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Big Timber is the county seat of Sweet Grass County and is located between Billings and Bozeman in Yellowstone Country 50 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Big Timber was named after Lewis and Clark called it Big Timbers when they first came to the site in 1806 and noticed the unusually large cottonwood trees growing where the Yellowstone river meets the Boulder river.
Click on Sweet Grass County to see a Map
In 1860, an expedition party led by Lt. H.E. Maynadier reached the Yellowstone River west of Big Timber. Maynadier was part of the most significant exploration of the region that would be undertaken before whites settled here. The exploration, which began in 1859, was led by Capt. William F. Raynolds, who was surveying the Northwest for potential wagon routs for the U.S. Army.
Big Timber is skirted on the north by the Crazy Mountains, and to the south by the high Absaroka - Beartooth Mountain Range.
Big Timber today is the county seat of Sweetgrass County and one of the best examples on the old Northern Pacific mainline of a "T-style" railroad town (see the "T" on the Map of Big Timber). The town is also important for the masonry construction of many of its original buildings as seen in downtown. An example of this masonry is The Grand Hotel in downtown Big Timber. The Grand, listed in the National Listing of Historic Buildings, was built in the 1800's and still operates as a hotel and 5 star restaurant.
For more than a hundred years Big Timber has been one of the homes of the largest Norwegian settlements in Montana, and their influence is visible. Many artists, poets, sculptors, and history buffs now live here. The Boulder Valley just south of Big Timber has become a second home to many famous personalities along with hard working "Montanans" who cherish the great outdoors in their own backyard.
View of the Boulder River south of Big Timber