Sheridan County, Montana

County in Montana, United States

Not to be confused with Sheridan, Montana.

County in Montana

Sheridan County

County

Sheridan County Courthouse in Plentywood

Location within the U.S. state of Montana

Montana's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 48°44′N 104°30′W﻿ / ﻿48.73°N 104.5°W﻿ / 48.73; -104.5
Country|  United States
State|  Montana
Founded| March 11, 1913
Named after| Philip Sheridan
Seat| Plentywood
Largest city| Plentywood
Area

• Total

| 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2)
• Land| 1,677 sq mi (4,340 km2)
• Water| 29 sq mi (80 km2)  1.7%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 3,539

• Estimate

(2024)

| 3,448
• Density| 2.1/sq mi (0.80/km2)
Time zone| UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| www.co.sheridan.mt.us

* Montana county number 34

Sheridan County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,539.[1] Its county seat is Plentywood.[2] Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Saskatchewan.

## History

[edit]

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.[3] 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%).[4] International changes in communist organizing strategies, especially the move towards the popular front, effectively ended communist presence in the area.[5]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,706 square miles (4,420 km2), of which 1,677 square miles (4,340 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (1.7%) is water.[6]

### Major highways

[edit]

* Montana Highway 5
* Montana Highway 16

### Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1920| 13,847| | —
1930| 9,869| | −28.7%
1940| 7,814| | −20.8%
1950| 6,674| | −14.6%
1960| 6,458| | −3.2%
1970| 5,779| | −10.5%
1980| 5,414| | −6.3%
1990| 4,732| | −12.6%
2000| 4,105| | −13.3%
2010| 3,384| | −17.6%
2020| 3,539| | 4.6%
2024 (est.)| 3,448| [7]| −2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960,[9] 1900–1990,[10]
1990–2000,[11] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,539 people living in the county.[citation needed]

### 2010 census

[edit]

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 inhabitants per square mile (0.77/km2). There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km2). 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

[edit]

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.

United States presidential election results for Sheridan County, Montana[12] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 1,321  | 69.09% | 509  | 26.62%  | 82  | 4.29%
2020 | 1,403  | 69.11% | 574  | 28.28%  | 53  | 2.61%
2016 | 1,241  | 67.63% | 477  | 25.99%  | 117  | 6.38%
2012 | 1,207  | 62.60% | 665  | 34.49%  | 56  | 2.90%
2008 | 987  | 49.20% | 953  | 47.51%  | 66  | 3.29%
2004 | 1,159  | 56.87% | 846  | 41.51%  | 33  | 1.62%
2000 | 1,176  | 59.85% | 702  | 35.73%  | 87  | 4.43%
1996 | 832  | 34.17%  | 1,187  | 48.75% | 416  | 17.08%
1992 | 795  | 29.85%  | 1,077  | 40.44% | 791  | 29.70%
1988 | 1,381  | 49.98% | 1,354  | 49.00%  | 28  | 1.01%
1984 | 1,774  | 61.62% | 1,087  | 37.76%  | 18  | 0.63%
1980 | 1,658  | 56.94% | 955  | 32.80%  | 299  | 10.27%
1976 | 1,114  | 41.05%  | 1,560  | 57.48% | 40  | 1.47%
1972 | 1,500  | 53.96% | 1,197  | 43.06%  | 83  | 2.99%
1968 | 1,180  | 45.81%  | 1,275  | 49.50% | 121  | 4.70%
1964 | 837  | 30.39%  | 1,905  | 69.17% | 12  | 0.44%
1960 | 1,196  | 43.43%  | 1,549  | 56.25% | 9  | 0.33%
1956 | 1,153  | 38.31%  | 1,857  | 61.69% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 1,339  | 49.39%  | 1,347  | 49.69% | 25  | 0.92%
1948 | 699  | 28.50%  | 1,515  | 61.76% | 239  | 9.74%
1944 | 791  | 31.04%  | 1,713  | 67.23% | 44  | 1.73%
1940 | 892  | 29.23%  | 2,108  | 69.07% | 52  | 1.70%
1936 | 513  | 16.19%  | 2,503  | 79.01% | 152  | 4.80%
1932 | 739  | 22.77%  | 1,450  | 44.67% | 1,057  | 32.56%
1928 | 1,624  | 54.66% | 1,190  | 40.05%  | 157  | 5.28%
1924 | 905  | 35.32%  | 176  | 6.87%  | 1,481  | 57.81%
1920 | 1,335  | 53.46% | 610  | 24.43%  | 552  | 22.11%
1916 | 1,724  | 32.15%  | 3,264  | 60.86% | 375  | 6.99%

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Plentywood (county seat)

### Towns

[edit]

* Medicine Lake
* Outlook
* Westby

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Coalridge[13]
* Comertown
* Dagmar
* Raymond
* Reserve
* Caldera

### Former towns

[edit]

* Dooley
* Archer

## Census-designated places

[edit]

* Antelope
* Homestead
* Redstone
* Reserve

## Education

[edit]

School districts include:[14]

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

## See also

[edit]

* List of lakes in Sheridan County, Montana
* List of mountains in Sheridan County, Montana
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Sheridan County, Montana

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "Montana Place Names Companion". Montana Place Names From Alzada to Zortman. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
4. ^ "Communist Party votes by county". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
5. ^ Stoner McDonald, Verlaine (2010). The Red Corner: The Rise and Fall of Communism in Northeastern Montana. Montana Historical Society Press.
6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
7. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
12. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
13. ^ Coalridge MT Google Maps (accessed January 6, 2019)
14. ^ Geography Division (December 22, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sheridan County, MT (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheridan County, Montana.

* County website

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Sheridan County, Montana

| Rural Municipality of Happy Valley, Saskatchewan | Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley, Saskatchewan | Rural Municipality of Lake Alma, Saskatchewan

|
|

|  |
Daniels County |

Sheridan County, Montana

| Divide County /
Williams County, North Dakota
|  |
| Roosevelt County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Sheridan County, Montana, United States

County seat: Plentywood

City|

* Plentywood

Sheridan County map

Towns|

* Medicine Lake
* Outlook
* Westby

CDPs|

* Antelope
* Homestead
* Redstone
* Reserve

Other
communities|

* Comertown
* Dagmar
* Raymond

Ghost town|

* Dooley

Indian reservations|

* Fort Peck Indian Reservation‡
* Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation‡

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Montana portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Montana

Helena (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Climate change
* Congressional delegations
* Geography
* Government
* Governors
* History
* bibliography
* People
* Protected areas
* Sports
* State symbols
* The Last Best Place
* Transportation
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Abortion
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* Crime
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gun laws
* Politics
* LGBT rights

Regions|

* Eastern Montana
* The Flathead
* Glacier National Park
* Regional designations of Montana
* Western Montana
* Yellowstone

Largest cities|

* Anaconda
* Belgrade
* Billings
* Bozeman
* Butte
* Columbia Falls
* Dillon
* Glendive
* Great Falls
* Hamilton
* Havre
* Helena
* Kalispell
* Laurel
* Lewistown
* Livingston
* Miles City
* Missoula
* Polson
* Sidney
* Whitefish

Counties|

* Beaverhead
* Big Horn
* Blaine
* Broadwater
* Carbon
* Carter
* Cascade
* Chouteau
* Custer
* Daniels
* Dawson
* Deer Lodge
* Fallon
* Fergus
* Flathead
* Gallatin
* Garfield
* Glacier
* Golden Valley
* Granite
* Hill
* Jefferson
* Judith Basin
* Lake
* Lewis and Clark
* Liberty
* Lincoln
* Madison
* McCone
* Meagher
* Mineral
* Missoula
* Musselshell
* Park
* Petroleum
* Phillips
* Pondera
* Powder River
* Powell
* Prairie
* Ravalli
* Richland
* Roosevelt
* Rosebud
* Sanders
* Sheridan
* Silver Bow
* Stillwater
* Sweet Grass
* Teton
* Toole
* Treasure
* Valley
* Wheatland
* Wibaux
* Yellowstone

Montana portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
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National|

* United States
* Israel

48°44′N 104°30′W﻿ / ﻿48.73°N 104.50°W﻿ / 48.73; -104.50
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*[%±]: Percent change
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