Major Milestones in Carbon County Coal Mining
- 1866 Coal Discovered in Carbon County
- 1884 Red Lodge Established
- 1884 First Log Hut Becomes Post Office
- 1887 Rocky Fork Coal Company Opened First Mine in Red Lodge
- 1889 Completion of Northern Pacific Railroad Line into Red Lodge
- 1890 Mining Begins in Bearcreek Area
- 1893 Spofford Hotel Built – First Brick Building on Broadway Ave.
- 1895 Carbon County Established
- 1897 Finnish Opera House Built in Red Lodge
- 1899 Carbon County Courthouse Built
- 1905 Bearcreek Established
- 1906 Completion of Yellowstone Park Railroad into Bearcreek
- 1910 Carbon County Leads Montana in Coal Production
- 1911 Red Lodge Population Reaches 5,000
- 1930s Decline of the Mines
- 1936 Beartooth Highway Links Red Lodge and Yellowstone National Park
- 1943 Smith Mine Disaster