Harlowton, Montana
Harlowton is a city of 1,058 people in Wheatland County, Montana, founded in 1900.
Why visit Harlowton
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Harlo, Graves Hotel and Milwaukee Road Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 13°F.
Weather in Harlowton
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Harlowton
Harlowton is a city in and the county seat of Wheatland County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Harlowton, Montana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks8
Graves Hotel
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic hotel in Harlowton, Montana, United States
106 Central Avenue South, Harlowton
Milwaukee Road Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic district in Montana, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes6
Sun Dog Coffee Co.
Cafe
124 Central Avenue North, Harlowton
Mo-Fr 07:00-14:00; Sa 08:00-14:00
History
The Upper Musselshell River Valley is named for the Musselshell River, which got its name from the large number of freshwater mussels found in its river bed. In the fall and winter weather, the bison would migrate to the lower altitudes along the Musselshell River. Early plains hunters, taking advantage of the large bison population, frequented this area. Some of the tribes that traveled through the area were the Crow, Blackfeet, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Northern Cheyenne, Nez Perce, Shoshones, Sioux, and Assiniboine.
Harlowton lies within the Montana High Plains that form a part of the Northwestern Plains. The area is most known archeologically for the line of demarcation which was mutually established between the Crow and Blackfeet tribes that passed through the area. This fifty-mile rock line fence crossed east to west from the Big Snowy Mountains to the Crazy Mountains. The rock line hunting boundary was the cause of several battles in the area.
Within Wheatland County, site surveys have recorded and assigned archaeological site numbers to Sentinel Rock, the Fish Creek Pictograph, Owl Canyon Pictograph, Winnecook Petroglyph, Fortification site, and to several buffalo jumps in the area. The Big Snowy, Little Belt, Castle and Crazy Mountains have produced five wickiup (conical timbered lodges) sites and several pictograph sites.
From the History section of Harlowton, Montana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship7
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic
26 3rd Street Northwest, Harlowton
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries5
Healthcare2
Map of Harlowton
38 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°F | 13°F | 0.3 in | 3.7 in |
| Feb | 38°F | 14°F | 0.3 in | 1.9 in |
| Mar | 48°F | 20°F | 0.6 in | 2.6 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 28°F | 1.3 in | 3.1 in |
| May | 64°F | 37°F | 2.5 in | 0.3 in |
| Jun | 74°F | 46°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 50°F | 1.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 83°F | 48°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 40°F | 1.1 in | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 57°F | 30°F | 0.7 in | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 45°F | 21°F | 0.5 in | 3.6 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 15°F | 0.4 in | 3.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Harlowton (0 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Wheatland County has had 8 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-04-07: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds (Straight-Line Winds)
- 2024-07-18: Severe Winter Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-31: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2014-04-17: Ice Jams And Flooding (Flood)
- 2011-06-17: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Lewistown Municipal Airport (LWT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 46 miles away.
- Big Timber 42 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Lewistown 46 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Lewistown Heights 48 mi north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- White Sulphur Springs 51 mi west, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Clyde Park 53 mi southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Harlowton Montana Skyline2, DaleSteinhauser, CC0
- CentralAveHarlowton, Wolfpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Harlowton Montana, Always dreamin, CC0
- Harlowton, Montana city hall, Tbennert, CC0
- Times block in Harlowton, Montana, Tbennert, CC0
- GravesHotelHarlowtonMT2011, Mike Cline, Public domain
- MILWAUKEE ROAD HISTORIC DISTRICT, JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- DJI 0844 in Town, Wolfpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Misc013 (37990852385), USDA NRCS Montana, Public domain
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