Wolf Point, Montana
Roosevelt County Courthouse, Wolf Point, MT
Location of Wolf Point, Montana
Coordinates: 48°5′29″N 105°38′33″W / 48.09139, -105.6425
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Roosevelt
Incorporated (city)	1915
Government
- Type	Mayor-council
- Mayor	Dewayne Jager (acting)[1]
Area
- City	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Land	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	2,000 ft (609 m)
Population (2000)[2][3]
- City	2,663
- Density	3,024.8/sq mi (1,167.9/km²)
- Urban	3,427
- Urban Density	3,909.6/sq mi (1,509.5/km²)
Time zone	Mountain Standard Time (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) (UTC-6)
ZIP code	59201
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-81475
GNIS feature ID	0778652
Website: http://ci.wolf-point.mt.us/

Wolf Point is a city in Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,663 at the 2000 census.^[2] It is the county seat of Roosevelt County,^[4] and the largest community on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Wolf Point is the home of the annual Wild Horse Stampede, held every year during the second weekend of July. Wolf Point's Stampede is the oldest rodeo in Montana, and has been called the "Grandaddy of all Montana Rodeos". In 2003, Wolf Point was named the official site of the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Geography

Topography

Wolf Point is located in north-eastern Montana at 48°5′29″N, 105°38′33″W (48.091303, -105.642538),^[5] 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 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it 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 the floodplain terrace.^[6] The central business district is located in the described southern portion.

Climate

Wolf Point experiences a semi-arid steppe climate (BSkw),^[7] 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 0 Â°F (−17.8 Â°C). Between cold waves there are sometimes periods of longer than 10 days of mild, but often windy weather caused by Chinook winds.^[8] These winds cause temperatures to rise rapidly, often giving relief in the form of mild temperatures in the coldest months of the year.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,663 people, 981 households, and 685 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,024.8 people per square mile (1,168.4/km²). There were 1,091 housing units at an average density of 1,239.2/sq mi (478.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.73% White, 0.04% African American, 40.52% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 981 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,962, and the median income for a family was $33,681. Males had a median income of $26,325 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,605. About 17.0% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Wolf Point has a mayor-council form of government with a city council consisting of eight elected council members--two members from each of four wards. The mayor is elected at-large for a four year term. The city council determines the policy direction and administers the daily affairs of city government. The mayor appoints, with advice and consent of the council, the city attorney, the hybrid position of city clerk-treasurer, and the police chief. The position of city judge is shared with the Justice of the Peace of Roosevelt County.^[10]

Mayors

Mathew Golik (November 4, 1948 - March 1, 2008) was the mayor between 1999 and 2008. He was appointed mayor in 1999 when the mayor at the time resigned. Golik was elected mayor in his own right in 2001 and re-elected in 2005; he held the post until his death. On March 1st his three-wheeler went through the ice on Fort Peck Lake where he had been ice fishing and he drowned.^[11][12]

Education

K-12

The Wolf Point Public Schools, District No. 45/45A operates an elementary, a middle, and a junior/senior high school with a total student enrollment of more than 900 students.^[13] Nearby, Frontier Elementary serves some rural areas of Roosevelt County and northern McCone County in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

College

A branch campus of Fort Peck Community College is located in Wolf Point.^[14]

Culture

Media

Wolf Point is served by two weekly newspapers, the Wolf Point Herald-News, and the Poplar, Montana, based Fort Peck Journal. A third paper funded by Fort Peck tribal government, the Wotanin Wowapi, ceased publication on January 28, 2008.^[15] Local news, sports, and weather can be heard on radio station KVCK broadcasting on 1450 AM and 92.7 FM. Wolf Point and Roosevelt County are part of the Minot-Bismark-Dickinson local television media market (DMA).^[16][17] Broadcast television can be received, either directly or via translator, from KWSE 4 (PBS), KUMV 8 (NBC), and KXMD 11 (CBS) all based in Williston, North Dakota; and KFBB 5 (ABC) based in Great Falls, Montana. Bresnan Communications offers cable television service.

Attractions and recreation

The Roosevelt County Museum provides a glimpse into local history. The museum society purchased a disused farm implement sales building on U.S. Highway 2 to allow for more extensive display of the museum's collections. Fund raising continues in anticipation of the renovation and occupation of the new building in 2008.^[18][19] The historic Lewis and Clark Bridge (Wolf Point Bridge) crosses the Missouri River six miles southeast of town on Montana Highway 13. The adjacent Lewis and Clark Bridge Park provides access to camping, fishing, and rafting on the Missouri River.

Notable natives and residents

• Marvin Brookman, rodeo stock contractor and cowboy, inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2005.
• Casey FitzSimmons, National Football League tight end with the Detroit Lions.
• John Lowenstein, former professional baseball player.
• Montie Montana (born Owen Harlen Mickel),^[20][21] rodeo trick rider, actor, stuntman and cowboy inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994.
• Ted Schwinden, former democratic Governor of Montana (1981-1989), named one of the "100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century".^[22]

References in literature

• William Least Heat Moon wrote about the night he spent here in his autobiographical book Blue Highways: A Journey Into America: .^[23]
• Marvel Comics superhero Red Wolf is from Wolf Point.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Air - Big Sky Airlines serves L.M. Clayton airport with direct flights to Glasgow and Billings, Montana. Service is subsidized through the Essential Air Service program.

Highways - U.S. Highway 2, a major east west route in the northern tier of states connects Wolf Point with other Hi-Line communities from Washington state to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . Montana Highway 25 provides a connection to Montana Highway 13 six miles east of the city. Montana Highway 13 extends from the Port of Scobey on the Canada-United States border in the north to Circle, Montana in the south.

Rail - Wolf Point is located on the Hi-Line of the BNSF Railway and has developed as a major shipment point for grain to West Coast and Great Lakes ports. Wolf Point is served daily westbound and eastbound by Amtrak's Empire Builder, and is the first station stop west of Williston, North Dakota.

Medical facilities

Trinity Hospital offers inpatient care, and emergency care in addition to a wide range of other services, and is operated by Northeast Montana Health Services (NEMHS). NEMHS also operates the Faith Lutheran Home, a 60 bed skilled nursing facility; and the Listerud Rural Health Clinic in Wolf Point.^[24] The Chief Redstone Clinic is a facility operated by the Indian Health Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It supports a wide range of health needs for the Native American population in the Wolf Point area on an outpatient basis.^[25]

See also

• List of state highways in Montana

Notes and references

Further reading

• Presser, Marvin W. (1997). Wolf Point: A City of Destiny, Billings, Mont.: M Press. ISBN 0-9652117-0-3
• Hoye, Leota (1976). Roosevelt County's Treasured Years, Poplar, Mont.: Roosevelt County Bicentennial Committee. OCLC 41760470

External links

• Official website
• Wolf Point Public Schools website
• Wolf Point Herald-News website
• Fort Peck Journal website

• Wolf Point, Montana is at coordinates 48°05′29″N 105°38′33″W / 48.091303, -105.642538 (Wolf Point, Montana)Coordinates: 48°05′29″N 105°38′33″W / 48.091303, -105.642538 (Wolf Point, Montana)