Silver Bow County is named for Silver Bow Creek which flows through Butte and where gold was discovered.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Jefferson County
S – Madison County
Created: February 16, 1881 
County Seat:
Butte 1881 – present
County Courthouse – Butte
Location: 155 West Granite Street / North Montana Street
Built: 1910 – 1912
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: John G Link and Charles S Haire of Billings
Contractor: Sound Construction and Engineering Company
Description: The building faces south and is a four story gray colored stone and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Butte. The south front has a projecting center section with three rectangular entrances on the first story and six columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story. Above is a wide header on the fourth story with small windows along the four story. A balustrade runs along the roof line. In the interior, the rotunda walls are decorated with golden mosaic murals of personified muses – Justice, Geography, History and Philosophy. Above them, Presidents Lincoln, McKinley, Washington, and Wilson reside on the corners of the dome. Large pillars of Montana-quarried Travertine draw the eye upward toward the mosaics and stained glass dome at the roof. The large County District Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story and another courtroom is located on the east side. On the north side is the Law Library which extends into the third story. There is a small courtroom at the northeast corner of the third story. The City Court courtroom is located at the northeast corner of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 2nd Judicial District and County Justice Court. The building also houses the City of Butte offices.
See: The architect, John G Link of Montana ( in association with Charles S Haire and others ) designed courthouses in Montana in Big Horn County, Carter County, Custer County, Dawson County, Granite County, McCone County, Musselshell County, Richland County, Rosebud County and Sheridan County; in Oregon in Jackson County and in Wyoming in Park County, Sheridan County and Washakie County.
History: The county was created in 1881 and Butte was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story structure designed by J R Roberts and built in 1884 to 1885. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1910 to 1912 at a cost of $485,000.
County Courthouse – Butte
Photos taken 2011 and 2022