Toole County, Montana

Not to be confused with Tooele County, Utah.

Toole County
County
Toole County Courthouse in Shelby
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°39′N111°41′W / 48.65°N 111.69°W / 48.65; -111.69
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1914
Named for	Joseph Toole
Seat	Shelby
Largest city	Shelby
Area
• Total	1,946 sq mi (5,040 km2)
• Land	1,916 sq mi (4,960 km2)
• Water	30 sq mi (80 km2)  1.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,971
• Estimate  (2022)	5,082
• Density	2.6/sq mi (0.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.toolecountymt.gov
Montana county number 21

Toole County is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,971. ^[1] Its county seat is Shelby. ^[2] The county was established in 1914 from parts of Hill County and Teton County and was named after Joseph Toole, the first and fourth governor of Montana. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Alberta.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,946 square miles (5,040 km²), of which 1,916 square miles (4,960 km²) is land and 30 square miles (78 km²) (1.5%) is water. ^[3]

Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border. A part of its southern boundary by the southwestern county corner is formed by Marias River, which flows eastward through the southern part of the county. In the eastern part are several creeks, the largest of which is Willow, which rises in the Sweet Grass Hills and follows a southerly course through the county. In the Sweet Grass Hills and elsewhere indications of oil and gas have been found.

Major highways

• Interstate 15 - connects to Alberta Highway 4 at Canadian border
• U.S. Route 2

Adjacent counties

• Glacier County - west
• Pondera County - south
• Liberty County - east
• County of Warner No. 5, Alberta - north
• County of Forty Mile No. 8, Alberta - northeast

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	3,724		—
1930	6,714		80.3%
1940	6,769		0.8%
1950	6,867		1.4%
1960	7,904		15.1%
1970	5,839		−26.1%
1980	5,559		−4.8%
1990	5,046		−9.2%
2000	5,267		4.4%
2010	5,324		1.1%
2020	4,971		−6.6%
2022 (est.)	5,082	[4]	2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7] 1990-2000 [8] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 4,971 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,324 people, 2,015 households, and 1,246 families in the county. The population density was 2.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km²). There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of 1.2 per square mile (0.46/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 4.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 17.7% were Irish, 15.8% were English, 10.5% were Norwegian, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 2,015 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,949 and the median income for a family was $54,722. Males had a median income of $41,490 versus $32,582 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,464. About 11.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Toole County voters have only selected Republican Party candidates in national elections since 1964.

United States presidential election results for Toole County, Montana ^[9]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,596	75.32%	467	22.04%	56	2.64%
2016	1,497	73.49%	402	19.73%	138	6.77%
2012	1,440	68.51%	582	27.69%	80	3.81%
2008	1,317	62.09%	737	34.75%	67	3.16%
2004	1,583	68.50%	690	29.86%	38	1.64%
2000	1,639	68.92%	630	26.49%	109	4.58%
1996	1,203	48.47%	874	35.21%	405	16.32%
1992	943	34.71%	854	31.43%	920	33.86%
1988	1,505	57.14%	1,070	40.62%	59	2.24%
1984	1,949	70.41%	789	28.50%	30	1.08%
1980	2,000	70.18%	634	22.25%	216	7.58%
1976	1,469	56.43%	1,080	41.49%	54	2.07%
1972	1,679	59.64%	897	31.87%	239	8.49%
1968	1,407	51.96%	1,048	38.70%	253	9.34%
1964	1,223	42.55%	1,649	57.38%	2	0.07%
1960	1,577	47.10%	1,767	52.78%	4	0.12%
1956	1,927	56.89%	1,460	43.11%	0	0.00%
1952	1,853	56.25%	1,426	43.29%	15	0.46%
1948	1,092	37.81%	1,756	60.80%	40	1.39%
1944	1,113	41.72%	1,545	57.91%	10	0.37%
1940	1,218	38.28%	1,954	61.41%	10	0.31%
1936	654	22.68%	2,120	73.51%	110	3.81%
1932	862	29.99%	1,917	66.70%	95	3.31%
1928	1,325	54.71%	1,076	44.43%	21	0.87%
1924	697	37.49%	439	23.61%	723	38.89%
1920	861	61.28%	405	28.83%	139	9.89%
1916	698	35.40%	1,075	54.51%	199	10.09%

Communities

City

• Shelby (county seat)

Towns

• Kevin
• Sunburst

Census-designated places

• Camrose Colony
• Hillside Colony
• Rimrock Colony
• Sweet Grass

Other unincorporated communities

• Devon ^[10]
• Dunkirk ^[11]
• Ethridge
• Ferdig ^[12]
• Galata
• Gold Butte ^[13]
• Kippen ^[14]
• Naismith ^[15]
• Ohio Camp ^[16]
• Oilmont
• Virden ^[17]

Notable people

• Earl W. Bascom (1906-1995), "Father of Modern Rodeo" and Hall of Fame cowboy, artist, sculptor, actor, inventor; cowboyed in the 1920s on a ranch on Kicking Horse Creek once owned by his cousin C.M. Russell
• Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), cowboy artist and sculptor; ranched on Kicking Horse Creek near the Sweetgrass Hills; honored in the Hall of Great Westerners in Oklahoma City

See also

• List of lakes in Toole County, Montana
• List of mountains in Toole County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Toole County MT

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022" . Retrieved May 9, 2023.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
9. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
10. Devon MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
11. Dunkirk MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
12. Ferdig MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
13. Gold Butte MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
14. Kippen MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
15. Naismith MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
16. Ohio Camp MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
17. Virden MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)

External links

• Toole County Website (official site)
• City of Shelby (official site)
• (Shelby Area Chamber of Commerce)
• NBMC (24/7 Local News and Events)
• Shelby Promoter (weekly newspaper)

Coordinates: 48°39′N111°41′W / 48.65°N 111.69°W / 48.65; -111.69