Sheridan County, Montana

History

The Montana Legislature established Sheridan County in 1913 from portions of Dawson and Valley Counties. It was named for American Civil War General Philip Sheridan. In the 1920s and 1930s the county was a hotbed of communist organizing. The CPUSA managed to elect several town and county officials. At the 1932 presidential election the communist candidate William Z. Foster got 576 votes (22%). International changes in communist organizing strategies, especially the move towards the popular front, effectively ended communist presence in the area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1706 sqmi, of which 1677 sqmi is land and 29 sqmi (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:MT-5.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 5
• [[Image:MT-16.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 16

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Rural Municipality of Happy Valley, Saskatchewan – northwest
• Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley, Saskatchewan – north
• Rural Municipality of Lake Alma, Saskatchewan – northeast
• Daniels County – west
• Divide County, North Dakota – east
• Williams County, North Dakota – east
• Roosevelt County – south

National protected area

• Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,539. Of the residents, 21.3% were under the age of 18 and 24.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.0 years. For every 100 females there were 108.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.4 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.

There were 1,631 households in the county, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,128 housing units, of which 23.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.4%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,384 people, 1,587 households, and 944 families living in the county. The population density was 2.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of 1.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.8% were Norwegian, 26.0% were German, 12.0% were Danish, 11.6% were Irish, 5.5% were Swedish, 5.3% were English, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 1,587 households, 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.5% were non-families, and 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 50.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,578 and the median income for a family was $55,313. Males had a median income of $46,932 versus $22,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,537. About 6.4% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Sheridan County voters have selected the Republican County candidate in 80% of the national elections since 1980.

Sheridan County had a strong Communist Party presence in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1932 presidential election, Communist candidate William Z. Foster received 18% of the vote in the county, his strongest performance nationwide.

Communities

City

• Plentywood (county seat)

Towns

• Medicine Lake
• Outlook
• Westby

Census-designated place

• Antelope
• Homestead
• Redstone
• Reserve

Unincorporated communities

• Coalridge
• Comertown
• Dagmar
• Raymond
• Reserve
• Caldera

Former towns

• Dooley
• Archer

Census-designated places

• Antelope
• Homestead
• Redstone
• Reserve

Education

School districts include:

• Medicine Lake K-12 Schools
• Plentywood K-12 Schools
• Westby K-12 Schools

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Montana Place Names Companion". Montana Historical Society Research Center.
4. "Communist Party votes by county".
5. Stoner McDonald, Verlaine. (2010). "The Red Corner: The Rise and Fall of Communism in Northeastern Montana". Montana Historical Society Press.
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau.
7. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
15. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Coalridge,+MT+59219/@48.6983593,-104.1978624,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x532226850b892bbb:0x97a3ce49afc86c37!8m2!3d48.6983602!4d-104.1891076 ''Coalridge MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 6, 2019)]
17. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sheridan County, MT". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].