Sheridan County, Montana 1921
While ranking thirty-seventh as to
size among the counties of Montana, Sheridan County is third as
to population. This is due to the fact that, in proportion to
its size, it probably has more small towns than any other county
in the state, and that its agricultural districts are also well
populated. This county, named in honor of the brilliant American
military officer, Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan, was formerly one
of the larger bodies of the state, including all of the
territory now included in Roosevelt County, and a part of what
is now Daniels County, but with the formation of the latter
county, in 1919, Sheridan's area was cut to 1,758 square miles.
Its population in 1920, according to census reports, was 13,847
Sheridan County occupies the extreme northeastern corner of
Montana, and is bounded on the north by the Saskatchewan country
of Canada, on the east by the North Dakota line, on the south by
Roosevelt County and on the west by Daniels County. There are no
mountains, three-fourths of the county's area is cultivable, and
there is very little irrigated land, non-irrigated crops being
raised almost exclusively. While the county has other potential
resources, the value of which has not as yet been determined, it
is exclusively an agricultural and stock raising community.
Flax, wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn and hay form the principal
crops, while some millet and buckwheat are raised, and potatoes
and other root crops and garden stuff generally do well. Natural
soil irrigation is secured from the Big Muddy River, which rises
in Canada, traverses the county and eventually empties into the
Missouri, and into which small creeks empty every few miles.
Improved non-irrigated land averages $40 an acre, unimproved
non-irrigated from $15 to $25 an acre, and grazing land about
$10.
In every locality of Sheridan County
lignite coal is found, furnishing an easily securable and
economical fuel. Several structures have been reported as having
oil possibilities, but these, to date, have not been developed.
There is no commercial timber in the county, although cottonwood
is to be found along the streams. Agriculturally, Sheridan
County is well developed, and also has plenty of elevators and
flour mills, but there are openings still to be found for other
industries that are dependent upon agriculture.
Sheridan County is served by both the
Great Northern and Soo lines. A Great Northern branch leaves the
main line at Bainville and runs north through Roosevelt County
to Plentywood, and there swings west, its present terminus being
Scobey, the county seat of Daniels County. The Soo line has a
branch that enters Sheridan County from North Dakota, a few
miles south of the International boundary, and runs west to
Whitetail. There are good graded highways in the county. Being
purely an agricultural region, without mountains to provide
scenic beauty, Sheridan County does not offer the attractions to
tourists that are to be found in other sections of the state.
Its people do not depend upon the tourists for a livelihood,
being for the main part content to devote themselves to
agriculture, an industry upon which is based the county's
assessed valuation of $30,900,064.
In the matter of education, Sheridan
County is well equipped, having good graded schools throughout
its territory and also maintaining four accredited high schools,
the one at Plentywood being accredited for the four-year term.
There are approximately thirty churches in the county, both
Catholic and Protestant.
Plentywood, the county seat, is
located on the Great Northern Railway and is a flourishing
community of 1,838 population. Medicine Lake and Antelope are
other leading communities, and the county is thickly sprinkled
with smaller towns which serve as trading centers for the
surrounding rural localities.
Montana Counties 1921
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Montana AHGP

Source: Montana its Story and Biography,
by Tom Strout, Volume 1, The American Historical Society, 1921
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