Park County, Montana: Living In Paradise

Residents of Park County, Montana, claim that making a home there is like living in Paradise. Few places in the continental United States still look much the same as they did 100 years ago, but the town of Livingston and the surrounding is just such a place. Its history hums with the vibrancy of the old Wild West, and ghosts of its former residents still whisper from the dust.

Livingston was established by the Northern Pacific Railway in order to build railroad servicing shops to help prepare trains for the crossing of Bozeman Pass. At approximately 5,600 feet, the Pass was the highest point on the entire line. The town itself lies at 4,500 feet and is located in Park County: so named because of its southern Montana proximity to Yellowstone National Park.

Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the area was inhabited by Crow Indians who made their home in the Yellowstone River Basin. The first known white people to enter the area were Lewis and Clark, and mountain man Jim Bridger was known to have spent some time there in the mid 19th century. Beaver trapping was big business after Bridger's time, and Livingston became a stopover for miners heading east with their loads of gold.

By the time the railroad established Livingston, the population of the county was only about 200, but the ranks of people swelled thereafter. Today, Livingston itself is home to nearly 7,000 year round residents. It retains a small town feel, and its main street storefronts are reminiscent of its Wild West roots.

Home to cowboys, Buffalo Bill held auditions for his famous Wild West shows in Livingston in 1889. Calamity Jane made this town her home for 20 years, and traveling aristocrats from Europe traveled through on their way to Yellow Stone, in search of the true western experience.

Today, Livingston is an enclave for writers and has an intimate artists' colony. The town has several museums, including one dedicated to the popular sport of fly fishing, and one about the history of the area and Yellowstone.

Breathtaking scenery abounds in Park County. Livingston is located in Paradise Valleys, surrounded by majestic mountain ranges: the Absaroka-Beartooth, the Gallatins, the Bridgers and the Crazy Mountains. In the spring, fresh prairie grasses are dotted with colorful wildflowers and teeming with life. Summer temperatures are dry and temperate, making the area a pleasant escape from harsher summer climates.

History, beauty, and a tranquil way of life make Park County and the town of Livingston a unique place to live: away from the hustle and bustle and close to the glories of nature.