Powell County is named for Mount Powell, which was named for John Wesley Powell who was the early environmentalist and explorer.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Flathead County
S – Jefferson County and Deer Lodge County
W – Granite County and Missoula County
Created: January 31, 1901
County Seat:
Deer Lodge 1901 – present
County Courthouse – Deer Lodge
Location: 409 Missouri Avenue / 4th Street
Built: 1920 – 1921
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Arnold and Van House Architects of Butte
Contractor: Nelson & Peterson of Butte
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Deer Lodge. The building has a raised basement. The south front has a small portico at the central first story entrance with pediment above. A horizontal band runs below the first story windows and vertical bands run up to another horizontal band below the roof line which has a wide cornice below. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is a central light well rising to a skylight at the top of the second story. The courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 3rd Judicial District and County Justice Court. The building was damaged by a flood and repaired in 1981 to 1982. The architect was Donald L Sinnott and the contractor was Barney Construction Company Inc.
See: The 3rd Judicial District includes Deer Lodge County and Granite County.
History: When Deer Lodge was the county seat of Deer Lodge County from 1867 to 1896, a courthouse was erected in 1869 and a two story courthouse was designed by Paulsen & McConnell and built in Deer Lodge in 1886. The county was created in 1901 and Deer Lodge was selected as the county seat. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1920 to 1921.
County Courthouse – Deer Lodge
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2016
Images 12*