Photos of Montana Counties
Have you ever been to Phillips County, Montana? Home to the fighting Dodson Coyotes, Malta Mustangs, Saco Panthers, and Whitewater Penguins? Take a walk through Phillips County by visiting my new Phillips County, Montana photo gallery. Click on the images above to see all of my Phillips County photos or click HERE.
A fly fisherman trying his luck a the crack of dawn in a river near Cascade, Montana. → License Photo
When you think of Cascade County, Montana, the city of Great Falls usually comes to mind. But Cascade County is much more diverse than that. Not only does Cascade County anchor the southern corner of the fertile Montana farmland known as the Golden Triangle, it is also home to majestic mountains, rivers teaming with trout, and beautiful landscapes.
Great Falls, which is also known as the "Electric City," derives its nickname from the waterfalls that grace the outskirts of the city, each of which sports a hydroelectric dam. As such Great Falls is a bit of an industrial hub, which also offers plenty of photo ops for the casual photographer.
I'm particularly fond of Cascade County's southern reaches, where trout in the county's many rivers are plentiful, and people fly fishing just as plentiful. King's Pass, which winds its way along Highway 89 through the Little Belt Mountains and southern Cascade County is also a trip worth taking. And of course the lush farm fields east and north of Great Falls are frequented by this agriculture photographer so I may make agriculture photos and photos of wheat.
In this my latest installment of 20+ photos. It is also an addition to my collection of photos of Montana counties I am continuing to build. I hope you take a moment to view these photos and those other photographs of Montana counties I have also made over the years (and continue to make).
A young man rides his horse fast across the prairie grass south of Chester in Liberty County, Montana. → License Photo
Liberty County, Montana is one of those counties that is best known only to those who live there. Located along that northern stretch of Montana called the Hi-Line, Liberty County is cleaved in half by U.S. Highway 2. Passers by traveling to and from the Midwest to Glacier National Park in the summer probably seldom give Liberty County much thought unless they stop in Chester for some fuel or food. But there's much more to Liberty County than meets the eye. Just have to know where to look.
Liberty County shares a border in the north with Canada and the wheat fields of the Golden Triangle to the south. Two distinct geographical features are located in Liberty County, including most (but not all) of Lake Elwell and some (but not all) of the Sweet Grass Hills in the north. In between is the prairie of the Great Plains that is riddled with large fields of wheat and grassland.
I have spent some time making photos of Liberty County because it is located near Havre, Montana and because it is between Havre and Shelby, a route this Montana photographer would frequent when I headed out aimlessly exploring northern Montana and looking for subjects to add to my portfolio of Montana photos. Chester, which is its county seat, was sure to have fuel and food, which is otherwise scarce along the desolate 100 miles of highway between those two small towns. The landscapes there remind visitors that Liberty County is much more diverse than the drive down U.S. Highway 2 would indicate. Lake Elwell (a.k.a. Tiber Reservoir) alone is a feat to behold. The reservoir was created when they dammed the Marias River with the construction of Tiber Dam. And Lake Elwell was named after Judge Charles B. Ewell, who was the former director of the Montana Reclamation Association. The lake is full of walleye and northern pike and is a beautiful place for boaters and campers to visit.
The Sweet Grass Hills, which loom in the distance from every vantage point in Liberty County, hold a special place in native American lore. The Chippewa-Cree believe a flood of water once covered the world and their god fled to a cave in the Sweet Grass Hills where he waited out the rising waters and used the time to reform and restructure the world. That cave is called The Devil’s Chimney and can be explored today. The Sweet Grass Hills were also the gateway through which alcohol moved between the United States and Canada during Prohibition.
The largest of the Sweet Grass Hills is West Butte, which rises 6,983 feet above sea level, and it is located in Liberty County. West Butte is covered with lush green grass and oceans of wildflowers in the spring and it is home to tiny Whitlash, Montana and some great places to explore, including many caves and a little known placed called The Bear's Den.
Liberty County is rural, to be sure, but it is a beautiful slice of Montana. Those traveling along U.S. Highway 2 would be rewarded if they took the time to explore everything it has to offer. In my latest installment of 20+ photos I created a new gallery of photos featuring Liberty County. Take a moment to look at some of my photographs of Liberty County I have made there and enjoy Liberty County for yourself through the lens of my camera. I know I had enjoyed making them.
Streams of clouds race overhead near Baker, Montana. → Buy a Print or License Photo
Fallon County, located in the extreme southeastern corner of Montana, features unique and varying landscapes that punctuate the otherwise ubiquitous prairie lands of the Great Plains. I had a chance to spend a month there last June to make some photos and I am featuring them here in my latest installment of 20+ photos. This photo gallery is also another addition to my collection of photos of Montana counties.
I very much enjoyed my stay in Fallon County. I stayed in the small town of Plevna, which was a great jumping-off point to traverse the rest of the county. Fallon County is largely an agricultural county, but in recent years it has seen an influx of investment the energy industry as it is on the rim of the Bakken oil field. There is also a sizable wind farm outside of the county seat, which is Baker, Montana.
Also located in Fallon County is a portion of Medicine Rocks State Park, a unique and beautiful landscape located at the extreme southern end of the county. There are also rolling hills and stark, wide open grasslands in between.
Please take a moment to view my photos of Fallon County. While it is well off the beaten path, there are many reasons to visit there. I hope my Montana photos contained herein give you a reason to stop by.
Hill County, Montana is the heart of the Hi-Line, which is the northern lip of the United States south of the Canadian border along which runs the former Great Northern Railway and U.S. Highway 2. It anchors the northeastern corner of the Golden Triangle, which is a fertile area of north central Montana that produces about 45% of the state's wheat crop each year.
Thousands of automobiles pass through Hill County every summer on their way from the Midwest to Glacier National Park and back. It is home to the largest county park in the country, it is where the world's largest farm tractor (Big Bud) was once built, and it includes the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, the Bear Paw Mountains, and the city of Havre, which is the eighth largest city in Montana.
I have lived and worked in Hill County for more than seven years where I have made many of my photos of Montana and agriculture photography. It is a remarkable place where the residents are humble to a fault. It's not uncommon for a resident of Hill County to apologize to you for some perceived shortcoming Hill County has, unaware of the fact that whatever it is they are apologizing for is actually a benefit and not something to be ashamed of. Unlike other parts of the country, entire towns here attend high school football games, the trappings of social media have yet to overcome the place, and Montana's rich history can still be seen all around.
I am happy to have considered Hill County home. It is a beautiful place and I have enjoyed making the bulk of my Montana photography there. In this my latest edition of 20+ photos I am including photos of Hill County, Montana. It is also an addition to my collection of photos of Montana counties I am continuing to build. Please take a moment to see all this county has to offer. If you ever plan a trip through Hill County at some time in the future hopefully they will give you cause to stay.
