Big Sandy, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Big Sandy, Montana
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Location of Big Sandy, Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Chouteau |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.48 sq mi (1.23 km2) |
| • Land | 0.48 sq mi (1.23 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,704 ft (824 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 605 |
| • Density | 1,268.34/sq mi (490.11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59520
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-06250 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411689 |
| Website | http://townofbigsandy.com/ |
Big Sandy is a small town in Chouteau County, Montana, United States. In 2020, about 605 people lived there. It's a friendly place with a rich history.
The famous Lewis and Clark Trail passes right through Big Sandy. This trail follows U.S. Route 87.
A cool fact about Big Sandy is that Jeff Ament, the bassist for the famous band Pearl Jam, grew up here. In 2010, he helped build a skatepark for the town. He did this through his non-profit group, Montana Pool Service.
Big Sandy was also home to the Big Bud 747. This is said to be the largest farm tractor in the world! It was here from 1997 to 2009 and came back in 2020.
Contents
History of Big Sandy
Big Sandy started as a place with a saloon. This saloon served people who transported goods on the Missouri River. The town gets its name from the nearby Big Sandy Creek. The town officially began in 1887 when the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway arrived. This railway later became the Great Northern Railway.
In the early 1900s, Cornelius J. McNamara and Thomas A. Marlow opened the town's first store. They owned the McNamara Cattle Company. Many new settlers, called homesteaders, started arriving in Big Sandy around 1909. This continued for about ten years.
There are a few fun stories about how Big Sandy Creek got its name. One popular tale is about a mule driver named “Big Sandy” Lane. One day, he found the creek flooded. He was so upset that he started yelling at the weather and his bad luck. The story says his loud complaints made the creek dry up right away, so he could cross!
For many years, the town's main landmark was its water tower. You could see it from far away. The water tower was taken down in 1993. More recently, some local people have started calling a big puddle on Main Street a new landmark. They just call it "Puddle."
Exploring Big Sandy's Geography
Big Sandy covers an area of about 0.48 square miles (1.23 square kilometers). All of this area is land. The town is located in a special area known as the "Golden Triangle." This region is famous for growing lots of wheat and barley.
Nearby, you'll find Lonesome Lake. This shallow lake is a great spot for birds. It's a resting place for many migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. In the summer, you might see animals like pronghorn, coyotes, and badgers around the lake.
Big Sandy's Climate
Big Sandy has a semi-arid climate. This means it's usually dry, but it gets enough rain to support some plant life. The weather can have big changes between seasons.
| Climate data for Big Sandy, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1921–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
76 (24) |
81 (27) |
94 (34) |
100 (38) |
106 (41) |
109 (43) |
111 (44) |
104 (40) |
92 (33) |
78 (26) |
72 (22) |
111 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.1 (12.3) |
56.4 (13.6) |
68.3 (20.2) |
78.8 (26.0) |
85.4 (29.7) |
92.8 (33.8) |
99.1 (37.3) |
98.1 (36.7) |
93.3 (34.1) |
79.5 (26.4) |
65.1 (18.4) |
56.0 (13.3) |
100.8 (38.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.8 (−0.7) |
35.2 (1.8) |
46.0 (7.8) |
58.4 (14.7) |
67.9 (19.9) |
75.9 (24.4) |
85.9 (29.9) |
84.8 (29.3) |
73.7 (23.2) |
58.7 (14.8) |
43.6 (6.4) |
33.5 (0.8) |
57.9 (14.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.3 (−6.5) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
34.0 (1.1) |
45.5 (7.5) |
54.6 (12.6) |
62.4 (16.9) |
70.3 (21.3) |
69.1 (20.6) |
59.0 (15.0) |
45.6 (7.6) |
32.6 (0.3) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.8 (−12.3) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
22.0 (−5.6) |
32.6 (0.3) |
41.2 (5.1) |
48.9 (9.4) |
54.6 (12.6) |
53.4 (11.9) |
44.2 (6.8) |
32.5 (0.3) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
13.0 (−10.6) |
32.3 (0.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −20.3 (−29.1) |
−15.8 (−26.6) |
−2.6 (−19.2) |
15.2 (−9.3) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
35.5 (1.9) |
42.5 (5.8) |
39.7 (4.3) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
11.3 (−11.5) |
−3.8 (−19.9) |
−17.3 (−27.4) |
−29.1 (−33.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −51 (−46) |
−52 (−47) |
−44 (−42) |
−15 (−26) |
9 (−13) |
22 (−6) |
35 (2) |
27 (−3) |
12 (−11) |
−19 (−28) |
−33 (−36) |
−50 (−46) |
−52 (−47) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.45 (11) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.47 (12) |
1.27 (32) |
2.07 (53) |
3.12 (79) |
1.40 (36) |
0.99 (25) |
1.16 (29) |
0.93 (24) |
0.60 (15) |
0.43 (11) |
13.28 (337) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 8.6 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 50.2 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Big Sandy?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 589 | — | |
| 1930 | 633 | 7.5% | |
| 1940 | 596 | −5.8% | |
| 1950 | 743 | 24.7% | |
| 1960 | 954 | 28.4% | |
| 1970 | 827 | −13.3% | |
| 1980 | 835 | 1.0% | |
| 1990 | 740 | −11.4% | |
| 2000 | 703 | −5.0% | |
| 2010 | 598 | −14.9% | |
| 2020 | 605 | 1.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 Census Information
In 2010, the town had 598 people living in 276 households. About 161 of these were families. The population density was about 1359 people per square mile.
- About 25% of households had children under 18 living with them.
- Many households were married couples living together (43.1%).
- About 39.5% of all households were single individuals.
- About 15.6% of people living alone were 65 years old or older.
The average age in Big Sandy was 47.5 years. About 21.9% of residents were under 18. About 20.6% were 65 years or older. The town had slightly more females (53%) than males (47%).
Arts and Culture in Big Sandy
The Big Sandy Montana Historical Society has a museum in town. It features many exhibits about the early days of Big Sandy. The Chouteau County Library also has a branch in Big Sandy.
Education in Big Sandy
Students in Big Sandy attend Big Sandy Public Schools. These schools teach students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. Big Sandy High School is the local high school. Their sports teams are known as the Pioneers.
Big Sandy in the News
The local newspaper for Big Sandy is called The Big Sandy Mountaineer. It is published every week.
Getting Around Big Sandy
U.S. Route 87 runs through the town. It crosses with Montana Highway 432. If you need to fly, the Big Sandy Airport is just one mile south of town.
Famous People from Big Sandy
- Jeff Ament: He is the bassist for the famous rock band Pearl Jam. He grew up in Big Sandy.
- Jon Tester: He is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana. He is also an organic farmer.
Images for kids
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Johannes Avenue
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Entering Big Sandy
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Big Sandy Elevators from Centennial Ave
See also
In Spanish: Big Sandy (Montana) para niños
