Event Details

Sidney

Montana County Seat Challenge

Sidney, Montana; Richland County

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Event Elevation: 1,942 feet

Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than 10 mi west of the North Dakota border. The population was 6,346 at the 2020 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River. Sidney is approximately midway between Glendive, Montana and Williston, North Dakota. Settlers began arriving in the area in the 1870s, and a post office was established in 1888. Six-year-old Sidney Walters and his parents were staying with Hiram Otis, the local justice of the peace, and Otis decided that Sidney was a good name for the town. The following year, Montana became a state and Sidney was incorporated in 1911. Sidney was originally part of Dawson County, but became the county seat of Richland County at its inception in 1914.

Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,491. Its county seat is Sidney. Richland County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from part of Dawson County. An early proposed name for the county was Gate, but Richland was decided upon instead as a way to entice new settlers.