Powder River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,743. Its county seat is Broadus.HistoryPresent-day Powder River County was probably first entered by Europeans in the early 1800s by French fur trappers. In the summer of 1865, the United States government sent over 2,600 U.S. soldiers to the Powder River Country to combat Native Americans from the Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, and Arapaho tribes. The column became known as the Powder River Expedition, and from September 1-11, 1865, it battled Native Americans in the Powder River Battles near the future site of Broadus. On March 17, 1876, the Battle of Powder River occurred in the south-central part of the county, about 34mi southwest of Broadus. On November 1, 1878, Powderville became the first establishment in the county, as the Powder River Telegraph Station, on the Fort Keogh to Deadwood, South Dakota telegraph line. On April 5, 1879, the Mizpah Creek Incidents began near the Powderville telegraph station in the extreme northern part of the county. In the early 1880s, a large area of Southeastern Montana became Custer County, Montana, including the present area encompassed by Powder River County. In February, 1900, the Broadus post office was established, named after the Broaddus family. In October, 1918, publication of the newspaper, the Broadus Independent, (now called the Powder River Examiner) began in Broadus, and is still published today. In 1919, Powder River County, Montana was formed from southern Custer County, and in an election in 1920, Broadus was chosen as the county seat of the newly established Powder River County.
