Sargent

Formed April 9, 1883 (40^th county)

Sargent County (3,860), Forman (511), Gwinner (927)

The flat dome stands out on the 1910 tan and brown brick courthouse.  The county was formed on April 9, 1883 as the 40^th county.  The building is located on Main Street at Court Avenue.  North Dakota State Highway 32 is two blocks to the east of the site.  Buechner & Orth provided the Classical Revival and Beaux Arts designs.  The building was enlarged in 1998.  Minor was the first county seat until 1884 when Forman assumed the role.  The county is named for railroad officer H. E. Sargent.  Forman is named for town founder Cornelius Hageman Forman. 

Sargent County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Sargent, Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Stutsman, and Wells counties and a court clerk serves Sargent County (judicial.)  Sargent County is located on the southeast border with South Dakota.  Fargo, North Dakota is northeast and Bismarck, North Dakota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 1.1 miles East of Forman.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Ransom and Richland counties, and South Dakota, and Dickey County. 

The area of the county is 859 square miles.  It is 48 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 30 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 4.5 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 53 in the state.  Sargent County has 62.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is a rectangle.  Forman is located near the center of the county.  Gwinner is in the northern quarter of the county.  Forman is the county seat and Gwinner is the largest city.  Forman is 13.2% of the county population while Gwinner is 24.0% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced GWIN-NER.

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