Event Details

Harlowton

Montana County Seat Challenge

Harlowton, Montana; Wheatland County

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Event Elevation: 4,201 feet

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 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.

Wheatland County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,069. Its county seat is Harlowton. Wheatland County was established on February 22, 1917, with areas partitioned from Meagher and Sweet Grass counties. It was named for the abundant wheat-growing areas across the center portion of the new county's area.