Sheriff and E.M.T Prayers - Big Timber, Montana - Etched in Stone on Waymarking.com

Big Timber is located in south-central Montana bordered by the Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers and is the gateway to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and has some of the best blue-ribbon trout fishing in the state.


Big Timber is the county seat of Sweet Grass County and the population was 1,650 at the 2020.

History of Big Timber, Montana
Captain William Clark led The Corps of Discovery into what is now Sweet Grass County in 1806, but it wasn’t until 1883, and the Northern Pacific Railroad came through, that Big Timber (formerly named Dornix) was born. A railroad station was constructed at Dornix, a small settlement at the confluence of the Boulder and Yellowstone rivers, whose economy revolved around a saw mill. Within a very short time, Dornix moved to higher ground and renamed Big Timber for the large cottonwood trees growing along the rivers. Big Timber was within the Crow Indian reservation lands until 1891 when the Crow Nation ceded their lands west of the Boulder River to the United States Government.

In 1880, two Irishmen, Charles McDonnell, and Edward Veasey drove 3,000 head of sheep from California to Montana, beginning a long history of sheep and cattle ranching in the area.

In 1901 the first woolen mill in Montana was built in Big Timber, and at one time Big Timber shipped more wool than any other city in the United States. While farming and ranching are still the backbones of the area, platinum/palladium mining has become a major contributor to the economy.

The Sweet Grass County Courthouse was built in the county seat of Big Timber in 1897 with a rather imposing and majestic tower over the street-side entrance. The courthouse was designed F. S. Hornbeck and built by contractor H.J. Wolcott, and county officers moved in on November 04, 1897.

In 1927, the courthouse, was expanded with an addition added to the west side of the building and designed by J. G. Link, of Link and Haire.

To the side of the courthouse, in a nice parklike setting, is a large two sided tiled signboard with two etched prayers and drawings of the sheriff and E.M.T with the Crazy Mountains in the foreground on the back side.

God
Grant me the ability
to give emergency care,
With skillful hands, knowledgeable mind
And tender loving care.
Help me deal with everything
When lives are on the line.
To see the worst, administer aid,
And ease a worried mind.
So help me as I go today
Accept what fate may be.
Touch these hands
Use this mind,
Help this E.M.T.
Amen
E.M.T. PRAYER

Lord
Please give me the qualities
To wear this star proudly.
I ask for the strength, courage and
dedication to carry the symbol
that stood for law and order
throughout our country’s history.
Strength to protect other, courage
To do what has to be done plus
Dedication to my job and my community
…and please Lord, through it all
…be by my side
SHERIFF’S PRAYER