Sargent County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,862, and was estimated to be 3,711 in 2025. The county seat is Forman and the largest city is Gwinner. The county is named in honor of Homer E. Sargent, a 19th-century general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. The county spans an agricultural region between the James River and Red River valleys in southeastern North Dakota dotted with various sloughs, lakes, and hills. The original home of the Bobcat Company, a manufacturer of farm and construction equipment that still produces a large number of skid-steer loaders at its facility in Gwinner.

History

The Dakota Territory created the county on April 9, 1883, with areas partitioned from Ransom County, from previously unorganized areas and from non-county areas in the Wahpeton and Sisseton Indian Reserve. It was named for H. E. Sargent, a railroad executive. Its governing structure was not completed at that time, so it was attached to Richland for judicial purposes and to Ransom for administrative purposes. This arrangement only lasted until October 8, when the county government was effected, with Milnor as the county seat. However, in 1884, in the county's first election, Forman was chosen as the county seat. It is the 48th largest county in North Dakota by total area.

Other than small portions of the western and northern sides of the county that lie in the James River and Sheyenne River watersheds, respectively, the vast majority of the county lies within the watershed of the Wild Rice River, whose source is the termination of a drainage ditch about two miles northeast of Brampton in southwestern Sargent County. It flows generally easterly through the southern part of the county, passing through Silver Lake and Lake Tewaukon before flowing further east into Richland County about five miles southeast of De Lamere.

The county's topography is varied, with the southern and western portions of the county being dominated by glacial hills, including the northern tip of the Coteau des Prairies standing prominently along the county's southern border, gradually transitioning into the much flatter landscape of the Red River Valley in the eastern portion of the county. The flatter areas of the county are largely devoted to the production of corn, soybean, and wheat, with much of the more hilly terrain being used as pastures for grazing livestock. The terrain generally slopes to the south and east, with its highest point on its western boundary line at ASL, although a northwest–southeast rise on the eastern portion of its south boundary line rises to ASL.

Sargent County is located within the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains, and as such has a landscape that is covered in numerous wetlands. The majority of these wetlands are shallow sloughs that vary in size in wetter and drier years, but there are also a number of larger and deeper lakes. Lake Tewaukon, located within Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge in the southeastern portion of the county, is one of the county's largest lakes. Meanwhile, the western end of the county contains a chain of lakes, the largest of which is Kraft Lake. Many of the county's lakes are populated with fish such as yellow perch and walleye, making fishing (including ice fishing in the winter months) a popular recreation for both locals and visitors to the county.

thumb|Outline map of Sargent County, North Dakota, 1909

Adjacent counties

  • Ransom County to the north
  • Richland County to the east
  • Roberts County, South Dakota to the southeast
  • Marshall County, South Dakota to the south
  • Brown County, South Dakota to the southwest
  • Dickey County to the west

National protected areas

  • Storm Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  • Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge
  • Wild Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes

Source:

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790–1960 1900–1990<br>1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,862. Of the residents, 20.8% were under the age of 18 and 22.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females there were 118.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 122.2 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.2% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.

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See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Sargent County, North Dakota

References

  • Sargent County – official website
  • Sargent County map, North Dakota DOT