Fort Totten is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Benson County,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2020 census. Fort Totten is located within the

Spirit Lake Reservation The Spirit Lake Tribe (in Santee Dakota, Santee Dakota language, Dakota: ''Mniwakaƞ Oyate'', also spelt as ''Mni Wakan Oyate'', formerly known as Devils Lake Sioux Tribe) is a federally recognized tribe based on the Spirit Lake Dakota Indian res ...

and is the site of tribal headquarters. The reservation has a total population estimated at 6,000. Although not formally incorporated as a city, Fort Totten has the largest population of any community in Benson County.

Geography

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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (2.77%) is water.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 952 people, 230 households, and 200 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 255 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 0.84%

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 ...

, 0.11%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 98.84% Native American, and 0.21% from two or more 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 of any race were 0.74% of the population. There were 230 households, out of which 54.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.7% 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, 43.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.0% were non-families. 10.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.14 and the average family size was 4.23. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 49.4% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 18 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $15,395, and the median income for a family was $15,774. Males had a median income of $20,179 versus $19,063 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 CDP was $5,165. About 51.2% of families and 53.0% 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 57.8% of those under age 18 and 50.0% of those age 65 or over. By 2010, the population in Fort Totten had increased to 1,243."Fort Totten, North Dakota"
2010 U.S. Decennial Census

Education

Much of the community is in the Fort Totten Public School District 30. A portion is in the Oberon School District.

Sites of interest

* Fort Totten State Historic Site is a fort built after the American Civil War by the United States Army to protect European-American settlers in the area. It was also used as the site of the Devil's Lake Indian Agency (the original name of the reservation). Later the fort was adapted for use as an Indian boarding school, one of several run by the federal government via the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Today it is preserved as a state historic site, and it is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The structure has been adapted for use as a

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

and a community theatre. * White Horse Hill National Game Preserve is a

National Wildlife Refuge The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, Department of the Interi ...

commissioned by

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

Climate

This climatic 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, Elm Creek 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.Climate Summary for Fort Totten, North Dakota
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References

External links

History of Fort Totten
United States Department of the Interior, 1950 {{authority control Census-designated places in Benson County, North Dakota Census-designated places in North Dakota Seats of government of American Indian reservations