Forsyth, Montana
Encyclopedia
Forsyth is a city in and the county seat
of Rosebud County
, Montana
, United States
. The population was 1,944 at the 2000 census. Forsyth was established in 1876 as the first settlement on the Yellowstone River
, and in 1882 residents named the town after General James William Forsyth who commanded Fort Maginnis, Montana during the Indian Wars
and the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre
. The town has long been a transportation nexus, starting with steamboats on the river and progressing to the Northern Pacific Railway
and Interstate 94
.
operations in the Indian Wars.
in 1882, Thomas Alexander traded land to the Northern Pacific Railway to start the town, and developed four buildings on main street.
In 1894, 500 men of the socialist Coxey's Army
inspired by Jacob Coxey and led by William Hogan, commandeered a Northern Pacific Railway train for a trip to Washington, DC. They fought Federal Marshals on the way, and were finally apprehended with the help of the Army in Forsyth.
In the 1980s Forsyth served as the home of the United States Air Force
1st Combat Evaluation Group
Detachment 18, evaluating radar observability for B-52's on training runs.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,944 people, 826 households, and 525 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,759.0 people per square mile (676.2/km2). There were 976 housing units at an average density of 883.1 per square mile (339.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.42% White, 0.21% African American, 2.26% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.31% from other races
, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 826 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,533, and the median income for a family was $44,100. Males had a median income of $36,827 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,994. About 9.4% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
The Forsyth Dogies play in the 3B conference with the Baker
Spartans, Colstrip
Colts, Lame Deer
Morningstars, Lodge Grass Indians, and Broadus
Hawks. The school colors are purple and white.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Rosebud County
Rosebud County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,383 people, 3,307 households, and 2,417 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 3,912 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,944 at the 2000 census. Forsyth was established in 1876 as the first settlement on the Yellowstone River
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
, and in 1882 residents named the town after General James William Forsyth who commanded Fort Maginnis, Montana during the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
and the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
. The town has long been a transportation nexus, starting with steamboats on the river and progressing to the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
and Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
.
History
Forsyth was established as a settlement on the Yellowstone in 1876 as a steamboat landing supporting United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
operations in the Indian Wars.
in 1882, Thomas Alexander traded land to the Northern Pacific Railway to start the town, and developed four buildings on main street.
In 1894, 500 men of the socialist Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. Officially named the Army of the...
inspired by Jacob Coxey and led by William Hogan, commandeered a Northern Pacific Railway train for a trip to Washington, DC. They fought Federal Marshals on the way, and were finally apprehended with the help of the Army in Forsyth.
In the 1980s Forsyth served as the home of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
1st Combat Evaluation Group
1st Combat Evaluation Group
The 1st Combat Evaluation Group , Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, was the military simulation evaluation and standardization unit of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command .-History:...
Detachment 18, evaluating radar observability for B-52's on training runs.
Geography
Forsyth is located at 46.266675°N 106.677684°W (46.266675, -106.677684).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,944 people, 826 households, and 525 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,759.0 people per square mile (676.2/km2). There were 976 housing units at an average density of 883.1 per square mile (339.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.42% White, 0.21% African American, 2.26% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 826 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,533, and the median income for a family was $44,100. Males had a median income of $36,827 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,994. About 9.4% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Radio stations
- KATLKATL (AM)KATL is a radio station licensed to serve Miles City, Montana. The station is owned by Star Printing Company, and managed by Don Richard. It airs an Adult Contemporary music format, as well as local and state news, local sports, and several other programs.Miles City is known as the "Cow Capitol of...
AM 770 - Adult Contemporary - KMTAKMTAKMTA is a radio station licensed to serve Miles City, Montana. The station is owned by Marks Radio Group, and licensed to Custer County Community Broadcasting. It airs an Oldies format....
AM 1050 - OldiesOldiesOldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day.... - KIKCKIKC (AM)KIKC is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Forsyth, Montana, USA, the station is currently owned by the Marks Radio Group.-External links:*...
AM 1250 - Classic countryClassic countryClassic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
- KYUS-FMKYUS-FMKYUS-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Miles City, Montana. The station is owned by Marks Radio Group and the broadcast license is held by Custer County Community Broadcasting. It airs an Adult Hits music format....
FM 92.3 - Adult HitsAdult hitsAdult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist... - KIKC-FMKIKC-FMKIKC-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Forsyth, Montana, USA, the station is currently owned by the Marks Radio Group.-History:...
FM 101.3 - Country MusicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
Notable natives and residents
- U.S. Senator John MelcherJohn MelcherJohn Melcher is an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Montana as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and as a United States Senator from 1977 until 1989.-Early life:...
worked as a veterinarianVeterinarianA veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
in Forsyth and served as Mayor of Forsyth in 1955. - Captain William Clark led part of the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionLewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
through this area on the Yellowstone River in 1806 - General George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
led troops through this area to the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876
Education
The Forsyth High School offers a variety classes and is developing capabilities under a technology plan to prepare its students for higher education. The plan has been updated frequently since 1997, and features plans for maintaining internet capability, and laboratory instrument capabilities.The Forsyth Dogies play in the 3B conference with the Baker
Baker, Montana
Baker is a city in and the county seat of Fallon County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,741 at the 2010 census.It was named after A.G. Baker, an engineer with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St...
Spartans, Colstrip
Colstrip, Montana
Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2000 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in Rosebud County with 25% of the total population. Colstrip's primary industries are coal mining and...
Colts, Lame Deer
Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer is a census-designated place in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,018 at the 2000 census. Lame Deer is part of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and the home of the Chief Dull Knife College. Lame Deer is the starting location of the movie Powwow...
Morningstars, Lodge Grass Indians, and Broadus
Broadus, Montana
Broadus is a town in and the county seat of Powder River County, Montana, United States. The population was 451 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Broadus is located at ....
Hawks. The school colors are purple and white.