Welcome to Deer Lodge Montana
The second oldest town in Montana, Deer Lodge is a historically rich community. Deer Lodge was first discovered by Indians and then later during the Lewis and Clark expedition when the men were helped over the continental divide and through the neighboring Bitterroot Mountains by the Native Americans of the area. The landscape of the area is both prairie and mountainous.
In the 1850's Johnny Grant settled in the Deer Lodge Valley and established what was to become one of the largest ranching operations in the country. Today the Grant-Kohrs ranch is a historically significant working ranch. It consists of 1,500 acres and has 90 structures. In early 1870's, Deer Lodge was selected as the site for the Montana Territorial Prison. It was built by convict labor, and opened its doors in 1871 where it remained in use until l 1979. Guided and self-guided tours lead visitors beyond the gray stone wall and towers through the now unused prison with its 4-tiered cell block, gothic facade and huge prison yard. Powell County has diverse industries, farming ranching, mining, timber harvest, lumber and other wood product production and tourism. The tourism industry has been carefully developed so as to steer away from being considered a "tourist trap".