Welcome to the Stanford, Montana Picture Tour

In 1880 Calvin and Edward Bower came here with a thousand head of sheep and acquired 100,000 acres. The Bowers named the settlement for their old home, Stanfordville, in Duchess County, New York.  Today, Stanford, Montana is the Judith Basin county seat.

Why do you see a White Wolf on the Stanford High School and Welcome Sign?

Between Stanford and the Little Belt Mountains (to the south), ranged the Judith Basin area’s notorious White Wolf. There he reigned supreme for over fifteen years, preying on calves and eluding the cattlemen track him down. As his fame grew, hunters from all over the United States came to try their luck at hunting the legendary White Wolf. When the White Wolf was finally captured, locals found that he as large as had been reported, weighing 83 pounds and measuring, including the tail, six feet long.

Judith River Wildlife Management Area

This is one of our favorite Central Montana hikes: The Middle Fork of the Judith River. To get there, ride US Highway 87 to Windham, Montana  (7 miles east of Stanford), take paved route 239 south for 11 miles to Utica, Montana; from Utica take the main gravel road heading southwest along the north side of the Judith River for nine miles to Sapphire Village; then turn right on the first road just past the village and proceed 1.5 miles west to the Judith River Wildlife Management Area headquarters.