Medicine Lake is a town in Sheridan County,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. The population was 244 at the 2020 census. On July 5, 1937, Medicine Lake recorded a temperature of 117 °F (47 °C), setting the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Montana.

History

Edward Stubban named this place Flandrem for his home town in Norway and established a post office and store in 1906. The town moved about 2 miles with the construction of the Great Northern Railway in 1910. They changed the name to Medicine Lake after the nearby lake the

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...

referred to as Bda wauka, “Medicine water.” On November 14, 2020, the high school football team, which co-ops with Froid, known as the RedHawks, won the 6-man State Championship. They defeated White Sulphur Springs 44–19 to finish the season 10–0. It was the first football state title for the school, which had finished 2nd in 1952, 1985 and 2000, when they were known as the Honkers. On November 20, 2021, the undefeated RedHawks won back to back state titles with a 43–0 defeat of the Power-Dutton-Brady Titans on the road in Dutton, Montana. The win concluded the RedHawks' season with a 13–0 record and extended their winning streak to 23 games.

Geography

Medicine Lake is located at (48.500438, -104.503079). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Medicine Lake has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 225 people, 109 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 4.0% Native American, and 4.4% from two or more races. There were 109 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.4% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the town was 48.1 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.8% were from 25 to 44; 34.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 269 people, 120 households, and 72 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 165 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.19%

, 3.72% Native American, 0.37%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.37%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 3.35% from two or more races. There were 120 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 116.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $35,694. Males had a median income of $26,000 versus $26,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,405. About 7.2% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.4% of those 65 or over.

Education

Medicine Lake School District educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Medicine Lake High School's team name is the Redhawks.

References

External links

Town website
{{Sheridan County, Montana Towns in Sheridan County, Montana