Red Lodge

No matter what the season, Red Lodge is your Base Camp to the Beartooth’s offering premier outdoor recreation, including skiing at Red Lodge Mountain, hiking the Lake Fork Trail, and scenic drives. Visitors can explore the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary, visit the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum, and enjoy downtownshopping. 

On September 17, 1851, the United States government signed a treaty with the Crow Nation, confirming control of the area which now contains Red Lodge to the Crow Indians. Rich coal deposits were found there in 1866, and gold was discovered nearby in 1870. An 1880 treaty between the U.S. government and the Crow allowed the area to be settled starting April 11, 1882.

The Red Lodge post office was established on December 9, 1884, with Postmaster Ezra L. Benton. A rail line was constructed into town, and coal shipments began in June 1889. The boundaries of the Crow Reservation were redrawn October 15, 1892, opening the whole area to settlement. From then until the 1930s, coal mining defined the town.

In the late 19th century, many new settlers came to Red Lodge, MT. The majority came from Italy, the British Isles, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. By the mid-1880s, migrants were still outnumbered by large numbers of Native Americans. By 1892 the population reached 1,180.

In 1896, Red Lodge had twenty saloons and, as the library records show, riotous and violent living was characteristic of the town. By 1906 the population had grown to 4,000 and by 1911 this had increased to 5,000.

Red Lodge suffered in the Great Depression, which forced many mines to close. To offset this downturn, the manufacture of illegal bootleg liquor, labeled syrup, became an economic mainstay and was sold as far away as Chicago and San Francisco . In 1931 work began on the Beartooth Highway linking Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park; it was officially
opened in 1936.