thumb|right|275px|The Harshenberger family of Mennonites in Sheridan County, a 1943 photograph by [[Russell Lee (photographer)|Russell Lee]]

Sheridan County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,539. Its county seat is Plentywood. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Saskatchewan.

History

The Montana Legislature established Sheridan County in 1913 from portions of Dawson and Valley Counties. It was named for American Civil War General Philip Sheridan. In the 1920s and 1930s the county was a hotbed of communist organizing. The CPUSA managed to elect several town and county officials. At the 1932 presidential election the communist candidate William Z. Foster got 576 votes (22%). International changes in communist organizing strategies, especially the move towards the popular front, effectively ended communist presence in the area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px Montana Highway 5
  • 20px Montana Highway 16

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

  • Rural Municipality of Happy Valley, Saskatchewan – northwest
  • Rural Municipality of Surprise Valley, Saskatchewan – north
  • Rural Municipality of Lake Alma, Saskatchewan – northeast
  • Daniels County – west
  • Divide County, North Dakota – east
  • Williams County, North Dakota – east
  • Roosevelt County – south

National protected area

  • Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

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Communities

City

  • Plentywood (county seat)

Towns

  • Medicine Lake
  • Outlook
  • Westby

Census-designated place

  • Antelope
  • Homestead
  • Redstone
  • Reserve

Unincorporated communities

  • Coalridge
  • Comertown
  • Dagmar
  • Raymond
  • Reserve
  • Caldera

Former towns

  • Dooley
  • Archer

Census-designated places

  • Antelope
  • Homestead
  • Redstone
  • Reserve

Education

School districts include:

  • Medicine Lake K-12 Schools
  • Plentywood K-12 Schools
  • Westby K-12 Schools

See also

  • List of lakes in Sheridan County, Montana
  • List of mountains in Sheridan County, Montana
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Sheridan County, Montana

References

  • County website