Winnett, Montana

Winnett, Montana
—  Town  —
Rimrocks just south of Winnet, MT
Location of Winnett, Montana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Montana
County Petroleum
Area
 • Total 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
 • Land 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 2,953 ft (900 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 185
 • Density 190.4/sq mi (73.5/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes 59084, 59087
Area code(s) 406
FIPS code 30-81100
GNIS feature ID 0806828

Winnett is a town in and the county seat of Petroleum County, Montana, United States.[1] The population was 185 at the 2000 census. Winnett was named for Walter John Winnett, who was born in the Queen's Hotel—in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Winnett ran away from home as a boy, seeking adventure in "Indian country." His excellent marksmanship abilities helped him get jobs with outfits who were always looking for someone who could keep them in fresh meat. When he was captured by Sioux Indians and later adopted into the tribe, he was given the name Eagle Eyes because of his remarkable shooting skills. Winnett established a ranch in Montana Territory in 1879 near an active trading post and the Hangman's Tree used by vigilantes in the area. The massive ranch house, which he built in 1900 housed his own family and served as a gathering place for the community. Dances, weddings, funerals, church services, and school were all held here. Billings was the closest town, so Winnett built up a freight line business to haul supplies. Each of his outfits consisted of ten to twenty horses and huge wagons. In 1910 he built a store and petitioned for a post office—and with that, Winnett became an official town. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) [2]

Contents

Geography

Winnett is located at (47.004381, -108.351052)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 185 people, 87 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was 190.4 people per square mile (73.6/km²). There were 124 housing units at an average density of 127.6 per square mile (49.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.46% White, and 0.54% from two or more races.

There were 87 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $17,361, and the median income for a family was $26,875. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,892. About 23.1% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 6.8% of those sixty five or over.

Education

Covering the town of Winnett and the surrounding area, Winnett Independent School District has students from grades K-12.[5]

References