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Welcome to Deer Lodge, Montana

Deer Lodge Valley is a meadowland surrounded on the east and the west by mountain ranges. These foothills contain isolated mineral deposits. In the 1850s Deer Lodge was a trading and trapping center, and mountain men and Indians frequented this land. Deer Lodge earned its name by a sedimentary cone that built up, almost 40 feet high. A thermal spring existed and gave off large amounts of vapor. From a distance the cone and vapor resembled an Indian lodge with smoke coming out. Deer often came to the area for grazing; therefore, it was named Deer Lodge.

Here's an early mining town that didn't die, but turned to other pursuits. When the first strikes on Gold Creek started the excitement during the 1860s this camp was known as Cottonwood, LaBarge, and Spanish Forks. Investors began building mills to extract the silver and gold from the quartz. One such builder was named William Andrews Clark, who became one of the three richest men in Montana. During the 1880s the mines became one of the world's greatest copper producers. W. A. Clark built his home in the 60s in Deer Lodge at what is now 311 Clark Avenue.

In the 1850s Johnny Grant settled in the Deer Lodge Valley and established what was to become one of the largest ranching operations in the country. The Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1883 and Deer Lodge was the end of the line for immigrants heading west.

Relive history in Deer Lodge. This western town is nestled in a broad valley between the Continental Divide and the Flint Creek Mountain Range. More museums and historical collections can be found here than in any other town in the Northwest. In the summer, a free, horse-drawn trolley will carry you from site to site throughout the town. You'll enjoy restaurants, art galleries, antique shops, gift shops and all the amenities in the historical ambiance of Deer Lodge. Looking for something to do as you travel in Montana? Look no further, Gold West Country really does have it all.

If you love rock hounding, you have definitely come to the right place. Our area offers some of the best opportunities for finding agates, digging for sapphires, unearthing crystals, discovering garnets, panning for gold, searching for fossils and more!

Discover Montana on horseback! In Gold West Country, the opportunities to experience our ranching heritage are unmatched. Enjoy a full ranch vacation, or just take an afternoon horseback ride through the mountains.

Experience the history of our area through our ghost towns and museums. Our history is rich, and it will come alive for you as you explore all that we have to offer. Whether you are interested in the Gold Rush Days, Mining, Vigilante style justice, or ranching, you will find the Old West right here.

Scenic vistas abound, wildlife are abundant, and bird watching has never been better. Enjoy a day hiking, biking, exploring, camping, fishing, boating, golfing, or relaxing. Whatever you are looking for, Gold West Country has it!

Deer Lodge got its name from what is now called the Warm Springs Mound. This Is a geological formation over 40 feet in height, built up over the centuries through the thermal action of hot water bubbling to the surface and depositing minerals around the vent.

It is located in a level valley and in the early days could be seen from a great distance. It was a landmark for roaming Indian hunting parties and later for white trappers and fur traders. When the temperature of the air was cooler than that of the bubbling waters, a cloud of steam rose from its peak which from a distance made it appear like a giant Indian lodge with campfire smoke Issuing from it.

The warm waters kept the grasses green around the base of the formation andthe abundant whitetail deer made it a favorite grazing area. The mineral deposits were also saline making the mound a saltlick. The Indians called it "the lodge of the white-tailed deer" and while the earliest fur traders and trappers were French, when the mound received an English name, it was Deer Lodge.

Originally, the Clark Fork River was called the Deer Lodge River, but the name was changed in honor of the Lewis & Clark Expedition co-leader.

The town of Deer Lodge was originally called both Cottonwood and Spanish Fork, but was renamed Deer Lodge in 1864 as it was located in the middle of the Deer Lodge Valley with the Deer Lodge River running through it. Deer Lodge County, incorporated in 1865, was one of the original 8 counties in the newly formed Territory of Montana, and the city of Deer Lodge was the county seat.

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