Mountrail County, North Dakota Explained

County:Mountrail County
State:North Dakota
Founded:January 4, 1873
1892 (eliminated)
January 29, 1909 (reestablished)
Seat Wl:Stanley
Largest City Wl:New Town
Area Total Sq Mi:1942
Area Land Sq Mi:1825
Area Water Sq Mi:116
Area Percentage:6.0
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:9809
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:9383
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Time Zone:Central
Web:http://www.co.mountrail.nd.us/
District:At-large
Ex Image:Mountrail County Courthouse - Stanley, North Dakota 10-18-2008.jpg
Ex Image Cap:Mountrail County Courthouse in Stanley

Mountrail County is a county in the northwestern part of North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,809.[1] Its county seat is Stanley.[2] The county was originally created in 1873, then removed in 1892, annexed by Ward County. It was re-created and organized in 1909.[3] The county is home to the headquarters of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people, and a large part of the county belongs to the tribe's Fort Berthold reservation.[4] [5]

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county (as Mountraille County) on January 4, 1873, with area annexed from Buffalo County. The origin of its name came from Joseph Mountraille, a locally famed Metis voyageur and mail carrier from Pembina under Norman Kittson's employment.[6] [7] The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. The new county lost territory in 1885 when a portion was annexed off to create Garfield County (now extinct). This situation continued until February 21, 1891, when Mountrail County was attached to Ward County, for "judicial and other purposes". The following year (November 8, 1892), the North Dakota legislature voted to dissolve the county and have its territory absorbed by Ward County.

An election held in Ward County on November 3, 1908, authorized the re-creation of Mountrail County, although with different boundaries than the previous county proposal. The countywide vote totals were 4207 to 4024, but the result was contested in court. On January 16, 1909, the state Supreme Court upheld the vote,[8] so the county government was organized on January 29 of that year.[9] [10] [11]

Oil production from the Bakken formation in the early 21st century attracted workers and reversed decades of population decline in the county. From 2010 to 2015, especially, population markedly increased, creating its own strains.

Geography

The Missouri River flows southeastward along the SW boundary line of Mountrail County, and Shell Creek drains the lower central part of the county into the Missouri, discharging at Shell Creek Bay. The terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture. Its NE portion is dotted with ponds and lakes.[12] The Laurentian Divide runs east–west through the central part of the county, with the northern areas sloping to the north and the southern areas sloping to the south. Its highest point is on the upper west boundary line, at 2480feet ASL.[13] The county has a total area of, of which is land and (6.0%) is water.[14]

Mountrail County is one of several western North Dakota counties with significant exposure to the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin.

Major highways

Transit

Adjacent counties

Protected areas[12]

Lakes[12]

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 9,809 people, 3,715 households, and 2,407 families in the county.[15] The population density was 5.4sp=usNaNsp=us There were 5,108 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,673 people, 2,793 households, and 1,852 families in the county. The population density was 4.2/mi2. There were 4,119 housing units at an average density of 2.26adj=preNaNadj=pre. The racial makeup of the county was 65.6% White, 30.6% Native American, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.6% were Norwegian, 24.4% were German, 6.6% were Irish, and 0.8% were American.

Of the 2,793 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.7% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 37.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,912 and the median income for a family was $63,238. Males had a median income of $43,386 versus $29,432 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,762. About 13.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

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BarData= bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2023 text:present

PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left

bar:1910 from: 0 till:8491 bar:1920 from: 0 till:12140 bar:1930 from: 0 till:13544 bar:1940 from: 0 till:10482 bar:1950 from: 0 till:9418 bar:1960 from: 0 till:10077 bar:1970 from: 0 till:8437 bar:1980 from: 0 till:7679 bar:1990 from: 0 till:7021 bar:2000 from: 0 till:6631 bar:2010 from: 0 till:7673 bar:2020 from: 0 till:9809 bar:2023 from: 0 till:9383 color:darkblue

PlotData=

bar:1910 at:8491 fontsize:S text:8491 shift:(-13,5) bar:1920 at:12140 fontsize:S text:12140 shift:(-13,5) bar:1930 at:13544 fontsize:S text:13544 shift:(-13,5) bar:1940 at:10482 fontsize:S text:10482 shift:(-13,5) bar:1950 at:9418 fontsize:S text:9418 shift:(-13,5) bar:1960 at:10077 fontsize:S text:10077 shift:(-13,5) bar:1970 at:8437 fontsize:S text:8437 shift:(-13,5) bar:1980 at:7679 fontsize:S text:7679 shift:(-13,5) bar:1990 at:7021 fontsize:S text:7021 shift:(-13,5) bar:2000 at:6631 fontsize:S text:6631 shift:(-13,5) bar:2010 at:7673 fontsize:S text:7673 shift:(-13,5) bar:2020 at:9809 fontsize:S text:9809 shift:(-13,5) bar:2023 at:9383 fontsize:S text:9383 shift:(-13,5)

TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities[12]

Government

Aspects of county government are subdivided into townships.

Townships

Politics

Mountrail County was historically a swing county, but now leans strongly Republican. Bill Clinton won both of his terms, and Barack Obama carried this county in the 2008 election. However, he wasn't able to carry this county in 2012, falling to Republican Mitt Romney by over 16%. Hillary Clinton received the smallest vote by a Democratic candidate (29.7%) since Progressive Party candidate Robert La Follette received an overwhelming vote in 1924.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: State & County QuickFacts . United States Census Bureau . May 9, 2024.
  2. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
  3. Web site: County History. North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. February 1, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150202151843/http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=83&id=County%20History. February 2, 2015. dead.
  4. Web site: Our Tribe . 2024-06-28 . MHA Nation . en-US.
  5. Web site: Mountrail County ND . 2024-06-28 . www.nd-direct.com.
  6. Web site: County History - North Dakota State Government - ND Portal . nd.gov . State of North Dakota . May 11, 2023.
  7. Book: Lounsberry . Clement A. (Clement Augustus) . Early history of North Dakota: essential outlines of American history . 1919 . Liberty Press . Washington, D. C. . 237 . May 11, 2023 . urn:oclc:record:1043013029.
  8. State ex rel. McCue v. Blaisdell. 119. N.W.. 360. N.D.. 1909. https://cite.case.law/nd/18/31/.
  9. Web site: Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies. February 25, 2019. Long. John H.. 2006. Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071111113432/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/North_Dakota/documents/DAKs_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. November 11, 2007.
  10. Web site: Dakota Territory Historical Counties: Interactive Map. https://web.archive.org/web/20060811214832/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Dakota_Territory/viewer.htm. dead. August 11, 2006. July 6, 2010. Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library.
  11. Web site: North Dakota Historical Counties: Interactive Map. https://web.archive.org/web/20060811215218/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/North_Dakota/viewer.htm. dead. August 11, 2006. July 6, 2010. Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library .
  12. Web site: Mountrail County · North Dakota . April 27, 2024 . Google Maps . en.
  13. Web site: "Find an Altitude/Mountrail County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 25, 2019) . February 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521043409/https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm . May 21, 2019 . dead .
  14. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. February 1, 2015. August 22, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150129045530/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_38.txt. January 29, 2015.
  15. Web site: US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type . May 9, 2024 . United States Census Bureau.