Teton County Courthouse - Choteau, MT - Montana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

In 1906, Choteau's newspaper, the Acantha, proudly celebrated the completion of the new county courthouse. "This splendid edifice," its editor predicted, "... will stand for years as a monument to the honor and integrity of all the people of the county." Built of locally quarried sandstone, the two-and-one-half-story building has served its community for over a century. From 1893 to 1906, the county operated from rented rooms in several different buildings. By 1905, however, the need for a permanent courthouse was clear—at least to the residents of Choteau. Others further from the county seat had their doubts. When county commissioners proposed a $40,000 bond issue to construct a permanent courthouse, a spirited newspaper war ensued. The Choteau Acantha enthusiastically championed the bond measure. The Conrad Observer vehemently opposed it, motivated by the hope that Conrad might someday replace Choteau as county seat. Conrad achieved its political ambitions when the legislature carved Pondera County from Teton. County in 1919. But it lost this early battle; the bond issue passed 366 to 316. Kalispell architects Joseph Gibson and George Shanley designed the building, likely adapting the plan from their 1903 design for Flathead County High School. Their plan successfully embodied the county's ambitions. The symmetrical façade, central three-story tower, bracketed cornice, arched entrances, and low hipped roof make the courthouse an excellent example of Renaissance Revival style architecture. Commonly used for large public buildings, the style denoted permanence and governmental authority, both important symbolic concepts for the young county.
From the plaque at the building

The Teton County Courthouse
During the late 19th and early 20th century, Montana was organized into 56 counties, each with its own county seat and courthouse. The buildings span a spectrum, from the simple, wooden false-fronted courthouse to grand multi-story granite and sandstone Revival style buildings. These courthouses have served for decades as important landmarks and the center of local governance. The Teton County Courthouse is unquestionably one of the most impressive monuments to local government in the state of Montana.

Constructed in 1906, the Teton County Courthouse was designed by prominent Montana architects Joseph Gibson and George Shanley. The Italian Renaissance Revival courthouse was constructed of sandstone quarried at nearby Rattlesnake Butte. In 1915, a south end addition was made, a jail was attached at the rear, and over the years some limited interior modifications were made. For one hundred years, the courthouse has functioned as the hub of local politics, an architectural centerpiece for the community of Choteau, and a symbol of the optimism and endurance of Teton County citizens.

A Courthouse for Teton County

Teton County, Montana, is a vast wind-swept plateau. Rising sheerly in the west is the flat gray-blue silhouette of the Rockies; there are hardly any foothills, and the mountains are like gigantic paper cutouts against the sky. To the east there is a gradual slope to the hazy brown monotony of the prairie.

The Montana Legislature created Teton County in February 1893 from the western portion of Chouteau County, one of the original counties of Territorial Montana. Teton County once covered an area from the Sun River north to the Canadian border and from the Rocky Mountain Front Range on the west to its varied eastern boundary 60 to 125 miles distant. By 1921, county-splitting reduced Teton County to its present size of 2295 square miles. Teton County is still bounded partially to the south by the Sun River and the Teton River flows across the middle of the county. Teton County today has a population of less than 7000 people and consists of small rural communities spread along the primary transportation routes.
From the NRHP Registration Form