McIntosh

Formed March 9, 1883 (38^th county)

McIntosh County (2,529), Ashley (612), Wishek (860)

The tan and light brown brick Beaux Arts courthouse is located on a square at 1^st Street Northeast, 1^st Avenue Northeast, 2^nd Street Northeast, and Center Avenue.  North Dakota State Highway 11 is one block south of the site.  It was built in 1920 using the designs of Buechner and Orth.  The structure features a dome and columns.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1895 courthouse earlier in Ashley, the only county seat.  The county was organized on March 9, 1883 as the 38^th county.  McIntosh County is named for settler Edward H. McIntosh.  The county seat is named for railroad official Ashley E. Morrow. 

McIntosh County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve McIntosh, Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, Logan, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and a court clerk serves McIntosh County (judicial.)  The county is located on the southern border with South Dakota.  Bismarck, North Dakota is northwest and Fargo, North Dakota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 1.7 miles North of Ashley.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Logan, La Moure, and Dickey counties and South Dakota and Emmons County. 

The area of the county is 975 square miles.  It is 42 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 36 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.6 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 53 in the state.  McIntosh County has 65.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is a rectangle.  Ashley is located in the southern third of the county.  Wishek is near the northwest border of the county.  Ashley is the county seat and Wishek is the largest city.  Ashley is 24.2% of the county population while Wishek is 34.0% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced WIE-SHEK.