Big Timber is a city in and the county seat of Sweet Grass County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2020 census.

Big Timber takes its name from Big Timber Creek, which was named by William Clark because of the large cottonwood trees. The post office was established in 1880, closed, then reopened in 1882 with Ella Burns as postmaster. In 1881 Charles McDonnell became the first person to drive sheep into Sweet Grass County and Big Timber. As a stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad, Big Timber became a major wool-shipping depot. It became the county seat in 1895. In 1902, rancher John F. Asbury was elected the first mayor of Big Timber. A fire in 1908 destroyed half the commercial buildings and a third of the residential homes.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate Big Timber has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) bordering on a humid continental climate (Dfb). Although winters can be frigid, frequent chinook winds will raise temperatures above on an average twenty days between December and February, and have raised them to or above on ten occasions during these months since 1894.National Weather Service, Billings, MT; NOW Data The chinooks mean Big Timber's 31.3 days per year failing to top freezing is among the fewest in Montana, with the average window for such maxima being from November 11 to March 18. In the absence of chinooks, temperatures fall to on seventeen mornings during an average winter, although such temperatures were reached just once in 1999/2000 but as many as thirty-four times during the very cold winters of 1935/1936 and 1978/1979. The average window for zero temperatures is from December 4 to February 25. The coldest temperature in Big Timber has been during the notorious 1936 cold wave on February 15, while February 1936 was also the coldest month on record at , shading January 1916 which averaged .

Spring is typically windy with temperatures nearly as variable as in winter: the last frost typically arrives on May 19, but temperatures have reached as early as March 22, 1928, and have fallen to as late as April 13, 1928, and April 12, 1997. Late in spring thunderstorms increase in frequency and during late spring and early summer these provide most of Big Timber's annual precipitation. The wettest calendar year since 1894 has been 1957 with and the driest 1939 with , while the wettest single month has been May 1981 with

During the summer, days can be very hot, with maxima of on 28.5 afternoons and over on 1.1, although mornings very rarely stay above . The record hottest temperature is on July 21, 1931, and the hottest morning on July 31, 1936.

The fall season is usually short and variable, with snow occasionally falling in September, but at other times hot weather can extend into October or even November.

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Big Timber had a population of 1,650. The median age was 44.4 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 763 households in Big Timber, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.4% were married-couple households, 25.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 885 housing units, of which 13.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 1,507 91.3% Black or African American 7 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native 19 1.2% Asian 5 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 2 0.1% Some other race 9 0.5% Two or more races 101 6.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 63 3.8%

2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 1,641 people, 751 households, and 429 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 933 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9% White, 0.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 751 households, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 1,650 people, 711 households, and 430 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 812 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.61% White, 0.79% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.

There were 711 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,595, and the median income for a family was $38,869. Males had a median income of $29,000 versus $17,596 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,569. About 9.3% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people Orvin B. Fjare, United States Congressman from Montana Bobby Hauck, head football coach of the University of Montana football team Michael Keaton, Academy Award-nominated actor Speed Langworthy, lyricist and newspaper magnate.http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hal/Langworthy/ps15/ps15_163.html Judy Martz, 22nd Governor of Montana( 2001-2005) Charles McDonnell, former Montana state Senator and pioneer

Government Big Timber has a mayor and city council. All positions are non-partisan and have four-year terms. There are two wards, each with two council members.

The current mayor of Big Timber is Justin Ferguson, who assumed office in 2026, and the four city council members are Leonard Woehler, Jeff Davis, Kerri Baird, and Mike Duval.

Mayoral Election Results(2021-) In the 2021 mayoral election Greg DeBoer was elected mayor with 77.69% of the vote over Lee Andreas(12.14%) and Lucas Lee(10.16%). DeBoer is a chiropractor and owner of Crazy Peak Chiropractic. This election saw a relatively large voter turnout with 707 people turning out.

In the mayoral election in November 2025 Justin Ferguson was elected with 61.98% of the vote against Lee Andreas(38.10%). Ferguson was a council member for 16 years. This election saw a 19.58% decline from the 2021 election with a voter turnout of 50.39%. Ferguson succeeded Greg DeBoer on January 1, 2026.

List of mayors Since 1902, mayors have served four year terms. There have been 29 mayors of Big Timber. A dagger (†) indicates mayoralties cut short by death in office. The longest serving mayor of Big Timber is Harold Boe, who served in the office for 18 years. Meanwhile the shortest serving mayor was Douglas D. Lowry who was appointed to the office and served for only 4 months and 27 days.

NameTermPrevious office 1 John F. Asbury 1902-1911 2 DH Marsh 1912-April 1913 3 J R Kaiserman April 1913-1914 Superintendent of the City Water and Electric Light Utilities 4 Ernest R Patterson 1914-1915 5 J A Elliot 1915-July 1916Resigned 6 Drura Claiborn July 1916-July 1918Resigned Member of the Big Timber City Council 7 John A. Lowry September 1918-May 1921 Member of the Big Timber City Council 8 John A. Trower May 1921-April 1927 9 Albert P O'Leary1st term May 1927-1931 10 Gilbert H. "Major" Goosey 1931-1935 11 Albert P O'Leary2nd term 1935-December 28, 1935(†) 9th Mayor of Big Timber 12 O Nordstrom January 1936-May 1945 13 Harold Boe 1945-1963 14 H Klindt 1963-1969 15 Arthur L Schump 1969-1973 16 McLean "Mac" Clark 1973-1977 17 Oscar Stephens 1977-April 30, 1978(†) Member of the Big Timber City Council 18 Harold McLaughlan May 1978-1982 Member of the Big Timber City Council 19 John O. Drivdahl 1982-1990 Vacant 1990-1993 20 James A. Devenny1st term 1993-1998 21 Gary Smart 1998-April 30, 2001Resigned 22 Tom Hanel May 1, 2001-June 24, 2003Resigned Member of the Big Timber City Council 23 Douglas D. Lowry August 4, 2003-December 31, 2003Appointed to Fill Until End of Year Member of the Big Timber City Council 24 James A. Devenny2nd term January 1, 2004-December 31, 2005 20th Mayor of Big Timber 25 Diana Taylor January 1, 2006-December 31, 2009 26 Mark Stephens January 1, 2010-December 31, 2017 27 Rolland Karlin January 1, 2018-December 31, 2021 28 Greg DeBoer January 1, 2022-December 31, 2025 29 Justin Ferguson January 1, 2026-Present Member of the Big Timber City Council

Arts and culture The Crazy Mountain Museum has a focus on the area history. In addition to the indoor displays there are outdoor replicas, including a homestead cabin from Swedish settlers to the area, and a large garden based on plant descriptions from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Carnegie Public Library serves the Big Timber area.

Infrastructure Insterstate 90 passes to the south of Big Timber while U.S. Route 191 runs directly through town.

Big Timber Airport is a public use airport located 3 miles southwest of town.

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Jefferson Lines.

Education Sweet Grass County High School provides public high school education in Big Timber. They are known as the Sheepherders.

Media The local newspaper is the Big Timber Pioneer. It is published weekly.

A satellite of Yellowstone Public Radio, KYPB, is licensed in Big Timber.

See also List of cities and towns in Montana

References

External links

Big Timber/Sweet Grass County Chamber of Commerce The Big Timber Pioneer - Local newspaper