Formed February 9, 1919 (46th county)
McCone County (1,728), Circle (591)
The tan brick Federalist facility was constructed in 1949. The courthouse is on Idaho Street at 10th Avenue. Montana State Highway 200 is two blocks east. J. G. Link is the architect. There was a wooden courthouse earlier in Circle, the only county seat. The county was established on February 9, 1919 as the 46th county. Legislator George McCone provided his name to the county. Circle is named for a local cattle ranch.
McCone County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Two District Court Judges serve McCone, Dawson, Prairie, Richland, and Wibaux counties and a court clerk serves McCone County (judicial.) The county is located in northeast Montana. The Missouri River forms its northern border. Billings, Montana is southwest of the county. The county center is 14.8 miles North-Northwest of Circle. The county is surrounded clockwise by Roosevelt, Richland, Dawson, Prairie, Garfield, and Valley counties.
The area of the county is 2643 square miles. It is 22 out of 56 in the state. It ranks 47 out of 56 in population in the state. It has a density of 0.7 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 56 in the state. McCone County has 34.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county looks like a funnel. Circle is in the southeast corner of the county. Circle is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 34.2% of the county population.
Circle
