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| Established in 1925 from Fergus County | County Seat, Winnett | |||
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As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 494 people in Petroleum county. This makes Petroleum county the least populous in Montana and one of the least populous in the United States. Petroleum county has an estimated 511 people in the 2012 U.S. Census. Petroleum county was created on February 25, 1925 and was the last of Montana's 56 counties to be created. It was named Petroleum because of the petroleum being extracted from Cat Creek Oil Field. Oil was discovered on February 18, 1920. The county seat of Winnett is named for Walter John Winnett, who was a Canadian rancher captured by the Sioux and later adopted into the tribe. His Sioux name was Eagle Eyes due to his excellent shooting skills. Winnett started a ranch in Montana Territory in 1879 near an active trading post along McDonald Creek and the Hangman's Tree used by vigilantes in the area. He built the ranch house in 1900 and besides being a home for his family, it was also a meeting place for the community. Winnett also built a freight business to haul supplies from Billings and in 1910 he built a store and petitioned for a post office. Then, Winnett became an official town. If you are looking for someone who may have been in Petroleum County before 1925, you would need to research records in Fergus County. |
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| Libraries | ||||
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Petroleum County Community Library P.O. Box 167
Pages of time : a history of Petroleum County, Montana |
Lewistown
(Fergus County) Public Library Central Montana Genealogy Society |
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| Petroleum County Courthouse | ||||
| Petroleum County Clerk of Court 201 East Main Street Winnett, Montana 59087 406-429-5311 |
Petroleum County Clerk and Recorder 201 East Main Street Winnett, Montana 59087 406-429-5311 |
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| Copyright 1998-2019 All Rights Reserved | ||||
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updated April 4, 2019 |
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| Pages maintained by Petroleum County Coordinator | ||||
