Red Lodge Montana
Where Old West Meets New…
With a population of 2,300, the town of Red Lodge sits nestled in a valley carved by glaciation and the swift waters of Rock Creek. Located at the northern edge of the “Greater Yellowstone” region, it offers easy access to a diversity of landscapes and lifestyles. Follow Highway 308 up and out of town to the east and you see the kind of land that legends of the Old West are made of – thirsty, sagebrush and juniper-dotted bluffs and plateaus where rattlesnakes, cowboys and cattle roam the range. Head south and you hit the 12,000-foot wall of the Beartooth Mountains – home to one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states, the slopes of Red Lodge Mountain Resort, and the legendary Beartooth Highway, an All American Road.
Like the land that surrounds it, the population of Red Lodge boasts a certain diversity, too. It’s the kind of place where cowboys queue up for fancy espresso drinks and talk shop with ranchers and ski bums alike. It’s a place with neighborhoods dubbed “Little Italy” and “Finn Town.” The kind of place where a walk downtown takes you past old-timer cafes and upscale restaurants, a hardware store and the hippest bead shop this side
of the Continental Divide.
Originally a resting place for the Crow Indians, this valley was eventually discovered by European settlers, and with the opening of a post office in 1884, the town of Red Lodge was officially established. Like many towns in the West, Red Lodge was built on mining. The Rocky Fork Coal Company opened the area’s first mine in 1887. By 1891, more than 400 Finns, Scots, Irish, Italians, Slavs and Scandinavians worked the East Side Mine, digging an average of 100 tons of coal a day.
Today, tourism and ranching have replaced coal as the town’s main source of income. Thus, you’ll find plenty of accommodations and eateries here, not to mention enough outdoor recreation to please any adrenaline junkie. History lessons, festivals, art shows, and entertainment abound, too. For a guide to the best of the valley and beyond, visit www.redlodge.com or call 1-406-446-1718 or 1-888-281-0625 for more information or to request an official Destination Red Lodge travel planner.
