Zortman, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zortman, Montana
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| Nickname(s):
The cutest little town on earth
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| Motto(s):
In the heart of the Little Rocky Mountains
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 Zortman, Montana
Location in Montana
Zortman, Montana
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Phillips |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.95 sq mi (10.24 km2) |
| • Land | 3.95 sq mi (10.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,993 ft (1,217 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 82 |
| • Density | 20.74/sq mi (8.01/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59546
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2583870 |
Zortman is a small community in Phillips County, Montana, United States. It's known as a census-designated place, which means it's an area identified by the government for statistics, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city. It's also an unincorporated community, meaning it's not officially part of any town or city.
In 2020, about 82 people lived in Zortman. The community has its own post office with the ZIP code 59546. Zortman is a popular spot for hunters to visit, offering places to eat and stay during their trips. The only store in town is the Buckhorn Store.
Contents
Zortman's Gold Mining History
The story of Zortman began in 1868 when gold seekers first arrived. In 1884, two men named Pike Landusky and Dutch Louie found gold, and soon about 2,000 people came to the area hoping to strike it rich!
By 1893, a man named Pete Zortman and his business partner owned a mine called the Alabama Mine. Other important mines nearby were the Ruby Mine and the Little Ben Mine. It's believed that by 1949, these local mines had produced a huge amount of gold, worth about $125 million!
Climate and Wildfires in Zortman
Zortman has a semi-arid climate. This means it's generally dry, but not as dry as a desert.
Unfortunately, Zortman has a long history with wildfires. Many of the original buildings were destroyed in fires in 1929 and 1944. A big forest fire in 1936 even reached the edge of Zortman, causing a lot of damage and sadly, four people lost their lives. That fire burned over 23,000 acres of land.
More recently, in July 2017, another wildfire threatened the town. It burned more than 10,000 acres of forest in the nearby Little Rocky Mountains.
| Climate data for Zortman, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1965–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
69 (21) |
73 (23) |
85 (29) |
90 (32) |
99 (37) |
100 (38) |
101 (38) |
96 (36) |
87 (31) |
81 (27) |
67 (19) |
101 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.7 (0.9) |
34.1 (1.2) |
42.5 (5.8) |
51.0 (10.6) |
60.7 (15.9) |
69.3 (20.7) |
79.2 (26.2) |
79.2 (26.2) |
67.9 (19.9) |
53.6 (12.0) |
42.4 (5.8) |
34.5 (1.4) |
54.0 (12.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.9 (−4.5) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
32.2 (0.1) |
40.6 (4.8) |
50.0 (10.0) |
58.4 (14.7) |
66.3 (19.1) |
65.7 (18.7) |
55.6 (13.1) |
43.1 (6.2) |
33.2 (0.7) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
43.2 (6.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.1 (−9.9) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
39.3 (4.1) |
47.4 (8.6) |
53.5 (11.9) |
52.2 (11.2) |
43.2 (6.2) |
32.7 (0.4) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
32.5 (0.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) |
−33 (−36) |
−27 (−33) |
−6 (−21) |
3 (−16) |
26 (−3) |
28 (−2) |
26 (−3) |
7 (−14) |
−8 (−22) |
−26 (−32) |
−51 (−46) |
−51 (−46) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.92 (23) |
0.63 (16) |
0.83 (21) |
1.77 (45) |
3.18 (81) |
4.00 (102) |
2.32 (59) |
1.45 (37) |
1.37 (35) |
1.29 (33) |
0.99 (25) |
0.71 (18) |
19.46 (494) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Pegasus and Landusky Mines: Environmental Efforts
Zortman was once home to a large mine run by a company called Pegasus Gold Corp. This mine closed in 1997, and the company went out of business the next year. About a mile and a half away was another mine called the Landusky mine. Both of these were cyanide heap-leach gold mines. This is a method where chemicals are used to get gold from crushed rock.
Because of these mining activities, the Bureau of Land Management reported that:
- Water flowing from the Zortman and Landusky mines has put harmful substances into nearby streams and rivers.
- To help fix this, a special fund of $13.8 million was created. This money is used to build and run three systems that collect and clean the water.
Today, Water treatment plants for the Zortman and Landusky areas are managed by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Their goal is to keep the water clean in the Milk and Missouri Rivers, and also for the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.
See also
In Spanish: Zortman (Montana) para niños
