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Montana County
Dawson County, Montana
Makoshika State Park - Montana's largest park and dinosaur badlands - from Makoshika State Park (the 11,538-acre park of eroded badlands outside Glendive - Montana's largest state park - whose Cretaceous sedimentary formations have yielded Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Edmontosaurus fossils in one of the richest dinosaur fossil beds in the American West - the Lakota word "makoshika" meaning "bad land" perfectly describes the dramatic eroded buttes and gullies whose ancient layers document the end of the age of dinosaurs) and Glendive's Yellowstone River fishing heritage.
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Office: Dawson County Disaster & Emergency Services – coordinates preparedness, burn permits, and hazard mitigation; dispatch (406) 377-2364.
Sheriff: Dawson County Sheriff’s Office – 440 Colorado Boulevard, Glendive, MT 59330 | (406) 377-5291 | Emergency: 911. Patrols over 2,383 square miles, handles civil process, inmate transport, and operates the county jail/correctional facility; deputies respond via the 911 Dispatch Center and support Glendive Police and Montana Highway Patrol. The Sheriff’s Office also runs a volunteer Search & Rescue program.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Dawson County is part of Montana’s 7th Judicial District (two judges), covering Dawson, Wibaux, Prairie, Richland, and McCone Counties.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-94 serves Glendive, the county seat and self-styled “Gate City,” in eastern Montana on the Yellowstone River.
Notes: Dawson County, established January 15, 1869 as the tenth county organized in Montana Territory, is named for Major Andrew Dawson, manager of the Fort Benton Trading Post for the American Fur Company (1856-1864). Roughly 8,700-8,900 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dawson County – 207 W Bell St, Glendive, MT 59330 | (406) 377-3058.
Notes: Dawson County is genuinely home to Makoshika State Park – Montana’s largest state park at 11,538 acres, a dramatic badlands landscape whose name derives from the Lakota “mako sica” (“bad land”); William Clark referenced the area as the “birnt hills” in his journal during the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s return journey. The park contains significant Hell Creek Formation dinosaur fossils, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and a nearly complete Thescelosaurus skeleton, with a visitor center displaying a triceratops skull; it’s a member site of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and offers exceptional stargazing. The Frontier Gateway Museum and the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum in town further showcase the region’s paleontology.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Dawson County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via dawsoncountymontana.org.
Federal: VA Montana Health Care System (Fort Harrison/Helena, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Glendive Public Library – 200 South Kendrick Ave, Glendive, MT 59330 | (406) 377-3633; roughly 19,600-volume print collection plus over 13,500 e-books; offers weekly Story Time and Baby/Toddler programs, and a Summer Reading Program for children and teens.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Makoshika State Park, the Frontier Gateway Museum, the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, and the Yellowstone River corridor are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine status of Makoshika as Montana’s largest state park and its significant dinosaur fossil discoveries are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Dawson County – confirm current contact via dawsoncountymontana.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control/shelter arrangements via dawsoncountymontana.org or the Glendive Police Department, (406) 377-2364.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Dawson County Public Works – maintains county roads and bridges from shops in Glendive and Richey; confirm current phone via dawsoncountymontana.org.
NOTES: Dawson County is the fifth and final county in the Montana v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch (Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson) – closing out this batch. The genuine status of Makoshika State Park as Montana’s largest state park is a distinctive local fact. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Dawson County
Dawson County is Montana’s dinosaur badlands – Makoshika State Park’s 11,500 acres of eroded Cretaceous formations outside Glendive have yielded T. rex, Triceratops, and other fossils in one of the richest dinosaur beds in the West, and Montana’s largest state park takes its name from the Lakota words for “bad land.”
Glendive (the county seat, population ~4,700) is the eastern Montana Yellowstone River hub – the Dinosaur Museum, catfish fishing, and the I-94 commercial corridor define the community.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Dawson County Assessor (Montana Dept. of Revenue) at 207 W. Bell Street, Glendive, MT 59330, phone 406-377-4256.
Courts & Legal
Dawson County District Court at 207 W. Bell Street, Glendive, MT 59330, phone 406-377-3521, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK AND RECORDER
207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 377-3058
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 377-3058
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dawson County Clerk of District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Dawson County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Dawson County Clerk of District Court, Probate Division 207 W. Bell Street, Glendive, MT 59330 (406) 377-3967
Dawson County was founded January 15, 1869, named for Andrew Dawson, in eastern Montana, seated in Glendive. It is the seat of the 7th Judicial District, which also covers Wibaux, Prairie, Richland, and McCone counties.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Montana adopted the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), codified at Title 72 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Probate is handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided.
Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (MCA § 72-3-1101) – available when the value of the probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000. At least 30 days must have passed since the death, and no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative may be pending or granted anywhere. The affiant presents the sworn, notarized affidavit (with a certified death certificate) directly to whoever holds the property to collect it – skipping probate court entirely. Must be used within 3 years of death.
Summary Administration – a streamlined court process for estates valued at $100,000 or less; unlike the affidavit procedure, this still goes through the court, just with reduced formality.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates. An application can be made to the clerk of district court no sooner than 120 hours (5 days) after death, with minimal court involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or distribution. Handled by a district court judge.
Supervised Administration – formal probate with ongoing court oversight of the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the Clerk of District Court in the county where the decedent resided, no sooner than 120 hours after death.
The court or clerk appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Montana does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally “reasonable compensation” based on time and complexity.
Montana has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 377-2424
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Elections)
207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 377-3058
ELECTIONS
207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 377-3058
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MT DPHHS — Dawson
(406) 377-3058
Glendive Medical Center
gmc.org (Glendive — quality regional hospital; major eastern Montana anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dawson County Public Health & Environmental Services – confirm current phone via dawsoncountymontana.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Glendive
Population: 8,900
Area: 2,383 sq mi
Established: 1869
Tier: 3
Public Records
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