Kidder

Formed January 4, 1873 (9^th county)

Kidder County (2,395), Steele (665)

The red brick building is located on Broadway between 1^st and Mitchell avenues.  The site is eight blocks south of Interstate Highway 94.  The courthouse was built in 1883, remodeled in 1913, and enlarged in 1978 with an Annex.  Wilbur F. Steele provided the Federalist designs.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Kidder County was established on January 4, 1873 as the 9^th county with Steele as the only county seat.  The county was named for Congressman Jefferson Parrish Kidder.  The county seat is named for Calvary Colonel Wilbur F. Steele.  Interstate Highway 94 crosses the county east to west from Stutsman County to Burleigh County. 

Kidder County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Kidder, Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and a court clerk serves Kidder County (judicial.)  Kidder County is in south central North Dakota.  Bismarck, North Dakota is directly west and Fargo, North Dakota is east of the county.  The county center is 15.2 miles Northeast of Steele nearer Dawson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wells, Stutsman, Logan, Emmons, Burleigh, and Sheridan counties. 

The area of the county is 1352 square miles.  It is 20 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 38 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1.8 persons per square mile making it 47 out of 53 in the state.  Kidder County has 46.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Steele is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Steele is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.8% of the county population.