Liberty County Farmers Market

In July 1806 Meriwether Lewis and his party were the first recorded white men in the area. Captain Lewis writes of his scrimmage with a tribe of Indian (probably Piegans or Blackfeet) along the Marias River. Following the Lewis and Clark Expedition, fur trappers, hardy adventurers, and a few prospectors came, and in the 1880’s large cattle and sheep ranches were established. Between 1910 and 1918 two homestead acts brought many settlers to the area. Homesteader “shacks” appeared on virtually every quarter or half-section as people swarmed into the newly opened territory to “prove-up” on their acres. Many who came went broke, perished in drought, or froze in long, cold winters. Others stuck out the hardships and formed the basis for the modern mechanized farming economy prevalent in this area today. Liberty County was created from sections of Chouteau and Hill counties in 1919 when 72% of the voters in the area voted for the proposition. At this same election Chester was chosen as the county seat. Liberty County became the first county formed after World War I. Geography Located in northcentral Montana, Liberty County covers 1458 square miles or 920,960 acres. Chester, the county seat, is 90 miles north of Great Falls, 114 miles east of East Glacier, 60 miles west of Havre, and 50 miles from the Canadian border. It is 24 miles wide and 60 miles from north to south bound on the east by Hill County, on the west by Toole County, on the south by Chouteau County and on the north by the Canadian providence of Alberta. Most of the county is characterized by rolling prairies as a result of till deposited by glaciers. Gullies and coulees of the three major streams, Cottonwood Creek, Eagle Creek and Sage Creek, and of course, the Marias River break up the terrain. In the north-western part of the county, the Sweetgrass Hills rise to nearly 7,000 feet. The population of approximately 2,400 gives an average density of 1.6 persons per square mile. Tiber Dam, completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1956, lies 13 miles south and six miles west of Chester. It is one of the Missouri River Basin projects, used for flood control, storage, retention of silt, and preservation of wildlife. Lake Elwell, created by the dam, covers some 20 square miles in Liberty County and is a popular recreational area provide a great arena for boating, fishing, and other water sports. The Sweetgrass Hills in the northern part of Liberty County are really mountains and unique in that they are the highest isolated peaks in the United States. Rising to nearly 7,000 feet, these mountains are volcanic in origin and believed to be millions of years old. Charles M. Russell, the famous Montana cowboy painter, knew these hills well and did quite a lot of painting there. Russell had a partnership in a ranch located on Kicking Horse Creek in West Butte. He declared the scenery of the Hills picture perfect since he used them as a backdrop for many of his paintings. The history of the hills is colorful and exciting. Lewis and Clark saw these hills and recorded them as "the broken hills". Later trappers and prospectors came to the hills and there was a short gold rush. These hills were a Blackfoot Indian Reservation and soldiers were assigned to the area in 1888. A military camp was located on the south side of East Butte. Indians and early explorers used the Hills as a lookout for game and trouble. Teepee rings may be found in several locations along with piskun or buffalo jumps. There are many caves of varying sizes in the hills, some of seven or more rooms. Gold mining of long ago has left behind the remains of a ghost town on Gold (Middle) Butte. There were thousands of people there at one time but the days of extensive gold panning are gone. There have been many reports of fabulous deposits of many minerals such as gold, silver, copper, lead and also coal but none have been verified accurately or extensively enough to warrant development. Communities Chester has a population of about 1000 and boasts nearly 100 businesses ranging from grocery stores to restaurants, banks, and motels. The town's local newspaper, the Liberty County Times, is published every Wednesday. Chester is also the site of an all-weather airport with surfaced and lighted runways maintained by the county. Chester is an incorporated city with an elected mayor and city council. Water quality in Chester is excellent; the water supply being pumped from Lake Elwell for municipal use. The sewage system and garbage disposal system is maintained by the city. A cooperative telephone company serves Chester and a private utility provides electrical power and natural gas to Chester residents. The Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools complex houses grades K-12. It has two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, two football fields, an outdoor classroom, a baseball diamond, track, tennis courts, and two playgrounds.