Fort Peck, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fort Peck, Montana
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Location of Fort Peck, Montana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Valley |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.89 sq mi (2.31 km2) |
| • Land | 0.89 sq mi (2.31 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,202 ft (671 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 239 |
| • Density | 267.64/sq mi (103.30/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
59255
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-28450 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412642 |
Fort Peck is a small town in Valley County, Montana, United States. In 2020, about 239 people lived there.
Contents
History of Fort Peck
The name Fort Peck comes from a person named Col. Campbell K. Peck. He was a business partner in a trading company. In 1867, his company built the Fort Peck trading post. This post was along the Missouri River. It was the main place for trading with the Sioux and Assiniboine people.
After being a trading post, Fort Peck became an Indian agency. This means it was a place where the government worked with Native American tribes. It was an agency from 1873 to 1878. Then, the agency moved to a new spot in Poplar. Fort Peck also had a post office for a short time, from 1879 to 1881.
A new town of Fort Peck was built in 1934. This new town is about two miles north of the old one. It was built to house workers who were building the Fort Peck Dam. The Army Corps of Engineers managed this big project.
The town was meant to be temporary. But it had many things a permanent town would have. These included an office building, a hospital, stores, a theater, and a recreation hall. Many more workers came than the town could hold. So, other small towns, called shanty towns, grew up nearby. These included Wheeler and New Deal. Some of the old buildings in Fort Peck are now on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.
Life and Activities in Fort Peck
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a major employer in Fort Peck. They manage the power plants, the dam, and the lake. For a long time, all the houses in Fort Peck were built by the government.
Fort Peck is a popular place for outdoor fun. People travel from far away to enjoy the Fort Peck Reservoir. The lake and its connected waterways are great for boating, swimming, and fishing. Camping and barbecuing are also very popular. There are good places set up for these activities.
Besides the lake, Fort Peck offers other things to do. The Fort Peck Theatre puts on plays during the summer. Many people come to watch these shows. The Fort Peck Interpretive Center teaches visitors about the area's history. You can learn about everything from dinosaurs to the building of the dam.
Geography of Fort Peck
Fort Peck covers an area of about 2.31 square kilometers (0.89 square miles). All of this area is land.
Weather in Fort Peck
| Climate data for Fort Peck, Montana (Fort Peck Power Plant) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 59 (15) |
69 (21) |
80 (27) |
91 (33) |
100 (38) |
107 (42) |
108 (42) |
110 (43) |
103 (39) |
91 (33) |
78 (26) |
66 (19) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.8 (9.9) |
52.3 (11.3) |
67.4 (19.7) |
78.4 (25.8) |
86.8 (30.4) |
94.9 (34.9) |
99.4 (37.4) |
99.7 (37.6) |
93.7 (34.3) |
81.2 (27.3) |
64.0 (17.8) |
51.5 (10.8) |
101.6 (38.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 28.3 (−2.1) |
33.2 (0.7) |
46.2 (7.9) |
60.0 (15.6) |
70.7 (21.5) |
79.6 (26.4) |
88.6 (31.4) |
88.3 (31.3) |
76.6 (24.8) |
60.9 (16.1) |
44.1 (6.7) |
32.3 (0.2) |
59.1 (15.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.9 (−7.8) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
34.3 (1.3) |
46.9 (8.3) |
57.2 (14.0) |
66.3 (19.1) |
73.5 (23.1) |
72.6 (22.6) |
62.1 (16.7) |
48.8 (9.3) |
33.9 (1.1) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
46.5 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.5 (−13.6) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
33.7 (0.9) |
43.8 (6.6) |
53.0 (11.7) |
58.5 (14.7) |
56.8 (13.8) |
47.6 (8.7) |
36.6 (2.6) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
12.5 (−10.8) |
34.0 (1.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −18.7 (−28.2) |
−12.6 (−24.8) |
−1.9 (−18.8) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
41.2 (5.1) |
47.2 (8.4) |
42.7 (5.9) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
0.8 (−17.3) |
−11.7 (−24.3) |
−24.8 (−31.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) |
−40 (−40) |
−28 (−33) |
−4 (−20) |
9 (−13) |
28 (−2) |
39 (4) |
33 (1) |
15 (−9) |
−4 (−20) |
−24 (−31) |
−38 (−39) |
−43 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.30 (7.6) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.38 (9.7) |
0.92 (23) |
2.52 (64) |
2.67 (68) |
2.39 (61) |
1.40 (36) |
1.05 (27) |
0.94 (24) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.35 (8.9) |
13.58 (345) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 9.5 | 10.6 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 72.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People in Fort Peck
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 325 | — | |
| 2000 | 240 | −26.2% | |
| 2010 | 233 | −2.9% | |
| 2020 | 239 | 2.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 233 people living in Fort Peck. There were 99 households, which means 99 different homes. Most of the people were White (93.6%). About 3% were Native American.
The average age in town was about 49 years old. About 18% of the people were under 18. About 18.5% were 65 years old or older. Slightly more than half of the residents (52.8%) were male, and 47.2% were female.
Famous People from Fort Peck
- Ron Hauge: An Emmy award-winning writer for the TV show The Simpsons grew up here.
- Wayne Hawkins: A football player who was a guard for the Oakland Raiders was born here.
See also
In Spanish: Fort Peck (Montana) para niños
