Bearcreek, MT

Bearcreek is an incorporated town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census counted 91 residents. Bearcreek is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bearcreek uses the Mayor/Council form of government. After the MW&S railroad was built, Bearcreek expanded rapidly as coal production increased. American and foreign-born workers moved there, drawn by the expanding coal mining activity and the promise of steady work. Bearcreek makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap.

The useful thing to know about Bearcreek is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. Bearcreek owes its existence to area coal mining that began in the 1890s to supply coal for the Northern Pacific Railway and the Anaconda Company. The Bearcreek Post Office was established on November 22, 1905, with Sarah Criger as the town's first postmaster. Bearcreek is situated on Montana Secondary Highway 308, Bearcreek is about halfway between Red Lodge and Belfry.