Sand Springs is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in southwestern

Garfield County, Montana Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,173. Its county seat is Jordan. Garfield County is noteworthy as the site of the discovery and excavation of four of the world's doz ...

, United States. It lies along the northern side of Highway 200, southwest of the town of

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Garfield County. Its elevation is 3,192 feet (973 m). It has a population of approximately nine people.

History

The community has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

serving ZIP code 59077, which opened on March 1, 1911, and which now shares building space with a small store, with gas pump. There is also a church that has a service every other Sunday. It is the location of the annual Christmas program put on by the school. Sand Springs School is a one-room schoolhouse that serves kindergarten through eighth grade. There are also three residences. Sand Springs was founded at the turn of the 20th century by sheep, cattle, and horse ranchers. It takes its name from the wide expanse of sandy soil and life-giving springs in the area. Most people served by the town make a living as ranchers and farmers. The arable acres in this area are some of the richest, most productive soils in the county; however, much of the land is suitable only for grazing due to the terrain. Near the town, there is a family-owned reservoir that is open to the public for fishing. The economy is also supported by recreation - there is excellent hunting, fishing, and camping opportunities available all year round; the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks station is located in the center of town. The football team of the school won the state championship in 2017.

Climate

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, Sand Springs 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 se ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Sand Springs, Montana
/ref>

References

Unincorporated communities in Garfield County, Montana Unincorporated communities in Montana {{GarfieldCountyMT-geo-stub