Adams

Formed April 17, 1907 (47^th county)

Adams County (2,200), Hettinger (1,073)

A tan and brown brick 1929 courthouse stands on a square at Adams Avenue, 6^th Street North, 2^nd Avenue North, and 7^th Street North.  United States Highway 12 is Adams Avenue in the town.  Ira L. Rush provided the Federalist Revival designs for the courthouse.  Adams County was organized on April 17, 1907 as the 47^th county with Hettinger as the only county seat.  A previous courthouse was built in 1907.  The county is named for Railroad Officer, John Quincy Adams, a cousin of the United States President.  The county seat is named for Hettinger County. 

Adams County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope, and Stark counties and a court clerk serves Adams County (judicial.)  Adams County is located on the southwest border with South Dakota.  Bismarck, North Dakota is northeast and Fargo, North Dakota is east of the county.  The county center is 11.7 miles Northeast of Hettinger nearer Haynes.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hettinger, Grant, and Sioux counties and South Dakota and Bowman and Slope counties. 

The area of the county is 988 square miles.  It is 40 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 45 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.2 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 53 in the state.  Adams County has 55.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 12 crosses the county from south to west from South Dakota to Bowman County.  The county looks like a flattened State of Utah.  Hettinger is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Hettinger is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 48.8% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced HET-TIN-GUR.

Reeder