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Montana County
Blaine County, Montana
Bear Paw Battlefield - "I will fight no more forever" - from the Bear Paw Battlefield (the site 40 miles from the Canadian border in Blaine County where Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Nation made their final stand on October 5, 1877 - after fleeing 1,170 miles from their Oregon homeland across Idaho, Yellowstone, and Montana while pursued by multiple Army columns - Chief Joseph's surrender speech, ending with "I will fight no more forever," is one of the most eloquent and heartbreaking statements in American history, and the Bear Paw Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the Nez Perce's last tragic encampment) and the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes' homeland in Blaine County).
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Sheriff: Blaine County Sheriff’s Office – 420 Ohio St, PO Box 8, Chinook, MT 59523 | (406) 357-3260 | Fax: (406) 357-2199; Sheriff John Colby. Serves the towns of Chinook, Harlem, Zurich, Hogeland, Turner, and all rural areas of Blaine County; also handles civil process (court summons, small claims, garnishments, sheriff’s sales) and delinquent property tax collection.
County Health Department: PO Box 516, Chinook, MT 59523 | (406) 357-2345.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2 (the “Hi-Line”) serves Chinook, the county seat, in north-central Montana on the Canadian border opposite Saskatchewan.
Notes: Blaine County, formed 1912 from Chouteau County and named for former U.S. Secretary of State James G. Blaine, spans roughly 4,239 square miles with about 7,000 residents. The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) occupies the southeastern portion of the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Blaine County – confirm current phone via blainecounty-mt.gov.
Notes: Blaine County is genuinely home to the Bear Paw Battlefield – part of Nez Perce National Historical Park, roughly 16 miles south of Chinook, where Chief Joseph surrendered to the U.S. Army on October 5, 1877 after a 1,300-mile retreat, speaking the famous words “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” Some Nez Perce escaped across the nearby Canadian border during the fighting. The Blaine County Museum in Chinook serves as the interim visitor center, featuring the multimedia presentation “Forty Miles from Freedom” alongside pioneer, Native American heritage, and paleontology exhibits (part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Blaine County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via blainecounty-mt.gov.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible south).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Blaine County Library – 112 4th St W, Chinook, MT 59523 | (406) 357-2932; part of a network of community libraries serving the Hi-Line, with an additional branch in Harlem.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Bear Paw Battlefield, the Bears Paw Mountains (making up the southwestern portion of the county), and the Milk River corridor are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine site of Chief Joseph’s famous surrender speech is one of the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Blaine County Assessor – confirm current contact via blainecounty-mt.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
PAWS of Chinook – the only animal shelter serving Blaine County’s roughly 4,000 square miles; a small 5-kennel, entirely donation-funded nonprofit that has operated for 30 years but has faced serious financial strain in recent years, at times limiting the number of animals it can take in – worth flagging honestly for readers, as capacity may be constrained; confirm current status before relying on intake.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Blaine County – confirm current contact via blainecounty-mt.gov.
NOTES: Blaine County is the third county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s first batch. The genuine Bear Paw Battlefield and Chief Joseph’s surrender are among the most historically significant sites covered in this project. The county’s only animal shelter has faced real financial strain – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Blaine County
Blaine County is the Bear Paw Battlefield – just 40 miles from Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877 after the 1,170-mile Nez Perce flight with “I will fight no more forever,” one of the most heartbreaking statements in American history, and the Fort Belknap Reservation’s Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Nations maintain their Hi-Line homeland.
Chinook (the county seat, population ~1,200) serves Blaine County’s tribal, ranching, and agricultural communities near the Canadian border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Blaine County Assessor at 400 Ohio Street, Chinook, MT 59523, phone 406-357-2290. MT residential assessed at market value, taxed at 1.35%.
Courts & Legal
Blaine County District Court at 400 Ohio Street, Chinook, MT 59523, phone 406-357-2290, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
400 Ohio St., Chinook, MT 59523
(406) 357-3240
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
400 Ohio St., Chinook, MT 59523
(406) 357-3240
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Blaine County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Part of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation lies within Blaine County, holding significant tribal historical records separate from county court records.
Local societies
No dedicated Blaine County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Blaine County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 420 Ohio Street, Chinook, MT 59523 (406) 357-3230 Blaine County is in north-central Montana, seated in Chinook.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Montana adopted the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), codified at Title 72 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Probate is handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided.
Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (MCA § 72-3-1101) – available when the value of the probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000. At least 30 days must have passed since the death, and no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative may be pending or granted anywhere. The affiant presents the sworn, notarized affidavit (with a certified death certificate) directly to whoever holds the property to collect it – skipping probate court entirely. Must be used within 3 years of death.
Summary Administration – a streamlined court process for estates valued at $100,000 or less; unlike the affidavit procedure, this still goes through the court, just with reduced formality.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates. An application can be made to the clerk of district court no sooner than 120 hours (5 days) after death, with minimal court involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or distribution. Handled by a district court judge.
Supervised Administration – formal probate with ongoing court oversight of the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the Clerk of District Court in the county where the decedent resided, no sooner than 120 hours after death.
The court or clerk appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Montana does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally “reasonable compensation” based on time and complexity.
Montana has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
400 Ohio St., Chinook, MT 59523
(406) 357-2211
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
400 Ohio St., Chinook, MT 59523
(406) 357-3240
ELECTIONS
400 Ohio St., Chinook, MT 59523
(406) 357-3240
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Blaine County Health Department – PO Box 516, Chinook, MT 59523 | (406) 357-2345.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Chinook
Population: 6,700
Area: 4,228 sq mi
Established: 1912
Tier: 3
Public Records
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