Editing Powder River County, Montana (section)

==History==
Powder River County's area was probably first entered by Europeans when French trappers worked its streams in the early 1800s. In 1865 the federal government sent soldiers ([[Powder River Expedition (1865)|Powder River Expedition]]) to the [[Powder River country]] to combat Native Americans from the [[Cheyenne people|Cheyenne]], [[Lakota people|Lakota Sioux]], and [[Arapaho people|Arapaho]] tribes. September 1865 saw several skirmishes ([[Powder River Battles (1865)|Powder River Battles]]) near present-day Broadus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wagner |first=David E. |title=Powder River Odyssey: Nelson Cole's Western Campaign of 1865, The Journals of Lyman G. Bennett and Other Eyewitness Accounts |date=2009 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Co.}}</ref> On March 17, 1876, the [[Battle of Powder River]] occurred in the south-central part of the county, about {{convert|34|mi|km}} southwest of Broadus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vaughn |first=J.W. |title=The Reynolds Campaign on Powder River |date=1961 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press}}</ref>

Powderville was the area's first established settlement; it began operating on November 1, 1878, as the Powder River Telegraph Station on a line connecting [[Fort Keogh]] to [[Deadwood, South Dakota]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Powderville: A Personal History}}</ref> On April 5, 1879, the [[Mizpah Creek Incidents]] began near the Powderville telegraph station.

[[Custer County, Montana|Custer County]] was organized in early 1877, consisting of most of SE Montana Territory. In February 1900, the Broadus Post Office opened. In October 1918 the first edition of the area's first newspaper<ref>The Broadus Independent, now called [[Powder River Examiner]].</ref> appeared. On March 17, 1919, Powder River County was formed from southern Custer County. In a 1920 election, Broadus was chosen as the county seat.