Event Details

Hamilton

Montana County Seat Challenge

Hamilton, Montana; Ravalli County

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Event Elevation: 3,563 feet

Hamilton is a city that serves as the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century. It was named for J.W. Hamilton, who provided the right-of-way to the railroad. Daly is said to have wanted to begin business in the then county seat of Grantsdale, but was denied the opportunity.

Ravalli County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,174. Its county seat is Hamilton. Ravalli County is part of a north–south mountain valley bordered by the Sapphire Mountains on the East and the Bitterroot Mountains on the West. It is often referred to as the Bitterroot Valley, which is named for the Bitterroot Flower. The county is on the Pacific Ocean side of the Continental Divide, which follows the Idaho-Montana border from Wyoming until Ravalli County. Here, it turns east into Montana, between Chief Joseph Pass and Lost Trail Pass, and follows the Ravalli County-Beaverhead County border. Ravalli County was created in 1893 by the Montana Legislature, carving off a portion of Missoula County. It was named after the Italian Jesuit priest Antony Ravalli, who came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1845.