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Culbertson, Montana

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Culbertson, Montana
Town
Location of Culbertson, Montana
Location of Culbertson, Montana
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
CountyRoosevelt
Area
 • Total0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
 • Land0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
1,932 ft (589 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total716
 • Density1,213.7/sq mi (468.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
59218
Area code406
FIPS code30-18475
GNIS feature ID0770366

Culbertson is a town in Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 716 at the 2000 census.

History

The town of Culbertson was founded in 1887 where the Northern Pacific Railroad crossed the Missouri River near its confluence with Big Muddy Creek. The town was named after Alexander Culbertson, former head of the American Fur Company’s Fort Union, 23 miles to the west. Culbertson also founded Fort Benton on the Missouri. Married to Natawista, a Blackfoot woman, he was able to dominate fur trade in the Upper Missouri after 1840. He negotiated the safe passage of Northern Pacific Railroad survey crews through northern Montana in 1853. In gratitude, the Northern Pacific named the new railroad town on the Missouri River crossing after him[1].

The settlement of Culbertson followed hard on the heels of the 1886-87 watershed years for the early cattle industry. As a result, the first settlers in the area raised horses for the US Cavalry’s various Montana and Dakota posts. As cattle prices slowly rebounded, the range was once again stocked with cattle, though the second wave of cattlemen utilized hardy English breeds instead of the Texas longhorns of the earlier outfits[2].

With the passage of new homestead laws in 1909 enabling homesteaders to take out larger acreages, the area saw an influx of dryland farmers. With its railroad connection, Culbertson became the center of the area’s agricultural trade. When the agricultural boom went bust after World War II and never resumed its former glory, Culbertson saw a gradual decline in businesses and population. This was somewhat ameliorated by a heavy railroad presence in the community.

Culbertson also became a surviving center as smaller adjacent communities dried up in the agricultural depression of the 1920s and 1930s. With better automobiles and better roads, farmers and ranchers could live further from centers of trade.

Geography

Culbertson is located at 48°8′50″N 104°31′2″W / 48.14722°N 104.51722°W / 48.14722; -104.51722Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (48.147324, -104.517119)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 716 people, 295 households, and 192 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,213.7 people per square mile (468.6/km²). There were 356 housing units at an average density of 603.5/sq mi (233.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.53% White, 0.28% African American, 6.01% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.84% from other races, and 3.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 295 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $26,771 versus $14,643 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,393. About 11.2% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ Cheney, Roberta Carkeek (1975). Names on the Face of Montana. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press.
  2. ^ Malone, Michael P. (1991). Montana, A History of Two Centuries. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

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