Dawson

Formed January 15, 1869 (10^th county)

Dawson County (8,943), Glendive (4,875)

The red brick courthouse was built in 1962 on Bell Street at Kendrick Avenue.  Interstate Highway 94 Business passes one block north of the courthouse.  J. G. Link designed this Modern courthouse.  The building was renovated in 2012.  Dawson County was established on January 15, 1869 as the 10^th county.  There was an 1883 earlier courthouse in Glendive, the only county seat.  The county is named for fur trader Andrew Dawson.  The county seat is named for a local creek. 

Dawson County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Two District Court Judges serve Dawson, McCone, Prairie, Richland, and Wibaux counties.  Dawson County is in eastern Montana.  The Yellowstone River flows through the county.  Billings is southwest of the county.  The county center is 17.9 miles Northwest of Glendive nearer Bloomfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Richland, Wibaux, Prairie, and McCone counties.  The county looks like a steam roller heading east.  Glendive is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Glendive is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 54.5% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 2373 square miles.  It is 28 out of 56 in the state.  It ranks 25 out of 56 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.8 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 56 in the state.  Dawson County has 56.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 passes through the county east to southwest from Wibaux County to Prairie County.