Cascade County, Montana

History

Early history

Cascade County was historically uninhabited throughout most of prehistory, with no permanent settlements aside from the occasional Salish hunting party. In roughly 1600, the Blackfeet pushed the Salish out, establishing the first permanent settlements in the area. Despite being claimed by France, the area remained unexplored by European settlers until the United States acquired the region in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

At the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Cascade County was the territory of the Blackfeet. The county was named for the falls on the Missouri River, and Lewis and Clark are believed to have first discovered the area on June 13, 1805. Despite this, the area remained uninhabited by Americans until later in the century.

Founding

After changing hands between several territories throughout the decades, Cascade County finally was placed under the jurisdiction of the Montana Territory on May 28, 1864. In 1887, territorial representative T.E. Collins proposed the creation of Cascade County from several surrounding counties including Lewis and Clark, Meagher, and Chouteau, and his bill was signed. Two years later, Montana was granted full statehood.

In 1880, entrepreneur Paris Gibson explored the area and was impressed with the possibility to harness the hydroelectric potential of the massive waterfalls in order to power and sustain a large industrial city. He returned in 1883, establishing Great Falls at the bank of the river. By 1887, the city had over 1000 residents, and the arrival of the Great Northern Railway cemented the city's position.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2711 sqmi, of which 2698 sqmi is land and 13 sqmi (0.5%) is water. The Missouri River and the Sun River flow through the county, and meet at the city of Great Falls. A portion of the Adel Mountains Volcanic Field is in the county's southwest corner. The Rocky Mountains are in the western part of the county, with the Little Belt and Highwood Mountains in the southeast.

Adjacent counties

• Teton County - northwest
• Chouteau County - northeast
• Judith Basin County - east
• Meagher County - south
• Lewis and Clark County - west

National protected areas

• Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 84,414. Of the residents, 22.3% were under the age of 18 and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males. 79.5% of residents lived in urban areas and 20.5% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 83.2% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 4.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 1.3% from some other race, and 8.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.8% of the population.

There were 35,011 households in the county, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 38,937 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.7% were owner-occupied and 35.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 81,327 people, 33,809 households, and 21,403 families in the county. The population density was 30.1 PD/sqmi. There were 37,276 housing units at an average density of 13.8 /sqmi. The county's racial makeup was 89.2% white, 4.3% American Indian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 17.1% were Irish, 12.3% were English, 10.3% were Norwegian, and 4.5% were American.

Of the 33,809 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,389, and the median income for a family was $53,540. Males had a median income of $37,904 versus $27,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,963. About 10.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Government

Cascade County is represented in the United States Senate by Republicans Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Montana's 2nd congressional district by Republican Troy Downing. At the state level, Cascade County is represented in the Montana House of Representatives as part of house districts 19 through 26, represented by 7 Republicans and 1 Democrat. It is represented in the Montana Senate as part of senate districts 10 through 13, represented by 4 Republicans. Cascade County has an elected county commission and several elected county offices.

County Commissioners

County Officials

Politics

Like Lewis & Clark County to the west, Cascade County leans Republican but has voted for Democrats four times since Lyndon Johnson's landslide in 1964, usually during national landslides. Since 2012, however, the county has shifted steadily to the right, in 2024 giving Donald Trump the highest Republican margin of the vote in state history. This is in contrast to several of its fellow large counties, which tend to swing between candidates election to election.

At the state level, Cascade County often acts as a bellwether county. It has been friendlier to Democrats - Senator Max Baucus carried the county in all of his elections, and Governors Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock carried it in all four elections in 2004–2016. Since at least 1984, no Democrat has won in Montana without winning Cascade County, however, Republicans have occasionally won statewide without carrying the county. Cascade County frequently votes alongside Montana's larger counties in social issues, having voted to legalize abortion and recreational marijuana. In recent years, however, Republicans have made massive gains locally, sweeping Cascade County in the state legislature and flipping the county commission and several county offices in 2022, and the county is now fully Republican at the local level after further party switches.

Cascade's shift, uncommon among larger counties in the state, was largely attributed to Republican gains among union workers and concerns from local fossil fuel industry workers, who believed that Democrats were abandoning them as the national party has shifted to the left on energy policy and gun policy. The fossil fuel industry is especially important in Cascade County, and the growth of the county has come mainly from rural conservative voters moving to the area as opposed to more left-wing voters moving into other parts of Montana from Democratic-leaning states.

Economy

Malmstrom Air Force Base is a driving force in the regional economy. In 2009, Benefis, Great Falls Clinic, National Electronics Warranty and Walmart were the largest private employers.

Education

The Apollos University, the University of Great Falls, and the MSU College of Technology—Great Falls are all located in Great Falls.

K-12 education

Public school districts include:

Secondary:

• Belt High School District
• Cascade High School District
• Great Falls High School District
• Simms High School District
• Centerville High School District

Elementary:

• Belt Elementary School District
• Centerville Elementary School District
• Cascade Elementary School District
• Great Falls Elementary School District
• Sun River Valley Elementary School District
• Ulm Elementary School District
• Vaughn Elementary School District

There is also a state-operated school, Montana School for the Deaf & Blind.

Communities

City

• Great Falls (county seat)

Towns

• Belt
• Cascade
• Neihart

Census-designated places

• Big Stone Colony
• Black Eagle
• Cascade Colony
• Centerville
• Fair Haven Colony
• Fort Shaw
• Gibson Flats
• Hardy
• Malmstrom AFB
• Monarch
• Pleasant Valley Colony
• Riceville
• Sand Coulee
• Simms
• Stockett
• Sun Prairie
• Sun River
• Tracy
• Ulm
• Vaughn

Unincorporated communities

• Adel
• Armington
• Armington Junction
• Ashuelot
• Dearborn (partially within Lewis & Clark County)
• Eden
• Emerson Junction
• Gordon
• Millegan
• Number Seven
• Salem
• Sheffels
• Portage

In popular culture

Several motion pictures have been filmed in Great Falls. Many have filmed in Cascade County and Great Falls, and a few in Cascade County (outside the Great Falls city limits). Those films shot in the county and outside Great Falls city limits include:

• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
• The Stone Boy (1984)
• The Untouchables (1987)
• Holy Matrimony (1994)
• The Slaughter Rule (2002)
• Northfork (2003)
• Iron Ridge (2008)
• Wildlife (2018)

References

;Notes

;Citations

Bibliography

References

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27. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Adel,+MT+59421/@47.0277373,-111.6326193,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53430c348dae8c8f:0xdabe9b6fd5937ec6!8m2!3d47.0277236!4d-111.6238645 ''Adel, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
28. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Armington,+MT+59412/@47.366368,-110.9123207,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sArrington+junction,+Cascade+County,+MT!3m4!1s0x5343d3c9f5204cd3:0x141b98e8a88d1a9e!8m2!3d47.366269!4d-110.9035492 ''Armington, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
29. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Armington+Junction,+MT+59412/@47.3480343,-110.9031525,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x5343b60d577b7d3d:0x70c703f567ac9be!2sCascade+County,+MT!3b1!8m2!3d47.4688355!4d-111.5453228!3m4!1s0x5343d17fcf6d50f7:0x8f645a50d895e2ad!8m2!3d47.3481281!4d-110.8942795 ''Armington Junction, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
30. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ashuelot,+MT+59443/@47.5571885,-111.8201323,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53425fb68f10f8a5:0x1a87c3f115f2edae!8m2!3d47.5571749!4d-111.8113775 ''Ashuelot, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
31. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/I-15,+Cascade,+MT+59421/@47.1335092,-111.8911349,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x53431bde2d1c46a9:0xa85066d4905405c9 ''Dearborn, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed September 4, 2019)]
32. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eden,+MT+59405/@47.2699689,-111.2809366,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5343b153e80da9db:0xdc040689fe69cbb9!8m2!3d47.2699552!4d-111.2721818 ''Eden, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
33. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Emerson+Junction,+MT+59404/@47.5199715,-111.3784503,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x534247c1dd6f7125:0xd8a1778c85a8f6a8!8m2!3d47.5199579!4d-111.3696955 ''Emerson Junction, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
34. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gordon,+MT+59487/@47.6294146,-111.6554017,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x534268142f7094dd:0x9c77d2c88660e07f!8m2!3d47.629401!4d-111.6466469 ''Gordon, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
35. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Millegan,+MT+59405/@47.0205187,-111.3784374,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5343a1d232010e01:0x3be8c3d90782420c!8m2!3d47.020505!4d-111.3696826 ''Millegan, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
36. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Number+Seven,+MT+59472/@47.4035852,-111.1606663,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5342349511b7709b:0x698a577cf9e10338!8m2!3d47.4035716!4d-111.1519115 ''Number Seven, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
37. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Salem,+MT+59405/@47.5372027,-111.0490016,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53422f0868fe8cdf:0x492680f26205550d!8m2!3d47.5371891!4d-111.0402468 ''Salem, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
38. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sheffels,+MT+59440/@47.5946985,-111.1590003,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53423b2d27ae27df:0x2073b0954a78d432!8m2!3d47.5946849!4d-111.1502455 ''Sheffels, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
39. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Portage,+MT+59440/@47.6527551,-111.13344,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5342239f4d358f8d:0x98ff88ba1a779cc1!8m2!3d47.6527415!4d-111.1246852 ''Portage, Cascade County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)]
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45. Gaiser, Heidi. (March 3, 2007). "Family Men". The Daily Inter Lake }}{{Dead link.
46. Skornogoski, Kim. (June 13, 2006). "Getting One's Life Experience On Film No Easy Task For Great Falls' Brumbaugh". Great Falls Tribune.
47. Douglas, Patrick. (March 28, 2008). "Montana-made film debuts in Great Falls". Great Falls Tribune.
48. McCarthy, Todd. (January 20, 2018). "'Wildlife': Film Review {{!}} Sundance 2018".