Quick Facts

T.E. Collins

Two years before Montana was granted statehood, T.E. Collins proposed the creation of Cascade County. Collins, a representative at the first legislative assembly held in Virginia City, proposed a bill to the Territorial Congress which would designate a new territorial county. The year was 1887 and Montana was still a territory that President Abraham Lincoln had approved of creating in 1864. Collins' bill proposed taking land from Lewis and Clark, Meagher, and Chouteau counties in order to create this new territorial county. The bill was approved, after many debates, and Cascade County was created. Two years later, in 1889, Montana was granted statehood.

One could argue that the planning was done by Collins and others, in order to create Cascade County, loosely created the first Cascade County Planning Department. Officially, Cascade County Commissioners created the Cascade County Planning Board on November 19, 1973. The first meeting of the Cascade County Planning Board was held on January 22, 1974.

Counts

• Cascade County Population (2010 Census) - 81,327
• Cascade County Population (2003 Estimated) - 79,561
• Land Area (Square Miles) - 2,698
• Persons Per Square Mile (2000 Consensus) - 29.8
• County Seat - Great Falls
• Highest Point in Elevation (Long Mountain, east of Neihart) - 8,621 feet
• Lowest Point in Elevation (the point at which the Missouri River leaves Cascade County) - 2,740 feet

Historical Population of Cascade County