Archives 1870 Census Index Pages 106a-110b

The first school in Gallatin County was taught by Samuel Anderson, in the winter of 1865 and ’66, in the back room of a log store in Bozeman, the store built and owned by Squire Fitz, being on ground where the Fechter building was erected a few years ago. The second school was taught by Miss Florence Royce in part of a log house where the Commercial National Bank building stands. This school was in the winter of 1866 and ’67. These two teachers were paid by subscription. The following year, Miss Royce taught the first school outside of Bozeman

One of the first pioneers to raise wheat in the Gallatin Valley was the late John Thomas, stepfather of Henry Davis, now living in Bozeman. He had a bushel of wheat, which he brought with him from Utah, planted it in the spring of 1864 on land about 12 miles north of Bozeman, and in the fall he reaped 50 bushels from his crop, threshing it, Mr. Davis says, by putting it on a floor with the heads out, leading horses over it to trod the grain out. The wheat and chaff were then raised to a platform and thrown

The first white man known to have explored this region is Sieur de la Varendry, who made his way up the Missouri River during the years 1730 to 1744, and reached the Rocky Mountains in January 1743. He did not remain, and did not contribute any valuable historical information about the country. The journals of Lewis and Clark, recording their explorations in 1804 and 1805, are full of interesting and valuable information. With their interpreter, Charbonneau, a French Canadian, and his wife, Sacajawea, known as the bird woman, and members of the party, they reached the head of the Missouri

Gallatin City, located near the three forks of the Missouri River, a town not now in existence, was the first county seat of Gallatin County, being so named by the legislative assembly when the county was created. An act authorizing the people of the county to vote at the general election in 1867 to locate the county seat was approved by the territorial legislature on December 14, 1866. The election was held on Christmas day, 1867, when Bozeman was chosen as the county seat by 475 votes, nearly 200 majority over Farmington, the other principal candidate, with a few votes