Editing Dawson County, Montana

{{Short description|County in Montana, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Dawson County
 | state                = Montana
 | seal                 = 
 | founded date         = January 15
 | founded year         = 1869
 | seat wl              = Glendive
 | largest city wl      = Glendive
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 2383
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 2372
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 11
 | area percentage      = 0.5
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 8940
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2022
 | population_est       = 8830 {{decrease}}
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
 | time zone            = Mountain
 | web                  = www.dawsoncountymontana.org
 | ex image             = Dawson County Courthouse- Glendive MT.JPG
 | ex image cap         = Dawson County Courthouse in Glendive
 | named for          = Andrew Dawson
 | district             = 2nd
 | footnotes            = 
* Montana county number 16
}}

'''Dawson County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Montana]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 8,940.<ref name="QF">{{Cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dawsoncountymontana/PST045222 |access-date=April 5, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Glendive, Montana|Glendive]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

==History==
Dawson County was the tenth county organized in [[Montana Territory]]. It was created January 15, 1869, four and a half years after [[Montana Territory]] was organized.   Before the formation of Dawson county, the area was the northern half of the original [[Big Horn County, Montana|Big Horn County]]. Dawson takes its name from [[Major (rank)|Major]] Andrew Dawson,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gannett, Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |year=1905 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n100 101]}}</ref> manager of the [[Fort Benton Trading Post]] for the [[American Fur Company]] from 1856 to 1864.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montana Place Names Companion |url=http://mtplacenames.org/ |access-date=May 9, 2011 |website=Montana Place Names From Alzada to Zortman |publisher=Montana Historical Society Research Center}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|2383|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|2372|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|11|sqmi}} (0.5%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205145322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt |archive-date=December 5, 2014 |access-date=November 28, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Dawson County is located in the extreme eastern portion of Montana, about fifteen to twenty miles west of the Dakota line.<ref name=ST/>

Dawson County contains part of Montana's [[badlands]]. [[Makoshika State Park]] is an example of that area's unusual rock formations. Dawson County's principal water sources are the [[Yellowstone River]], which bisects its southeastern section, and the [[Redwater River]] in its northwest corner. Numerous creeks are tributary to these streams, furnishing abundant and accessible facilities watering livestock and for small irrigation enterprises and water conservation projects. In the upper bench lands, artesian well irrigation has received considerable attention.

The largest [[Triceratops]] skull ever found was discovered in 1992 and excavated in 2003 in Dawson County, Montana, in the famous [[Hell Creek Formation]]. It is a 65-million-year-old male Triceratops skull, 9.2 feet long, 5.2 feet high and 4.6 feet wide and weighing over 600&nbsp;kg. It has been dubbed 'Dragon King' and is understood to be the most expensive skull to ever trade privately.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2015 |title=Yours for US$1.8m or more: 'world's biggest dinosaur' skull on sale in Hong Kong |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1776194/yours-us18m-worlds-biggest-dinosaur-skull-sale-hong-kong}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2015 |title=How a $1.8 million dinosaur skull went from Montana to Hong Kong |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/luxury/dinosaur-triceratops-skull-hong-kong/}}</ref>

Parts of Dawson County were taken to form [[Valley County, Montana|Valley County]] in 1893, [[Richland County, Montana|Richland County]] and part of [[Wibaux County, Montana|Wibaux County]] in 1914, part of [[Prairie County, Montana|Prairie County]] in 1915, and [[Garfield County, Montana|Garfield County]] and part of [[McCone County, Montana|McCone County]] in 1919.<ref name="ST">{{Cite book |last=Stout |first=Tom |url=https://archive.org/details/montanaitsstorya01stourich |title=Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, under the editorial supervision of Tom Stout |date=1921 |publisher=American Historical Society |location=Chicago IL |access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* [[Image:I-94.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 94 in Montana|Interstate 94]]
* [[Image:US 10.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Highway 10]] (Former)
* [[Image:MT-16.svg|20px]] [[Montana Highway 16]]
* [[Image:MT-200.svg|20px]] [[Montana Highway 200]]
* [[Image:MT-200.svg|20px]] [[Montana Highway 200]] (Alternate)
* [[Montana Highway 254]]
{{div col end}}
In 1920, Dawson County was traversed by the National Parks Highway or Red Trail, the Black Trail, the Green Trail and the Blue Trail, all of which passed through Glendive.<ref name=ST/>

===Transit===
*[[Jefferson Lines]]

===Adjacent counties===
{{div col}}
* [[Richland County, Montana|Richland County]] - north
* [[Wibaux County, Montana|Wibaux County]] - east
* [[Prairie County, Montana|Prairie County]] - south
* [[McCone County, Montana|McCone County]] - west
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 2056
|1900= 2443
|1910= 12725
|1920= 9239
|1930= 9881
|1940= 8618
|1950= 9092
|1960= 12314
|1970= 11269
|1980= 11805
|1990= 9505
|2000= 9059
|2010= 8966
|2020= 8940
|estyear=2022
|estimate=8830
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |access-date=April 5, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=November 28, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br/>1790–1960,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ |archive-date=August 11, 2012 |access-date=November 28, 2014 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900–1990,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mt190090.txt |access-date=November 28, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br/>1990–2000,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |access-date=November 28, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF" />
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 8,940 people living in the county.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 8,966 people, 3,749 households, and 2,429 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|3.8|PD/sqmi}}. There were 4,233 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1.8|/sqmi}}. The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.6% were [[Germans|German]], 16.3% were [[Norwegians|Norwegian]], 15.5% were [[Irish people|Irish]], 8.2% were [[English people|English]], and 6.5% were [[Americans|American]].

Of the 3,749 households, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.2% were non-families, and 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 43.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,752 and the median income for a family was $63,982. Males had a median income of $45,222 versus $30,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,602. About 7.4% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Dawson County, Montana|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Atlas of US Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |access-date=April 2, 2018 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,627|894|117|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|3,758|962|105|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,320|787|302|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|3,029|1,219|175|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,639|1,593|212|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,884|1,494|106|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,723|1,364|184|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,890|1,903|880|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,679|1,785|1,386|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|2,658|2,120|108|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|3,468|1,776|70|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,045|1,543|530|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|2,639|2,201|120|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,207|1,685|122|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,650|1,695|223|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,938|2,691|8|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|2,460|2,108|14|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|2,463|1,929|0|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|2,396|1,247|15|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|1,555|1,397|65|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|1,549|1,362|16|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,612|1,765|15|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,221|2,169|20|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,470|1,929|58|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,207|1,065|14|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|1,326|346|947|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,784|875|132|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|2,105|2,835|187|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|678|719|1,385|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|927|439|90|Montana}}
{{PresFoot|1904|Republican|769|189|35|Montana}}

==Economy==
Dawson County is known for its dryland grain, coal mines and gas and oil wells.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Merrill |first=Andrea |title=Montana almanac |last2=Judy Jacobson |publisher=Falcon Publishing |year=1997 |isbn=1-56044-493-2 |location=Helena, Montana}}</ref> There are 522 current farms and ranches, and 296 commercial businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson County EDC |title=Welcome |url=http://dawsonedc.com/ |access-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref>

Lying in the heart of the western third of the Fort Union region, Dawson County is plentifully supplied with lignite coal. Local natural gas has supplied Glendive since at least 1920. Excellent clays for pottery and brick-making are also found in the county.<ref name=ST/>

From early days, Dawson County was known as a splendid stock county, because of the native cover of a heavy and nutritious grass. Unlike some other parts of the state, the livestock industry did not die out. In the early 20th century, the county was known for pure-bred stock raising, dairying, and the production of hogs and poultry.

While there is some broken land around the Sheep Bluffs, in the northwestern part of the county, and east of the Yellowstone, smooth prairies and rolling land predominated in the county, making conditions excellent for farming purposes. The dark sandy loam soil, with a heavy clay subsoil, was a big producer.

The principal crops in the early years of the 20th century were barley, oats and wheat. Sixty per cent of the land was tillable, and the remainder afforded good grazing. As of 1920, the headgates of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, which irrigated approximately 90,000 acres, were located at Intake, in Dawson County, and further irrigation was planned. Unirrigated land was also producing excellent crops, with up to 400 bushels of potatoes in one acre of unirrigated land. In 1915, Dawson County won first and second prizes on Northwestern Dent corn at the St. Paul Corn Show, and in December of the following year, at the First National Corn Show, held at the same city, took first and second prizes and three third prizes. In 1920, it was estimated that the acreage planted in corn in Dawson County alone was as great as the corn acreage for the entire state in 1910.<ref name=ST/>

==Education==
[[Dawson Community College]] is located in Glendive.

==Communities==
[[File:PostcardGlendiveMTBellStreet1913.jpg|thumb|1913 postcard of Glendive]]

===City===
* [[Glendive, Montana|Glendive]] (county seat)

===Town===
* [[Richey, Montana|Richey]]

===Census-designated place===
* [[West Glendive, Montana|West Glendive]]

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}* [[Bloomfield, Montana|Bloomfield]]
* [[Lindsay, Montana|Lindsay]]{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of lakes in Dawson County, Montana]]
* [[List of mountains in Dawson County, Montana]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Dawson County, Montana]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Tom Stout (ed.), [https://archive.org/details/montanaitsstorya01stourich ''Montana, Its Story and Biography: A History of Aboriginal and Territorial Montana and Three Decades of Statehood: Volume 1.''] Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921.
* ''Our Lives, Our Times: Dawson County Family Stories.'' Glendive MT: Dawson County Tree Branches, 1989.

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}


{{Geographic Location
|Centre = Dawson County, Montana
|North  = [[Richland County, Montana|Richland County]]
|East   = [[Wibaux County, Montana|Wibaux County]]
|South  = [[Prairie County, Montana|Prairie County]]
|West   = [[McCone County, Montana|McCone County]]
}}

{{Dawson County, Montana}}
{{Montana}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|47.27|-104.90|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Dawson County, Montana| ]]
[[Category:1869 establishments in Montana Territory]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1869]]