Clyde Park is a town in Park County,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, United States. The population was 332 at the 2020 census. Originally known as Sunnyside, the town was renamed in the 1890s.Capace, N. (2000) ''Encyclopedia of Montana.'' North American Book Dist LLC. p 212.

History

Founded in the 1870s, the present-day site of Clyde Park was founded as Sunnyside by Texas cattlemen who were attracted to the area for grazing their herds. The post office in Sunnyside was established in 1887.Aarstad, R., Arguimabau, E., Baumler, E., et al. (2009) ''Montana Place Names: From Alzada to Zortman.''Montana Historical Society. p 50. In 1887, a post office called Clyde Park was established at the historic Harvey and Tregloan Ranch, where John Harvey owned a

Clydesdale horse The Clydesdale is a horse breed, breed of draught horse which originated in the seventeenth century, and takes its name from the Clydesdale (district), Clydesdale district of Scotland. The first recorded use of the name "Clydesdale" for the bre ...

which he had imported from England in the late 1890s.Jiusto, C., Brown, C., and Ferris, T. (2012) ''Hand Raised: The Barns of Montana.'' Montana Historical Society. p 240. A

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

from

Livingston, Montana Livingston is a city and the county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. It is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,040. Hist ...

, reached the town in the 1880s. In 1901, the Clyde Park post office was merged with Sunnyside, and the town was renamed Clyde Park. However, the reason is unclear. Another source suggests that the town was called Clyde Park in honor of Clyde Durand, a local rancher; or for Harvey's Clydesdale horse. The Harvey and Tregloan Ranch eventually was sold to Robert Shiplet. The present-day Shiplet Ranch has historic

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

s that date to the 1870s or 80s, and its livestock brand is notably the shape of Montana. In 1909 the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

established a branch line to the town, and in 1912 it incorporated as Clyde Park. That year it was reported to have a bank, a newspaper, a creamery, and an elevator. A major fire burned much of the town in 1919. Today, Clyde Park is the home of the G Bar M Ranch, a 3,200-acre

dude ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

that opened in 1934. The ranch itself dates back to 1900. The town is also home to the Old Settler's Days, an annual celebration of pioneer history. It includes an art show and parade.

Geography

The town is in the

Shields River The Shields River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, long, in Meagher and Park Counties Montana in the United States. It rises in the Gallatin National Forest in the Crazy Mountains in northern Park County. It flows west, then south, b ...

valley. Area farmers have won world prizes for raising

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has an area of , all land.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Clyde Park has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 288 people, 136 households, and 80 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 153 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.7% from other races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 136 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.0% 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 2.12 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the town was 45.8 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 310 people, including 137 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 157 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 100.00%

or Latino people of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 137 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were

living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,194, and the median income for a family was $35,278. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $20,556 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,646. About 2.2% of families and 10.0% 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 ...

, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Shields Valley Public Schools has two components: Shields Valley Elementary School District and Shields Valley High School District. The municipality is in both districts.
Text list
/ref> Shields Valley Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The elementary school is in Wilsall. The Jr/Sr High School is located in Clyde Park. The Shields Valley High School team name is the Rebels.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Park County, Montana 1870s establishments in Montana Territory