Contact Information

Send Mail to:
Back Country Horsemen of Montana, P. O. Box 4864, Butte, MT 59701

History of the Back Country Horsemen

The actual formation of the Back Country Horsemen took place in Montana's Flathead Valley in January of 1973. Growth of the BCH as an organization continued with the formation of additional clubs in Montana. In 1977, the Back Country Horsemen of Washington was incorporated and developed an informal liaison with the Montana and newly formed Idaho Back Country Horsemen. In 1981, a California organization known as the High Sierra Stock Users was formed and after several years of discussion, the four groups decided to merge. They would call themselves the Back Country Horsemen of America. A constitution was drafted in 1985 and accepted in 1986. A board of directors elected from each of the four units became the governing body of the new organization, thus uniting the Montana, Idaho, California, and Washington Back Country Horsemen into one organization, the Back Country Horsemen of America. Since that time, there has been steady growth within the four founding state organizations. In addition, new Back Country Horsemen units have also formed in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. There are also affiliated units in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.