Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 90 G E T T O K N O W G E T T O K N O W A C O U N T Y A C O U N T Y D A N I E L S C O U N T Y D A N I E L S C O U N T Y O N AUGUST 30, 1920, the Montana Legislature took the western part of Sheridan County (see Distinctly Montana, Spring 2017, p. 91) and the northeastern portion of Valley County to create Daniels County. Named for local rancher Mansfield Daniels, the county covers 1,426 square miles, almost all that land. A mere four-tenths of a square mile is water. This is truly the home of dryland farming. (Average month- ly precipitation most months is two inches or less.) The first census following county creation counted 5,553 residents (US Census, 1930), and the number has dropped ev- ery decade since. The 2020 census counted only 1,661 residents. It is an understatement to say that Daniels County is rural. The Index of Relative Rurality takes into account four factors: 1) popu- lation; 2) population density; 3) remoteness; and 4) built-up area as percentage of total land mass. Daniels County fits all four and Wikipedia tells us that in 2010, it ranked as most rural county in the contiguous 48 states. I have not been able to verify that statement, but based on my own travels around the country, it rings true. Driving from Scobey to either Bill- ings or Bismarck, ND, takes about five hours. Regina, Sas- katchewan, is closer, but you have to cross an international border to get there. Speaking of which, up until 2013, Daniels County had two border crossings. The Canadians closed their side of the Port of Whitetail in 2011 and the U.S. followed suit in 2013. That left the Port of Scobey as the only border crossing available in Daniels County. And it's not a 24-hour crossing. The U.S. side is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, but the Canadian side hours vary. No federal highway crosses Dan- iels County. Montana Highway 5 has its western terminus in Scobey and connects that city with the county's only other incorporat- ed town, Flaxville. From there it continues on into Sheridan Coun- ty and Plentywood, eventually meeting North Dakota Highway 5 at Westby. Montana Highway 13 runs north-south from the Canadian border to Montana Highway 200 at Circle in McCone County. Almost in the center of the county, Scobey is the largest town and seat of Daniels County. Founded as settlers moved into the Poplar River Valley around the turn of the 20th cen- tury, the town incorporated in 1913, and with the creation of Daniels County, Scobey was the logical choice for county article and photos by BRYAN SPELLMAN SCOBEY The silo family The Scobey United Methodist Church

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