Sheridan County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,539. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Plentywood. Its northern boundary is the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

south of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

History

The Montana Legislature established Sheridan County in 1913 from portions of Dawson and

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

Counties. It was named for

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close a ...

. In the 1920s and 1930s the county was a hotbed of

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

organizing. The

CPUSA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...

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 A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

, effectively ended communist presence in the area.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

* Montana Highway 5 *

Montana Highway 16 Montana Highway 16 (MT 16) is a state highway in the US state of Montana. It begins in West Glendive at a Business Loop of Interstate 94 (I-94), and ends at the Port of Raymond on the Saskatchewan border. The northern portion from U.S. Route 2 ...

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

* Rural Municipality of Happy Valley,

- northwest * Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley,

- north * Rural Municipality of Lake Alma,

- northeast * Daniels County - west * Divide County,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

- east * Williams County,

- east * Roosevelt County - south

National protected area

* Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

, there were 4,105 people, 1,741 households, and 1,140 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 2.4 people per square mile (0.9/km²). There were 2,167 housing units at an average density of 1.3 per square mile (0.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.10%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.22% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.19% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 35.5% were of Norwegian, 19.0%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and 8.9% Danish ancestry. There were 1,741 households, out of which 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 4.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.50% were non-families. 32.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87. The county population contained 22.90% under the age of 18, 4.80% from 18 to 24, 22.20% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 23.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,518, and the median income for a family was $35,345. Males had a median income of $23,053 versus $20,112 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,038. About 10.60% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.40% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, there were 3,384 people, 1,587 households, and 944 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of . 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

, 12.0% were Danish, 11.6% were Irish, 5.5% were Swedish, 5.3% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, and 5.0% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. 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

, 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.

Communities

City

* Plentywood (county seat)

Towns

* Medicine Lake * Outlook * Westby

Census-designated places

Antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mamm ...

* Homestead * Redstone *

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...

Unincorporated communities

* Coalridge''Coalridge MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 6, 2019)
/ref> * Comertown * Dagmar * Raymond

Ghost towns

Dooley Dooley is an Irish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bill Dooley (born 1934), American football coach and brother of Vince Dooley * Billy Dooley, Irish hurling player * Brian Dooley (writer), British television writer * Brian ...

* Archer

References

External links

County website
{{Coord, 48.73, -104.50, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1913 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1913