Otter, Montana

Otter is an unincorporated community in southwestern Powder River County, Montana, United States, in the Custer National Forest. It lies along local roads southwest of the town of Broadus, the county seat of Powder River County.[2] Its elevation is 3,484 feet (1,062 m).[1] Although Otter is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 59062.[3]

Otter
Unincorporated community
Otter Location within the state of Montana
Coordinates: 45°12′28″N 106°12′6″W
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Powder River
Elevation	3,484 ft (1,062 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes	59062
GNIS feature ID	788508[1]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Otter has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[4]

History

The Community of Otter was named for Otter Creek. The town post office (opened in 1895) is located within a mile of its head.[5] Otter Creek was named by fur traders and trappers in the early days of Montana's history. In 1897, area cattle rancher Levi Howes established the civilian redoubt Fort Howes in response to an anticipated attack by the Northern Cheyenne. In 1900, a sheep raid led by future Wyoming Governor and US Senator John B. Kendrick resulted in over 2,000 sheep being killed. Kendrick's participation in the raid was unconfirmed until 1974.[6]

See also

• Fort Howes

References

1. "Otter, Montana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 61.
3. Zip Code Lookup
4. Climate Summary for Otter, Montana
5. Cheney, Roberta (1983). Names on the Faces of Montana. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 0-87842-150-5.
6. Brewster, Lyman (Winter 1974). "December, 1900: The Quiet Slaughter". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. XXIV (1): 82–85.