Malta, Montana
Encyclopedia
Malta is a city in and the county seat
of Phillips County
, Montana
, United States
, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2
and 191
. The population was 2,120 at the 2000 census.
and his partners built the St Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway (which in 1890 became the Great Northern Railway
) across Montana's "High Line" in 1887, Malta evolved from rail siding
number 54. What came to be Saco, Montana
to the east and Dodson, Montana
to the west grew from other nearby sidings. A post office was established in Malta in 1890. Its name is said to have been determined by a spin of the globe by a Great Northern official whose finger came to rest on the island of Malta
in the Mediterranean Sea
.
On July 3, 1901 Kid Curry (Harvey Logan
), as part of Butch Cassidy
's Wild Bunch, robbed a train just west of Malta, near Wagner, Montana, making off with about $40,000.
One of the best preserved dinosaurs ever discovered and one of only four that were mummified is a 77 million-year-old Brachylophosaurus
nicknamed Leonardo, unearthed north of Malta in 2000. Leonardo, together with brachylophosaurs Elvis (1994), Roberta (2003) and Peanut (2002), is on display at The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.
Two stops on The Montana Dinosaur Trail are located in Malta.
Malta is on the High Plains of Montana. The Little Rocky Mountains are located south of the town. The city's water source is the Milk River, which originates in Glacier National Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
Malta experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen
BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.
of 2000, there were 2,120 people, 907 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,006.1 people per square mile (772.2/km2). There were 1,067 housing units at an average density of 1,009.7 per square mile (388.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.83% White, 0.05% African American, 4.67% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races
, and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 907 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,212, and the median income for a family was $41,422. Males had a median income of $30,117 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,405. About 8.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Phillips County
Phillips County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge* Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge * Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge* UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge* Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument -Demographics:...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada...
and 191
U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...
. The population was 2,120 at the 2000 census.
History
After James HillJames J. Hill
James Jerome Hill , was a Canadian-American railroad executive. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwest, the northern Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest...
and his partners built the St Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway (which in 1890 became the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (US)
The Great Northern Railway , running from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington—more than 1,700 miles —was the creation of the 19th century railroad tycoon James J. Hill and was developed from the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad...
) across Montana's "High Line" in 1887, Malta evolved from rail siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
number 54. What came to be Saco, Montana
Saco, Montana
Saco is a town in Phillips County, Montana, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Saco is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
to the east and Dodson, Montana
Dodson, Montana
Dodson is a town in Phillips County, Montana, United States. The population was 122 at the 2000 census.-History:Dodson was named after a merchant who operated a trading post and saloon there before the Great Northern Railway came through...
to the west grew from other nearby sidings. A post office was established in Malta in 1890. Its name is said to have been determined by a spin of the globe by a Great Northern official whose finger came to rest on the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
On July 3, 1901 Kid Curry (Harvey Logan
Harvey Logan
Harvey Alexander Logan , also known as Kid Curry, was an American outlaw and gunman who rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's infamous Wild Bunch gang. Despite being less well known than his counterparts, he has since been referred to as "the wildest of the Wild Bunch"...
), as part of Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
's Wild Bunch, robbed a train just west of Malta, near Wagner, Montana, making off with about $40,000.
One of the best preserved dinosaurs ever discovered and one of only four that were mummified is a 77 million-year-old Brachylophosaurus
Brachylophosaurus
Brachylophosaurus was a mid-sized member of the hadrosaurid family of dinosaurs. It is known from several skeletons and bonebed material from the Judith River Formation of Montana and the Oldman Formation of Alberta, living about 76.5 million years ago....
nicknamed Leonardo, unearthed north of Malta in 2000. Leonardo, together with brachylophosaurs Elvis (1994), Roberta (2003) and Peanut (2002), is on display at The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.
Two stops on The Montana Dinosaur Trail are located in Malta.
- The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station (home to the Judith River Dinosaur Institute)
- The Phillips County Museum and the H.G. Robinson House and Gardens
Geography
Malta is located at 48.355496°N 107.871361°W (48.355496, -107.871361).Malta is on the High Plains of Montana. The Little Rocky Mountains are located south of the town. The city's water source is the Milk River, which originates in Glacier National Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
Malta experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,120 people, 907 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,006.1 people per square mile (772.2/km2). There were 1,067 housing units at an average density of 1,009.7 per square mile (388.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.83% White, 0.05% African American, 4.67% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 907 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,212, and the median income for a family was $41,422. Males had a median income of $30,117 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,405. About 8.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Further reading
- Murphy, N.L., D. Trexler, and M. Thompson. 2002. Exceptional soft-tissue preservation in a mummified ornithopod dinosaur from the Campanian Lower Judith River Formation. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting. Oct. 9-12. Norman, Okla.