17. Roosevelt County

President Theodore Roosevelt had spent more time in the West than any of his predecessors. After he died on January 6, 1919, the State of Montana honored him by dividing Sheridan County (number 34) along an east-west axis, and naming the southern section Roosevelt County. This happened on February 18, 1919. Note that Montana created seven counties in February and March of 1919, and another four in 1920, but the location of Roosevelt County makes it particularly apt for honoring its namesake, being the only one of the eleven new counties to border North Dakota where Roosevelt had his ranch. The county is rectangular in shape, having a natural southern border on the Missouri River and an arbitrary northern border at approximately 48'34" north latitude for most of its extent, stair-stepping down to 48'23" at its eastern edge. The 2010 US Census counted 10,425 residents in the county, down 1.8% from the 2000 count of 10,620.

The largest city and county seat is Wolf Point, located in the extreme southwestern corner of the county, on the Missouri River floodplain. The courthouse was built through the depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA), as were several other local buildings. Wolf Point, incorporated in 1915, had a 2010 population of 2,621, down 2% from the 2000 count of 2663. and down considerably from its high in 1960 of 3,585. Wolf Point is home to the oldest rodeo in Montana, the Wild Horse Stampede, held annually since 1921 on the second weekend in July. Wolf Point is also home of the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. Fort Peck Community College has a branch campus in the city as well.

The Roosevelt County Courthouse
Wolf Point, Montana

The Fort Peck Indian Reservation covers most of Roosevelt County. Established in 1871, the Reservation is home to the Assiniboine and Sioux people. The current tribal agency town is Poplar, Roosevelt County's only other incorporated city. The Reservation extends some 100 miles in length and 40 miles in width, crossing into neighboring Valley (number 20), Sheridan (34) and Daniels (37) counties. The Reservation was opened to non-Indian settlement in 1913, and today, of the over 2 million acres included in the Reservation, Indian-owned land amounts to less than half. As is the case so often with European/Native interactions, the history of the Sioux and Assiniboine people on the Fort Peck Reservation is filled with tragedy. Ill-supplied, many native people lived in poverty and hundreds starved to death in the early days of the Reservation. The Presbyterian Church, through their Board of Foreign Missions (!) was quite active in the area, and built churches and schools at Wolf Point, Poplar, Brockton (Makaicu), Ash Point (Hohay), and Chelsea (Minisdah). The Minisdah church was organized on December 15, 1904, and today stands abandonned, with a large, unkempt cemetery hidden in the weeds behind the church.

The Minisdah Presbyterian Church
Organized 1904
Chelsea, Montana

Roosevelt County and the Fort Peck Reservation are also home to the Fort Peck Community College with its main campus in Poplar and a branch campus in Wolf Point. One of seven tribal colleges in Montana, Fort Peck Community College awarded its first degree in 1987. With an average enrollment of 435 students, over 75% are Native American students resident on the Reservation. The college offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science degrees, and has various one year certificate programs.

As the Reservation covers over 74% of the land area of Roosevelt County, it should not come as a surprise that the county's demographics are heavily skewed by the Native population. Forty-seven point four percent of the population claim to be solely of Native blood, while an additional 14.7% claim to be of two or more races. Only 36.4% claim to be "white." Median household income is considerably below the state's average, and the number of individuals living below the poverty level is more than twice the rate for the whole state. Employment figures show that 46% of workers work in private industry and 38% work for the government. Fifteen percent are self employed. Unemployment, at 8.6%, is only slightly higher than the state's rate. The most common industry is agriculture which makes up 21% of the county's total, and the most common male occupation is farming (16% with an additional 4% employed as agricultural workers and supervisors). Women are most commonly employed in the education and health care fields.

Cattle cooling off in the summer heat
Froid, Montana

The average size of farm in Roosevelt County is 2,111 acres, 81.11% of which are family owned. The average value of products sold per farm was $74,366 in 2009, while the average cost of producing those products was $63,699, and the average age for the principal farm operators was 58. Livestock accounted for 22.69% of agricultural value, and wheat was the principal crop, with 319,614 acres planted. All figures in the previous two paragraphs come from the city-data.com website.

If you drive fifteen miles over dirt roads southeast from Bainville, you arrive at the North Dakota State Line and Fort Union. While Fort Union is technically speaking in North Dakota, it is considered such an important part of Montana history that it routinely shows up in various lists of things to see and do while visiting Montana. Operating between 1828 and 1867, Fort Union was the longest lasting trading post in the American West. And make no mistake, this was not a government or military post but a business run by the American Fur Company. Despite the difficult road (it's easier coming in from the North Dakota side), Fort Union is well worth a visit as it depicts the way life was lived on the northern prairies in the early 1800s. The Fort has been reconstructed on the north bank of the Missouri, and there are many living history enactments throughout the summer months.

Indian Encampment Display
Fort Union

Photo Information:

Roosevelt County Sign: Taken 8/26/2011 at the Wolf Point Bridge on the Roosevelt/McCone County Line. Focal length: 38 mm. ISO 200, f /11.0, 1/250 second.

Roosevelt County Courthouse: Taken 10/7/2009 in Wolf Point, Montana. Focal length: 18 mm. ISO 250, f /22.0, 1/45 second.

Minisdah Presbyterian Church: Taken 8/26/2011 at Chelsea, Montana. Focal length: 25 mm. ISO 200, f /11.0, 1/250 second.

Happy Hour at the Watering Hole: Taken 8/27/2011 near Froid, Montana. Focal length: 80 mm. ISO 125, f /11.0, 1/45 second.

Fort Union Tipis: Taken 8/26/2011 at Fort Union, Montana/North Dakota. Focal length: 58 mm. ISO 200, f /11.0, 1/350 second.