The answer, in our case at least, is 404 kilometers. It transpired that, once we had actually decided to include a jaunt up to Zortman in our present odyssey, it required a side trip of 202 kilometers north from Roundup, Montana to Zortman and back.
Sleepy little Zortman rests quietly in the "Little Rocky Mountains", a small mountain range in east central Montana. Surrounding the range on all sides is wildly (as opposed to mildly) rolling prairie, mostly hosting mustard greens and sage brush, with the odd range cow to be seen here and there.
Zortman itself has no apparent reason for being. At one time a fair amount of gold was taken out of the surrounding hills, but that is long gone. The town can't be considered a supply centre for surrounding cattle ranches as there are no supply outlets, only a bar and cafe, a motel, scattered buildings of various types and sizes and one of the most picturesque Catholic churches one will find. The little wood framed building with a small bell tower and steeple stands atop a hill on the western edge of the hamlet, high above the rest of the buildings. When approaching the town from the east it is the first suggestion of civilization one sees, all alone on a hill, surrounded by forest.
The community of Zortman was named for one of its founders, Oliver "Pete" Zortman, one of the first miners to land in the area. Today the community boasts a population of just 50 residents.
See a short history below.