Superior, Montana
Encyclopedia
Superior is a town in and the county seat
of Mineral County
, Montana
, United States
. The population was 893 at the 2000 census. Superior was named after its founders' hometown of Superior, Wisconsin
in 1869. The post office
was established in 1871 after Mineral County became the site of one of the largest gold strikes that helped settle the West.
In the 1860s and 70s, several thousand miners converged on Cedar Creek to earn their fortunes. Long after that strike played out, mining remained a mainstay of the economy. Mining, along with the development of logging
and United States Forest Service
activities contribute to the area's interesting history.
The town made history again in 1908, when the Superior Hotel received the first Bibles to be placed in hotel rooms by The Gideons
. Today a plaque on Mullan Road
W. marks the spot.
This small town offers a break from interstate travel and an introduction to area history in the Mineral County Museum. Display subjects explore local history and industry, including John Mullan
and the Mullan Road
.
57 miles northwest of Missoula
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (8.47%) is water.
Superior's elevation is 2,744 feet (836 m) above sea level. Superior is surrounded by mountains, right in the middle of the Bitterroot Range
. The Clark Fork
flows through downtown, heading north towards St. Regis, Montana
and ultimately emptying into Lake Pend Oreille
near Cabinet, Idaho. The mountains to the west of Superior along the Montana/Idaho
border receive a large amount of precipitation annually, mostly due to the amount of snow in the winter months. Nearby Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area
receives 400 inches on average each winter. The snow pack melts throughout the spring and summer months, feeding the many mountain streams and creeks with water. All of the water eventually reaches the Clark Fork in the valley below, where Superior is located.
of 2000, there were 893 people, 358 households, and 218 families residing in the town. The population density
was 823.3 people per square mile (319.2/km²). There were 410 housing units at an average density of 378.0 per square mile (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.83% White, 0.11% African American, 2.91% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.11% from other races
, and 3.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.
There were 358 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples
living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,333, and the median income for a family was $31,650. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,154. About 10.4% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
KECI Missoula, Montana
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 Mineral County
Mineral County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,884 people, 1,584 households, and 1,067 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile . There were 1,961 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, 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...
. The population was 893 at the 2000 census. Superior was named after its founders' hometown of Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
in 1869. The post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in 1871 after Mineral County became the site of one of the largest gold strikes that helped settle the West.
In the 1860s and 70s, several thousand miners converged on Cedar Creek to earn their fortunes. Long after that strike played out, mining remained a mainstay of the economy. Mining, along with the development of logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
activities contribute to the area's interesting history.
The town made history again in 1908, when the Superior Hotel received the first Bibles to be placed in hotel rooms by The Gideons
Gideons International
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch...
. Today a plaque on Mullan Road
Mullan Road
Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860. It led from Fort Benton, Montana, the navigational head of the Missouri River to Fort Walla Walla,...
W. marks the spot.
This small town offers a break from interstate travel and an introduction to area history in the Mineral County Museum. Display subjects explore local history and industry, including John Mullan
John Mullan (road builder)
-Biography:Mullan was born in Norfolk, Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1852. He became a member of Isaac Stevens's party to explore the newly-created Washington Territory. Mullan was placed in charge of selecting a wagon route between Fort Benton and Fort Walla Walla...
and the Mullan Road
Mullan Road
Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860. It led from Fort Benton, Montana, the navigational head of the Missouri River to Fort Walla Walla,...
.
Geography
Superior is located at 47°11′36"N 114°53′25"W (47.193305, -114.890379), along Interstate 90Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
57 miles northwest of Missoula
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
.
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 town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (8.47%) is water.
Superior's elevation is 2,744 feet (836 m) above sea level. Superior is surrounded by mountains, right in the middle of the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
. The Clark Fork
Clark Fork (river)
The Clark Fork is a river in the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho, approximately long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and northern Idaho in the watershed of the Columbia River, flowing northwest through a long...
flows through downtown, heading north towards St. Regis, Montana
St. Regis, Montana
St. Regis is a census-designated place in Mineral County, Montana, United States. The population was 315 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St...
and ultimately emptying into Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
near Cabinet, Idaho. The mountains to the west of Superior along the Montana/Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
border receive a large amount of precipitation annually, mostly due to the amount of snow in the winter months. Nearby Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area
Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area
Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area is a ski area at Lookout Pass in northern Idaho on the Montana border, 4 miles east of Mullan on Interstate 90. It has a summit elevation of 5650 feet on Runt Mountain with a vertical drop of 1150 feet on the northeast-facing slopes...
receives 400 inches on average each winter. The snow pack melts throughout the spring and summer months, feeding the many mountain streams and creeks with water. All of the water eventually reaches the Clark Fork in the valley below, where Superior is located.
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 893 people, 358 households, and 218 families residing in the town. 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 823.3 people per square mile (319.2/km²). There were 410 housing units at an average density of 378.0 per square mile (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.83% White, 0.11% African American, 2.91% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.11% 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 3.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.
There were 358 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,333, and the median income for a family was $31,650. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $18,750 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 town was $14,154. About 10.4% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Television
KPAX Missoula, Montana- K03DT Channel 03 Superior
KECI Missoula, Montana
- K11FF Channel 11 Superior
Notable residents
- Pokey AllenPokey AllenErnest Duncan "Pokey" Allen, Jr. was a football player and coach in the United States and Canada. He served as the head football coach at Portland State University from 1986 to 1992 and at Boise State University from 1993 to 1996, compiling a career college football record of 87–41–2...
, former professional and college football player and coach, was born here.