Scobey is a city in and 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 Daniels 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 999 at the 2020 census. Scobey is known for its bird and big game hunting. The nearby

Mansfield A. Daniels House The Mansfield A. Daniels House is a historic house located 2 miles southwest of Scobey, Montana, Scobey in Daniels County, Montana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1997. Description and history Built in 191 ...

is listed on the NRHP.

History

The city was named by local rancher Mansfield Daniels, after whom Daniels County is named, for his friend

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Charles Richardson Anderson Scobey, a cattleman from the

Glendive Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway during the building of the railroad line. The town of Glendive i ...

area who served as a

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

legislator and an

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...

at Fort Peck and Poplar. "During the height of the homestead boom in the 1910s," according to historical marker author Skanks Beaverton, "Scobey was the largest primary shipping point of grain in the world."

Geography

Scobey is located at the intersection of

Montana Highway 13 Montana Highway 13 (MT 13) is a state highway in the east of the U.S. state of Montana. The highway begins at its southern end at MT 200 and connects the three county seats of McCone, Roosevelt and Daniels counties. It also provi ...

and Montana Highway 5. 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 city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Scobey experiences 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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BSk'') with long, cold, dry winters and short, hot, wetter summers.

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 1,017 people, 472 households, and 252 families residing in the city. 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 600 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.9%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 2.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.1% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 472 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% 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, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.6% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 49.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 28.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,082 people, 500 households, and 280 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 611 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the little city was 95.75%

, 0.74% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.92% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.50% of the population. There were 499 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were

living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 17.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,553 and the median income for a family was $35,521. Males had a median income of $27,411 versus $18,304 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 city was $17,150. About 8.7% of families and 13.4% 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 12.1% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Scobey has a mayor and city council. In 2023 the mayor was Morgan Lekvold. The city council has two wards with two councilors each.

Education

Scobey Public Schools provides education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Daniels County Library is located in Scobey.

Media

The ''Daniels County Leader'' is the local newspaper. They publish both print and online news editions. Two radio stations are licensed out of Scobey: KCGM, offering country music, and KNPS, a religious channel.

Infrastructure

runs through the town from north to south. Montana Highway 5 enters from the east and terminates in Scobey.

Scobey Airport Scobey Airport is a public airport located one mile (2 km) northwest of the central business district of Scobey, a city in Daniels County, Montana, United States. It is owned by the City of Scobey and Daniels County. Facilities and air ...

is a public airport located 1 mile (2 km) northwest of town.

Notable people

Kenneth Arnold Kenneth Albert Arnold (March 29, 1915 – January 16, 1984) was an American aviator, businessman, and politician. Arnold is known best for reporting what is generally considered the first widely publicized modern sighting of an unidentified fl ...

, businessman and pilot who made the first widely-publicized

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

sighting *

Jay Collins Jarrid "Jay" Collins (born April 28, 1976) is an American politician and Army combat veteran currently serving as a member of the Florida Senate from the 14th district, representing northwestern Hillsborough County, including large parts of Tamp ...

, member of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

* Ron Marlenee, former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Henry Schauer,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Alvin Straight, inspiration for ''

The Straight Story ''The Straight Story'' (stylised as ''the Straight story'') is a 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. It was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and collaborator, who also co-wrote the script with ...

References

External links

*
Daniels County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, Scobey Montana website
{{authority control Cities in Daniels County, Montana County seats in Montana Cities in Montana