Big Horn County, Montana: History
The history and evolution of Big Horn County requires looking at it as a territorial designation, rather than a functioning civic entity. The Big Horn County first established in 1865 by the Montana Territory is not the same modernized iteration of the Big Horn County that was established in 1913, which this article will outline.
==== Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly ====
Big Horn County was first established on February 2, 1865 by the first legislative assembly of the Montana Territory. It served as one of the nine foundational counties established by the legislature alongside Beaverhead, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Jefferson, Edgerton, Madison, and Missoula.
On June 25, 1876, the Battle of Little Bighorn began. The Battle is also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass to the Lakota and other Plains Indians.
The combatants were warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, battling the 7th Regiment of the US Cavalry, along with their Crow, and Arikara scouts. The battle was an overwhelming victory for the Lakota and Cheyenne. The death of Custer and his troops became a rallying point for the United States to increase their efforts to force native peoples onto reservation lands.