Basin, Montana 124881 223806630 2008-07-05T22:20:15Z Finetooth 4788944 /* External links */ rem redundant external link to coordinates, now included in main text <!-- Infobox begins -->{{Infobox Settlement |official_name = Basin |settlement_type = [[Census-designated place|CDP]] |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = Basin Street in Basin, Montana.jpg |imagesize = 250px |image_caption = Basin Street |image_flag = |image_seal = |image_map = Jefferson_County_Montana_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Basin_Highlighted.svg |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location of Basin, Montana |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = 250px |map_caption1 = |subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]] |subdivision_name = [[United States]] |subdivision_type1 = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]] |subdivision_name1 = [[Montana]] |subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Montana|County]] |subdivision_name2 = [[Jefferson County, Montana|Jefferson]] |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |established_title = |established_date = |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 33.3 |area_total_sq_mi = 12.8 |area_land_km2 = 33.3 |area_land_sq_mi = 12.8 |area_water_km2 = 0 |area_water_sq_mi = 0 |area_water_percent = 0 |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |population_as_of = [[United States Census, 2000|2000]] |population_note = |population_total = 255 |population_metro = |population_urban = |population_density_km2 = 7.7 |population_density_sq_mi = 19.9 |timezone = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]] |utc_offset = −7 |timezone_DST = [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]] |utc_offset_DST = −6 |latd = 46 |latm = 16 |lats = 36 |latNS = N |longd = 112 |longm = 16 |longs = 4 |longEW = W |elevation_m = 1626 |elevation_ft = 5335 |website = |postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]] |postal_code = 59631 |area_code = [[Area code 406|406]] |blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]] |blank_info = 30-04150 |blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID |blank1_info = 0800393 |footnotes = }} <!-- Infobox ends --> '''Basin''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Jefferson County, Montana|Jefferson County]], [[Montana]], [[United States]]. It lies about {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} southeast of the [[Continental Divide]] in a high narrow canyon along [[Interstate 15 in Montana|Interstate 15]] about halfway between [[Butte, Montana|Butte]] and [[Helena, Montana|Helena]]. Basin Creek flows roughly north to south through Basin and enters the Boulder River on the settlement's south side. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human habitation from 10,000&nbsp;years ago at a site near [[Clancy, Montana|Clancy]], {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} from Basin. From about 2000 BCE through the mid-19th century, nomadic tribes hunted [[bison]] in the grassy valleys that trend east, away from the [[Rocky Mountains]] and into the plains. By the time miners found gold in the streams in and near Basin, most of the these tribes of [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] had been forced onto [[Indian reservation|reservation]]s by the U.S. government. Basin rests above the [[Boulder Batholith]], the host rock for many valuable mineral ores found in this part of Montana. After the town became a hub of gold and silver mining, Basin's population peaked at about 1,500 in first decade of the 20th century but gradually declined as the mines were depleted. Abandoned mining equipment, closed or barricaded mine portals, and the ruins of a [[smelter]] and ore concentrator remain in Basin in the 21st century. The population was 255 at the 2000 census. Historic buildings from Basin's heyday form much of the core of the CDP's small business district, which includes a fire station, a post office, two restaurants, a bar, a commercial gallery, small specialty shops, and the nonprofit Montana Artists Refuge. Basin has a small elementary school, its own water system, and a low-power radio station. Local volunteers and elected trustees provide limited services to the settlement, but it relies on the government of Jefferson County, Montana, for law enforcement and other services. ==Geography and geology== Basin, part of the [[Helena, Montana|Helena]] [[Helena micropolitan area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]], is at {{coor dms|46|16|36|N|112|16|4|W|city}} (46.276564, -112.267756).{{GR|1}} It lies at an elevation of {{convert|5335|ft|m|0}} above sea level along [[Interstate 15 in Montana|Interstate 15]] about {{convert|27|mi|km|0|}} north of [[Butte, Montana|Butte]] and {{convert|35|mi|km|0}} south of [[Helena, Montana|Helena]] in the narrow canyon of a small river. Basin Creek flows south through the center of Basin to its confluence with a larger stream, the Boulder River, which flows east along the south side of Basin. No paved roads except the interstate highway, which runs along the river canyon, connect Basin to other towns. About {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} upstream on Basin Creek lies the [[Continental Divide]]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of {{mi2 to km2|12.8|precision=1}}, all land. In the late Cretaceous (roughly 81 to 74 million years ago), molten rock ([[magma]]) rose to the Earth's surface in and near what later became Jefferson County and eventually formed an intrusive body of granitic rock up to {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} thick and {{convert|100|mi|km|0}} in diameter. This body, known as the [[Boulder Batholith]], extends from Helena to Butte, and is the host rock for the many valuable ores mined in the region. As the granite cooled, it cracked, and hot solutions infiltrated the cracks to form mineral [[vein (geology)|vein]]s bearing gold and other metals. Millions of years later, weathering allowed gold in the veins to wash down to the gravels in Basin Creek, Cataract Creek, and the other creeks near Basin, as well as the Boulder River.<ref>{{cite web | title = Math and Science Initiative: Elkhorn Volcanoes and the Boulder Batholith | publisher = State of Montana, Office of Public Instruction | url =http://mathscience.mt.gov/Elkhorn.html| accessdate = 2007-12-17 }}</ref> The Basin area is underlain by the [[quartz monzonite]] of the Boulder Batholith. The batholith is overlain by [[dacite]] from the [[Tertiary]] Period (roughly 65 million to 1.8 million years ago) and [[andesite]] from the late [[Cretaceous]] Period. The andesite and monzonite are cut by [[Dike (geology)|dikes]] of dacite and [[rhyolite]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Historic Narratives, Boulder | publisher = Montana Government, Department of Environmental Quality | date = August 2004 | url =http://www.deq.state.mt.us/abandonedmines/linkdocs/techdocs/75tech.asp | accessdate = 2007-12-17 }}</ref> ==History== ===First peoples=== Archeologists think it likely that the first people to live in Montana crossed from Asia to North America over the [[Bering Land Bridge]] that existed during the last major [[Ice Age]] about 12,000&nbsp;years ago. Because the middle of the continent was covered with sheets of ice, people who migrated south did so on trails along the edges of [[glaciers]] melted by seasonal warming. One such trail, called the Great North Trail, is thought to have followed the [[Rocky Mountain Front]] into Montana, passing close to Helena, {{convert|24|mi|km|0}} north of Basin, and continuing into the east-central part of the state. Evidence of these early Paleo-Indians or [[Clovis culture|Clovis]] people has been found at three sites, one of them the McHaffie site near [[Clancy, Montana|Clancy]] about {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} north of Basin. The age of the Clancy artifacts is estimated to be 10,000&nbsp;years. The Clovis people are thought to have disappeared in about 4,000 to 5,000&nbsp;BCE when the Montana climate became more dry and would not support the animal populations the Clovis needed to survive.<ref name=bryan>{{cite book | last = Bryan | first = William L. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Montana's Indians: Yesterday and Today | publisher = Farcountry Press | date = 1996 | location = Helena | pages = 6–7 | url = http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=kTX_SsG7M10C&dq=Montana's+Indians:+Yesterday+and+Today&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=oLjty31Eq2&sig=Roczt5hSmsR1g2wrnA3mt1mWK7k | doi = | id = | isbn = 1560370645 }}</ref> About 2,000&nbsp;years ago, a new prehistoric people known as the Late Hunters appeared in Montana, thriving on a [[bison]] (buffalo) population living in open grassy areas on the plains and in river valleys. The earliest tribes are thought to have been the [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Kootenai]], who stayed west of the Continental Divide, and the [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Flathead]] (Salish), and [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Pend d'Oreilles]], who ventured east of the mountains into and east of the [[Three Forks]] country, {{convert|46|mi|km|0}} southeast of Basin. In the 1600s, the [[Crow Nation|Crow]] entered Montana from the east and the [[Shoshone]] from the south. Pressed by other tribes retreating west from white European settlers, the [[Blackfeet]] moved into Montana around 1730. Acquiring horses and firearms, and numbering about 15,000, they formed alliances with other incoming tribes, the [[Assiniboine]] and the [[Gros Ventres]], and by the mid-1700s dominated the state. When the white explorers [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|Lewis and Clark]] traveled up the [[Missouri River]] to Three Forks, they found only Blackfeet and Blackfeet allies. Heavily dependent on bison, the nomadic life of the Blackfeet "came to an abrupt end in the early 1880s when the buffalo became almost extinct."<ref name=bryan /> During the 1870s, a few years after the first white miners began looking for gold near Basin, the last large-scale battles between the U.S. government and the Indians took place in Montana. The [[Marias Massacre]] (also known as the Baker Massacre), occurred in 1870 about {{convert|150|mi|km|0}} northeast of Basin. Others, the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]] and the [[Battle of the Rosebud]], were fought in 1876 about {{convert|250|mi|km|0}} from Basin in the southeastern part of the state. By then, most first peoples had been moved to [[Indian reservation|reservation]]s, which were far from Basin.<ref name=bryan /> ===Mining camp=== The town of Basin began as a 19th century mining camp near the confluence of Basin Creek with the [[Boulder River]]. Gold deposits at the mouth of Cataract Creek, about {{convert|0.5|mi|km|1}} downstream of Basin were reported as early as 1862. Prospectors staked claims and built cabins, and within a few years [[placer mining]] extended the full lengths of Cataract and Basin Creeks. When a settlement was established in Basin, the buildings at the mouth of Cataract Creek were gradually moved to Basin, and the Cataract camp was abandoned.<ref name=DEQ>{{cite web | url = http://www.deq.state.mt.us/abandonedmines/linkdocs/techdocs/73tech.asp | title = Historical Narratives: Basin | publisher=Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana State Government | accessdate=2007-12-15 | }}</ref> Searches for the [[lode]] veins on both creeks succeeded by the 1870s and eventually led to significant lode mining at the Eva May, Uncle Sam, Grey Eagle, Hattie Ferguson, and Comet mines in the Cataract Creek district and the Bullion, Hope, and Katy mines in the Basin Creek district. By 1880, the settlement at Basin became the local source of supplies for mines and miners.<ref name=DEQ>{{cite web | url = http://www.deq.state.mt.us/abandonedmines/linkdocs/techdocs/73tech.asp | title = Historical Narratives: Basin | publisher=Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana State Government | accessdate=2007-12-15 | }}</ref> ===Mining town=== [[Image:Basinsmelter.jpg|thumb|left|250px| Ruins of the Glass brothers' smelter in Basin (2007)]]Two mines, the Katy and the Hope, owned serially by several different companies between the mid-1890s and the mid-1920s, contributed to Basin's prosperity. In 1894, the Basin and Bay State Mining Company, organized by two brothers named Glass, began expanded operations at these mines. However, flooding and fires caused both mines to close by 1896; the Glass brothers lost control of the property, and the mines went idle.<ref name=wolle>{{cite book | last = Wolle | first = Muriel Sibell | title =Montana Pay Dirt: A Guide to the Mining Camps of the Treasure State (first paperback edition) | publisher = Sage Books/Swallow Press | date =1983 | location = Athens, Ohio | pages = 153–156 | isbn = 0-8040-0722-5 }}</ref> Despite the ups and downs of the local mines and despite several disastrous fires in town, Basin prospered.<ref name=DEQ/> In 1905, the Basin Reduction Company led by [[F. Augustus Heinze]], who owned mines in [[Butte, Montana|Butte]], took over the properties left by the Glass brothers and improved them. By then, Basin had a population of 1,500, four rooming houses, a drug store, three hotels, a bath house, three grocery stores, a bank, a newspaper, and 12 saloons.<ref name=wolle>{{cite book | last = Wolle | first = Muriel Sibell | title =Montana Pay Dirt: A Guide to the Mining Camps of the Treasure State (first paperback edition) | publisher = Sage Books/Swallow Press | date =1983 | location = Athens, Ohio | pages = 153–156 | isbn = 0-8040-0722-5 }}</ref> An unpublished manuscript on file with the Montana State Historical Society describes life in Basin between 1906 and 1910 in great detail. Two railroads, the [[Northern Pacific Railway|Northern Pacific]] on the north side of the Boulder River, and the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern]] on the south side, served the city; both had depots and warehouses in Basin and carried passengers as well as freight. The Glass brothers' smelter had been set up on the north side to process concentrated ore delivered by rail from out of town or from the mills on the south side. Infrastructure included a weight scale for ore cars and an overhead tram to carry ore across the river from the reduction mill to the smelter. Although the smelter was a "massive unit" equipped with furnaces, conveyors, and machinery ready for operation, it "never turned a wheel".<ref name=beck>Beck, Albert W. (1968). "Map and Legend of Basin, Montana, 1906–1910". Unpublished manuscript on file in the archives of the Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana. Call # SC 1267.</ref> While the smelter sat idle, mining activity continued on the south side of the river in the Hope-Katy mine complex, at the Hope Mill, which crushed and separated ore, and at the Basin Reduction Works. [[Flume]]s carried water from upstream on Cataract Creek and Basin Creek to a storage reservoir in town and supplied water to the mills as well as the town's fire hydrants. A separate flume carried water to the mills from upstream on the Boulder River. At the Basin Reduction Works, [[Corliss Steam Engine|Corliss steam engine]]s, driven by the coal-fired boilers, provided power to run the mine [[Hoist (device)|hoist]]s and the mill machinery, and an electric generator powered by a [[Water wheel| water wheel]] made electricity for factory lights and the [[Arc lamp|arc lights]] at Basin's street intersections. Surplus [[tailings]] were discharged into the river and into a dam built for the purpose downstream of Basin.<ref name=beck/> In addition to homes, Basin structures between 1906 and 1910 included a dance pavilion, a grandstand, a baseball diamond, and a playground near the confluence of Basin Creek with the river. A footbridge connected the playground with a picnic area on the south side of the river. Meeting places included churches, a union hall, and a two-story building shared by the [[Fraternal Order of Eagles]], the [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows]], the [[Freemasonry|Mason]]s, and [[Order of the Eastern Star|Eastern Star]]. Among the town's businesses were a hardware store, a bakery, livery stables, several "units of harlotry", a blacksmith shop, a brewery specializing in Basin Beer, a sawmill, and a dairy barn from which "milk was delivered in five-pound buckets", sometimes with covers.<ref name=beck/> In 1909, after Heinze abandoned his properties in Basin, the Butte and Superior Mining Company used buildings and machinery at the site of the Basin Reduction Works to treat zinc ore by a new process called [[froth flotation]]. Sued for patent infringement, the company shut down its Basin plant in 1912.<ref name=wolle>{{cite book | last = Wolle | first = Muriel Sibell | title =Montana Pay Dirt: A Guide to the Mining Camps of the Treasure State (first paperback edition) | publisher = Sage Books/Swallow Press | date =1983 | location = Athens, Ohio | pages = 153–156 | isbn = 0-8040-0722-5 }}</ref> Max Atwater, a mining engineer who had worked for Butte and Superior, obtained a license for the process and ran a smaller zinc-extraction plant in Basin from 1914 through 1918. His wife, Mary Meigs Atwater, described Basin as "a mining camp, subject to recurring periods of boom and bust... A tiny telephone office and a drugstore passed away with the end of our era of boom... Just above the town were the [[Gallows Frame|headframe]] of our mine, and the old mill, and the never-quite-finished skeleton of a projected smelter."<ref>{{cite book | last = Reiter | first = Mary Jo | title =Weaving a Life: The Story of Mary Meigs Atwater | publisher = Interweave Press | date =1992 | location = Loveland, Colorado | pages = 131 | isbn = 0-934026-77-7 }}</ref> [[Image:Mine entrance.jpg|thumb|right|250px| Former entrance to the Hope-Katy mine complex (2007)]]The most extensive and successful mining of the Hope-Katy vein began in 1919, when the Jib Consolidated Mining Company began work on the property. When this company acquired the mines, they comprised {{convert|3500|ft|m|0}} of workings. Over the next five years, Jib expanded these to more than {{convert|15000|ft|m|0}}, and in 1924 the company became the largest gold producer in Montana. In that year, the combined Jib mines produced about {{convert|33000|oz|g|}} of gold, {{convert|182000|oz|g|}} of silver, {{convert|282000|lb|kg}} of copper, and {{convert|199000|lb|kg}} of lead.<ref name=roby>{{cite book | last = Roby | first = R.N., et al. | title =Bulletin 16: Mines and Mineral Deposits (Except Fuels), Jefferson County, Montana | publisher = Montana School of Mines | date =1960 | location = Butte, Montana | pages = 29, 31–32, 100 }}</ref> In 1925, however, the Jib properties passed from the mining company to trustees for creditors, and production declined.<ref name=roby/> This was the last of Basin's mining booms. Since then, small-scale mining, reworking of old mine dumps, and placer mining has continued in the region.<ref name=DEQ>{{cite web | url = http://www.deq.state.mt.us/abandonedmines/linkdocs/techdocs/73tech.asp | title = Historical Narratives: Basin | publisher=Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana State Government | accessdate=2007-12-15 | }}</ref> ===Since 1960=== For about 50 years, the Merry Widow Health Mine in Basin and similar mines nearby have attracted people seeking relief from health problems such as arthritis through limited exposure to radioactive mine water and [[radon]]. The practice is controversial because of the "well-documented ill effects of high-dose radiation on the body."<ref>{{cite journal | last = Salak | first = Kara | authorlink = | coauthors = Landon Nordeman, photographer | title = 59631: Mining for Miracles | journal = National Geographic | volume = | issue = | pages = | publisher = National Geographic Society | location = | date = 2004 | url = http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0401/feature7/index.html | accessdate = 2007-12-31 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Merry Widow Health Mine | publisher = Merry Widow Health Mine | date = 2006 | url = http://www.merrywidowmine.com/ | accessdate = 2008-02-17}}</ref> In 1975, the Basin community formed water and sewer districts and, using federal grants to cover about 60&nbsp;percent of the costs, built a water delivery, sewage, and waste-handling system.<ref name=Darr>{{cite news | last = Darr | first = Al | title = Basin aims high at building image | pages = 17, 19 | publisher = ''Montana Standard'' | date = 1979-03-04 }}</ref> By 1990, [[Interstate 15 in Montana|Interstate 15]] had replaced the entire length of [[U.S. Route 91]] in the state.<ref>{{cite web | title = AARoads: Interstate 15 | publisher = AARoads | date = 2007 | url = http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-015.html | accessdate = 2008-02-17}} </ref> The centerline of the Interstate followed the track of the former [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] through town.<ref name=Darr /> In 1999, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] added the Basin mining area to the [[Superfund]] National Priorities List because of mining-waste problems in and near town. The mining area comprised the watersheds of Basin and Cataract Creek and part of the Boulder River. Contaminants included [[arsenic]], copper, [[cadmium]], lead and other metals. Cleanup of the mining wastes at the Buckeye-Enterprise, Crystal and Bullion mines in the Basin Creek and Cataract watersheds was completed in 2002, and the removal of mine waste from Basin was completed in 2004.<ref>{{cite web | title = Superfund Program, Basin Mining Area | publisher = U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | date = 2007 | url = http://www.epa.gov/region8/sf/mt/basin/index.html | accessdate = 2008-01-15}} </ref> ===Individual mines=== Almost opposite the Hope-Katy complex on the south side of the Boulder River in Basin was the Katy Extension Mine on the north side. It produced ore from part of the Hope-Katy lode that had been displaced about {{convert|800|ft|m}} to the north by [[fault (geology)|fault]]ing.<ref name=roby/> Other mines within {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} of Basin included the Lotta, {{convert|1|mi|km|1}} west of town along the route of Interstate 15; the Basin Bell (Latsch), about {{convert|1.5|mi|km|1}} north of town along Basin Creek; the Boulder, {{convert|1.5|mi|km|1}} northeast of Basin on the south slope of Pole Mountain; the Mantle and South Mantle, about {{convert|1.5|mi|km|1}} north of town along Cataract Creek; and the Obelisk, {{convert|1.5|mi|km|1}} east of town near the road that later became Interstate 15.<ref name=roby/> ==Demographics== As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 255&nbsp;people, 113&nbsp;households, and 69&nbsp;families residing in the CDP. The [[population density]] was 19.9&nbsp;people per square mile (7.7/km²). There were 146&nbsp;housing units at an average density of 11.4/sq&nbsp;mi (4.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.29% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.57% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.39% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 2.75% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.96% of the population. There were 113&nbsp;households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65&nbsp;years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93. In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38&nbsp;years. For every 100&nbsp;females there were 94.7 males. For every 100&nbsp;females age 18 and over, there were 92.8&nbsp;males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $15,714 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $11,878. About 23.4% of families and 32.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 56.0% of those under the age of 18 and 16.7% of those 65 or over. ==Arts and culture== In 1993, a group of professional artists established the Montana Artists Refuge in Basin. The nonprofit organization offers [[Artist residency|artist residencies]] in two historic buildings, a former bank and meeting hall and a former dry goods store converted to apartment and studio space. The organization sponsors annual art events including the American Indian Artists Symposium and the Basin City Jazz Art Experience, held in the Basin Community Hall.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.montanaartistsrefuge.org/aboutmar.htm | title = About the Refuge | publisher=Montana Artists Refuge | date = 2007| accessdate=2007-12-31 |}}</ref> All types of artists, including potters, painters, musicians, dancers, singers, weavers, and writers, have had residencies in Basin.<ref name=greater>{{cite web | url = http://www.montanaartistsrefuge.org/basininfo.htm | title = The Greater Basin Area | publisher=Montana Artists Refuge | date = 2007| accessdate=2008-01-15 |}}</ref> ==Education, business, and media== [[Image:Basinschool.jpg|thumb|left|250px| Basin School in 2007. The school was built in about 1895.<ref name=greater>{{cite web | url = http://www.montanaartistsrefuge.org/basininfo.htm | title = The Greater Basin Area | publisher=Montana Artists Refuge | date = 2007| accessdate=2008-01-15 |}}</ref>]]A public elementary school, Basin Grade School, serves 15&nbsp;students, pre-[[kindergarten]] through sixth grade.<ref>{{cite web | title = Basin School | publisher = GreatSchools, Inc. | url = http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/mt/77 | accessdate = 2007-11-01}}</ref> Older students attend school in [[Boulder, Montana]], about {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} east of Basin. The town's small business district includes a bar, two restaurants, a traveler's inn, the artist's refuge, small specialty shops, and a pottery gallery.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.jldcmt.com/map.html | title = Discover Jefferson County, Montana: Basin | publisher=Jefferson Local Development Corporation | date = 2007| accessdate=2008-01-15 |}}</ref> A low-power radio station, KBAS, 98.3&nbsp;FM, owned by Jefferson County Disaster and Emergency Services, broadcasts from Basin.<ref>{{cite web | title = Radio Locator: Basin, Montana | publisher = Theodric Technologies LLC |date=2006 | url = http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/info?call=KBAS&service=FL | accessdate = 2007-12-17}}</ref> ==Government== County, state, and federal agencies provide most of the government services available in Basin. Local residents serve as elected trustees of the Basin Fire District and its volunteer fire department. Elected trustees also oversee the Basin Water and Sewer District. The Jefferson County sheriff's department provides law enforcement, and other county departments offer trash removal and recycling, emergency management services, and road maintenance. The county health department has a clinic in Boulder, {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} east of Basin, and the county courthouse, district court, and the nearest branch of the county library are also in Boulder.<ref>{{cite web | title = Jefferson County Local Government | publisher = Jefferson County, Montana | date = 2007 | url = http://www.jeffco.mt.gov/ | accessdate = 2008-01-14}} </ref> The [[United States Postal Service]] has a post office in Basin.<ref>{{cite web | title = Locator | publisher = United States Postal Service | date = 2007 | url = http://www.switchboard.com/usps.1355/dir/6_0/index.htm?mem=1355 | accessdate = 2008-01-14}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist|2}} {{Jefferson County, Montana}} [[Category:Jefferson County, Montana]] [[Category:Census-designated places in Montana]] [[Category:Helena micropolitan area]] [[nl:Basin (Montana)]] [[pt:Basin (Montana)]] [[vo:Basin (Montana)]]