Libby

History

Continental and alpine glaciers shaped the area's valleys and lakes. The first indigenous peoples arrived at least 8,000 years ago and hunted and gathered for food. The earliest known American settler, David Thompson, arrived in the 1800s, and early American economic activity included "fur trading, railroad construction, mining, and logging."

Geography

Libby is on U.S. Route 2 at its junction with Montana Highway 37. It is at the confluence of Libby Creek and the Kootenai River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Libby is in the Kootenai National Forest, between the Cabinet Mountains to the south and the Purcell Mountains to the north, the town lies in the heart of the Kootenai Valley along the Kootenai River, and downstream from the Libby Dam. Libby is at an elevation of above sea level. Libby experiences a continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  370
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  314
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  284
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  265
• Red-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta canadensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  248
• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  244
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  228
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  208

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2025-11-21
  20 km N of Heron, Montana
• M 2.5 — 2025-02-13
  10 km SSW of East Hope, Idaho
• M 2.6 — 2025-02-13
  7 km W of Clark Fork, Idaho
• M 2.7 — 2024-09-30
  19 km NNE of Kootenai, Idaho
• M 2.6 — 2023-09-17
  4 km NW of Happys Inn, Montana
• M 2.6 — 2021-03-01
  7 km WSW of Whitefish, Montana