Marmarth ( ) is the largest city in Slope County in the U.S. State of North Dakota with a population of 101 as of 2020 census. It is situated in the southwestern part of Slope County, along the Bowman County line in the southwestern part of North Dakota, just seven miles east of the Montana border. Marmarth was founded as a railroad town along the Milwaukee Road from Seattle, WA to Chicago, IL. By 1920, Marmarth had over 1,300 residents. The town's population declined during most of the 20th century and was only 101 in 2021. There is one restaurant and one bar still located in Marmarth in 2013.
The town is recognized for various historical events, including Native-American Lakota history, the discovery of the Dakota fossil and various other dinosaur skeletons, the attack on James L. Fisk by Sitting Bull, and several visits by former president Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt visited Marmarth on several occasions and killed both his first buffalo and his first grizzly bear by the Little Missouri River in Marmarth. The old ranch house on Hay Creek in which Roosevelt stayed during his visits is still standing. Another visited attraction in town is the “Woman in Stone”, which is a 50-foot rock depicting the face and hairline of a woman.
The town is located 50 air miles and nearly 100 road miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Marmarth is adjacent to the Little Missouri National Grassland, and is also the closest city to Big Gumbo, a 20,000 acre federally owned public wilderness area administrated by the Bureau of Land Management.
Several movies and TV shows have been filmed in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including the Wooly Boys, History Hogs and The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt, all which were filmed in neighboring Billings County.
Etymology
The name comes from a combination of letters in the first and middle names of Margaret Martha Finch, granddaughter of Albert J. Earling, president of the railroad at the time. It is nicknamed the “city of trees”, as a result of being one of few forested areas in the Badlands region of Southern North Dakota.
Geography
It is located between Bucklin township and Hughes township in the badlands region of North Dakota. It is situated adjacent to the Little Missouri River at the confluence of Little Missouri River, Hay Creek, and Little Beaver Creek. It has an elevation of and is nicknamed “the city of trees” for being an oasis of trees in the treeless Badlands region, and is the only place in the State of North Dakota where limber pines grow.
Marmarth is located at (46.294693, −103.923037). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marmarth has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
History
Native-American history
The area was originally inhabited by the Lakota- and Crow peoples, which may have been part of the 9th–12th centuries BCE Mound Builders civilization.
On September 2, 1864, Captain James L. Fisk of the Union Army was leading 200 gold-seekers in eighty-eight wagons from North Dakota to Montana. By the Deep Creek, approximately twelve miles east of today's Marmarth, the group was attacked by over a hundred Hunkpapa Sioux Indians led by the chief Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull was wounded, but saved by Jumping Bull and White Bull, while six Hunkpapas, ten soldiers, and two civilians were killed in the battle. The Site of Fort Dilts has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was frequently in Marmarth and it is credited as the place where the future president shot his first grizzly bear and also his first buffalo. The old squat ranch house by Hay Creek where the president guested is still standing.