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Hardin Facts & Statistics

Fact:

To date, there have been 25  Mayors for the City of Hardin. The first Mayor was Thomas Mouat back in 1911.  Our current Mayor, Ron Adams, has served the most years as Mayor; 13 years in August of 2007.

Fact:

City of Hardin is known as the City of Reason. What is the reason? Well, back in the early 1900's, Mr. Dutonque put together a brochure to promote the City of Hardin by saying it had the potential for growth due to its being a shipping point for agriculture. 

So the reason? Potential for growth. 

Fact:

Hardin has had 2 women Mayor's. Miriam Ransier who was elected by the City Council to serve out the remainder of her husbands term after his death in 1940, and Leona Hodgson who was elected by Council to fill out Meeke's term when he resigned in 1976 due to poor health.

Fact:

The Lincoln Land Co. chose where the City of Hardin would be based on it's location between Sheridan, Wyoming and Billings, Montana. They wanted a town placed somewhere in the middle.

Fact:

The City of Hardin gets its water from the Big Horn River.

STATISTICAL INFORMATION:

This Information was found in the Growth Management Plan for Hardin, MT of 2002.

I-90 west and south, and MT Highway 47 and I-94 east connects Hardin to major cities such as Seattle, WA, Denver, Co, and St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN. I-90 and US 212 lead directly to Little Bighorn Battlefield and the Black Hills, SD. MT 313 puts Hardin on a direct route to Bighorn National Recreational Area.

A Little Bit of Background Information:

The City of Hardin is located in south central Montana west of the confluence of the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers. The community is located on Interstate 90 approximately 48 miles east of Billings and 60 miles north of the Wyoming state line.

Hardin lies adjacent and immediately north of the Crow Indian Reservation. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is located approximately 40 miles to the east. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located 15 miles south of Hardin, and Yellowtail Dam and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area are located 45 miles to the south.

Hardin is the regional trade and governmental center for Bighorn County, and historically, has served as the primary trade center for a rich agricultural and ranching region extending both north and south of the City along the valley of the Bighorn River. The major crops grown in the Hardin area include wheat, barley, sugar beets, and hay. The completion of the Yellowtail Dam 45 miles southwest of Hardin increased irrigation agriculture in the area. Much of the City's economy has centered on providing services to the surrounding agricultural area. Big Horn County is the 8th largest producer of beef in the United States.

In the 1880's and 1890's, the area around Hardin was settled by cattle ranchers and later by sheep rancher. In 1904, tribal lands adjacent to the Yellowstone River and the lower Bighorn Valley were ceded to the Federal government, and in 1906 this area was opened to homesteading. Within the next two decades the area around Hardin was fully settled.

The Town of Hardin was officially founded in 1906 and 1907 when the land on which the community is located was purchased by the Lincoln Land Company of Nebraska. The first lot, which is located at the site of what was to become Big Horn Motor Company, was sold in 1907. At about this time, the original railroad depot, which had been located across the Little Bighorn River, was moved to the present depot site on the south side of Hardin.

In 1911, the City of Hardin was incorporated, and in 1913 Big Horn County was formed. Many of the original ranchers in the Hardin area came to Big Horn County via Texas cattle drives. Some arrived from other states to the east and from the declining mining regions to the west. As with elsewhere in the Great Plains, the railroad was instrumental in promoting homesteading in the region.