Харлоутон: Монтана штатының тарихы мен географиясы

City in and county seat of Wheatland County, Montana, United States

Harlowton is a city in and the county seat of Wheatland County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census. The city was once the eastern terminus of electric operations (1914–74) for the "Pacific Extension" of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road"). Here, steam or diesel locomotives were changed or hooked up to electric locomotives for 438 mile (705 km) trip through the Rocky Mountains to Avery, Idaho. Harlowton was founded in 1900 as a station stop on the Montana Railroad, a predecessor to the Milwaukee, and was named for Richard A. Harlow, the Montana Railroad's president.

The Upper Musselshell River Valley is named for the Musselshell River, which got its name from the large number of freshwater mussels found in its river bed. In the fall and winter weather, the bison would migrate to the lower altitudes along the Musselshell River. Early plains hunters, taking advantage of the large bison population, frequented this area. Some of the tribes that traveled through the area were the Crow, Blackfeet, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Northern Cheyenne, Nez Perce, Shoshones, Sioux, and Assiniboine. The first sheep operation on the Upper Musselshell was started by P. J. Moore in 1878. The first large cattle operation in the area was the Chicago Montana Livestock Company in 1882, with S. S. Hobson as part owner and manager. On February 22, the 1917 legislature passed an act which created Wheatland County from Meagher and Sweet Grass Counties. The act took effect on April 1, 1917. W

Wheatland was the first county in the US to go over its goal in the World War I Liberty Bond drive of 1918. The Jawbone Creek Country Club is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the only golf course with a cemetery in it.

The town of Merino was officially established in 1881. The name Merino came from the breed of sheep (Merino) that were run in the area by Charles Severance at the time. The trading post owned by John and Archie McEachnie housed the post office, store and saloon. The Montana Railroad terminal was located one mile northwest of Merino, so it was decided to relocate the town site.

In 1906, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") started building west with its route coming though Harlowton. On December 5, 1907, work was started on the Milwaukee Railroad Roundhouse in Harlowton. Milwaukee Road Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1988. The depot has been converted into the Harlowton Milwaukee Depot Museum.

The town of Harlowton is located in the Fort Union Geological formation and is famous for its Paleocene fossils. In 1902 Albert Silberling, a local homesteader and self taught paleontologist, discovered the Douglass Quarry southwest of Harlowton. Albert Silberling and Earl Douglass, a Princeton University paleontologist, discovered fossil remains of primitive mammals including the Ptilodus, Phenacodus, and Plesiadapis in the quarries southwest of Harlowton. The Rugocaudia cooneyi and Tatankacephalus cooneyorum are two new dinosaur species that were found southwest of Harlowton. The Rugocaudia cooneyi is a new sauropod dinosaur that was described and named by the paleontologist Cary Woodruff in 2012. The genus name Rugocaudia means “wrinkle tail” and the species name honors the landowner J. P. Cooney. The Tatankacephalus is a new ankylosaur dinosaur species found in 1997 by Bill and Kris Parsons, research associates of the Buffalo Museum of Science. The Avaceratops lammersi dinosaur was found on the Lammers family Careless Creek Ranch northeast of Harlowton and is the first of its kind. The Aveceratops is a small horned dinosaur that belongs to the Ceratopsidaie family. Eddie and Ava Cole discovered the fossil remains in 1981. A cast of the Avaceratops lammersi is on display at the Upper Musselshell Museum in Harlowton. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.58 square miles (2 km2), all land.

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Harlowton has a cold semi arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

At the 2000 census, there were 1,062 people, 496 households and 281 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 599 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 97.08% White, 0.75% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population. There were 496 households, of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.79. 20.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median household income was $23,636 and the median family income was $34,205. Males had a median income of $22,750 compared with $19,265 for females. The per capita income was $13,717. About 4.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Agriculture has remained a staple for the local economy. The main products are wheat, barley, oats, hay, cattle, sheep, and honey. There are many businesses supporting the agriculture industry in Harlowton; the Wheatland County Farm Service Agency, veterinary clinics, a feed store, ranch supply store, auto and mechanical shops, hardware stores, and a saddle repair shop. Harlowton and Wheatland County boast an industrial business segment, with some truly unique products from stone to steel griddles, honey for your local pancakes to event tickets. The wide variety of products span the globe. E S Stone & Structure Incorporated and Montana Rock and Stone LLP have multiple stone quarries around the area from which an extensive line of rock and stone products are produced. Rocky Mountain Cookware manufactures die stamped steel griddles and broilers, it was established in 1992. Steve Park Apiaries provides pollination and offers a variety of beeswax and honey products. Cream of the West whole grain hot cereal was established in 1914 and its production facility was moved to Harlowton in 2002. Eventgroove is an SaaS company offering event ticketing and fundraising platforms, and online printing services for tickets and event products. The main printing facility was opened on September 11, 2001 in Harlowton. Eventgroove is the largest private employer in Wheatland County.

Harlowton has two museums, the Upper Musselshell Museum and Harlowton Milwaukee Depot Museum. The Upper Musselshell Museum was founded in 1984 by the Victor Fischer family. It occupies two historic buildings and is filled with rotating displays of the Upper Musselshell's history and paleontology. The Museum centerpiece is a full size replica of the Avaceratops lammersi dinosaur, the first dinosaur found of its kind. The Upper Musselshell Museum is located along Montana's 'Dinosaur Trail' and is open from May until September. The Milwaukee Depot Museum train depot was built in 1908, it was a "Standard Class A Passenger Station", one of several standardized depot plans used by the Milwaukee Road. The passenger Service was discontinued in 1961, and the depot and yards were abandoned by the Milwaukee in 1980. The depot was restored as a Milwaukee Railroad museum. Displays focus on the history of the town which includes a rich train history. Harlowton Public Library serves the area. The Rodeo, Wheatland County Youth Fair, and Harlowton Kiwanis Show are annual events that take place in Harlowton. Within 100 miles are the Nez Perce National Historic Trail, Charles M. Bair Museum, and Showdown Ski Area.

The Lewis and Clark National Forest offers plenty of acreage for recreational activities; camping, sightseeing, hunting, OHV riding, snowmobiling, etc. Fishing access sites are located along the Musselshell River or at nearby Deadman's Basin or Martinsdale Reservoir. There are three parks located within Harlowton: Chief Joseph Park, Deer Park, and Fischer Park. The old Milwaukee Railroad trackbed has been converted into the “Smoking Boomer” trail. Of special interest are the pioneer bronze sculpture (entitled And They Called the Land Montana) and the Veteran's Honor Wall located in front of the Wheatland County Court House.

Harlowton Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. School District 16 includes the Hillcrest Elementary (K 6) and Harlowton High School (7 12). Harlowton High School's team name is the Engineers.

Harlowton's local newspaper is The Times Clarion. It is published weekly.

U. S. Route 12 passes through town from east to west. U. S. Route 191 enters town from the northeast and exits from the southwest. Wheatland County Airport is a county owned, public use airport located two miles (4 km) northwest of town. The Judith Gap Wind Farm is located north of Harlowton along US Highway 191. There are 90 wind turbines situated on 8000 acres of land that produce 135 Megawatts of power. The Judith Gap Wind farm was established in 2011 and is owned by Invenergy LLC. The power produced by this facility enters the Northwest Energy grid and is distributed where needed. Other wind farms located near Harlowton are the Musselshell Wind Project by Shawmut, the Two Dot Wind Farm by Two Dot, and Gordon Butte Wind LLC by Martinsdale. Health facilities include Wheatland Memorial Healthcare, Deer Creek Dental, Remedies Pharmacy, Harlowton Mental Health Center, Public Health & Human Service Department, Massage Therapy, Wheatland County Senior Citizens Center, and Wheatland Memorial Nursing Home. The Wheatland Memorial Healthcare Center has a Clinic, Emergency Room, Laboratory, X ray, and Physical Therapy Department. The financial institutions are the Citizens Bank and Trust Company and the Tricounty Federal Credit Union. Offering insurance needs are the Farm Bureau Insurance Company and Mid Montana Insurance Company. Harlowton has two motels; the Corral Motel and Country Side Inn. There are clothing stores, thrift stores, boutiques, restaurants and saloons.