Wolf Point is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2020 census, down 4% from 2,621 in the 2010 Census. It is the largest community on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Wolf Point is the home of the annual Wild Horse Stampede, and the Wadopana Pow-wow, the oldest traditional pow wow in Montana.
History
Wolf Point began as a trading post in the 1860s, at the confluence of Wolf Creek and the Missouri River. Farming began in the area as early as 1874 with the Civil War pioneer Philip "Sandy" Knorr and John Winn being the first people to plant the first harvest in Northeastern Montana. Philip Knorr, John Winn, Montana Jim Helmer, Hank Cusker, Henry Kirn, Jacob Wirth, and James MacDonald being the first set of pioneers in Wolf Point. The Great Northern Railway arrived in 1887. Wolf Point incorporated in 1915 and became the county seat in 1919.
Geography
thumb|right|Street in Wolf Point, 1941. Photo by [[Marion Post Wolcott.]]
Topography
Wolf Point is located in north-eastern Montana in the wide, shallow valley of the Missouri River, just below its confluence with Wolf Creek. Wolf Point is situated on the High Plains of eastern Montana. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
The city is located on the north bank of the Missouri River, the southern part occupying the ancestral floodplain of that river. The northern part occupies south facing, low-lying hills overlooking a terrace. The central business district is located in the described southern portion.
Climate
Wolf Point experiences a semi-arid steppe climate (BSkw), with generally cold, dry winters and hot summers. Late spring and early summer is on average the wettest period of the year. During the summer warm, humid air masses more typical of a warm summer continental climate (Dfb) may move into the area from the south or east. Summertime thunderstorms commonly occur and sometimes can be severe featuring hail and, infrequently, funnel clouds or tornados.
Cold waves may cover the area 6 to 12 times per winter, with temperatures well below . Between cold waves there are sometimes periods of longer than 10 days of mild, but often windy weather caused by chinook winds. These winds cause temperatures to rise rapidly, often giving relief in the form of mild temperatures in the coldest months of the year.