Wells

Formed January 4, 1873 (21^st county)

Wells County (4,207), Fessenden (479), Harvey (1,783)

The red brick and rock Queen Anne facility was constructed in 1895.  The county was organized on January 4, 1873 as the 21^st county.  Wells County is named for Legislator E. P. Wells.  The county seat is named for surveyor, Cortez Fessenden.  The courthouse is located on Railroad Street North at 7^th Avenue North.  North Dakota State Highway 15 is three blocks south of the site.  John W. Ross provided the courthouse designs.  Sykeston was the first county seat until 1894 when Fessenden became the seat. 

Wells County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Wells, Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, and Stutsman counties and a court clerk serves Wells County (judicial.)  The county is located in the central part of the state.  Bismarck, North Dakota is southwest and Grand Forks, North Dakota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 11.7 miles South-Southeast of Fessenden nearer Heaton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Benson, Eddy, Foster, Stutsman, Kidder, Sheridan, and Pierce counties. 

The area of the county is 1291 square miles.  It is 25 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 26 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.26 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 53 in the state.  Wells County has 63.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 52 enters the county from the northwest, Sheridan County, and exits to the east, Foster County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Fessenden is located near the center of the county.  Harvey is in the northwest corner of the county.  Fessenden is the county seat and Harvey is the largest city.  Fessenden is 11.4% of the county population while Harvey is 42.4% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced FES-SEN-DEN.