Dodson, Montana
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Malta census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59524. It stands on Dodson Creek. The Survey maps it on the Dodson quadrangle. 125 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,287 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresDodson grew from 124 to 125 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 124 | |
| 2020 | 125 | +1 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Havre quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Havre quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Havre quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Dodson quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Dodson quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
14 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Dodson between 1992 and 2019, burning about 5,481 acres in total. 3 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2019 | Natural | 40 acres | Phillips County | FDH-MTLG11-179 |
| 25 August 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5,000 acres | Northeastern Land Office | KATHRYN |
| 22 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Fort Belknap Agency | WEST BRIDGE |
| 22 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fort Belknap Agency | WEST DODSON |
| 22 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Fort Belknap Agency | D BAR D |
| 12 August 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 acres | Fort Belknap Agency | GEORGE(COY |
| 8 July 2013 | Natural | under an acre | Fort Belknap Agency | COTTONWOOD |
| 15 July 2005 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Fort Belknap Agency | VALLEYRIM |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Dodson: 6 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
41 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dodson in 41 storm reports between 1996 and 2023: 16 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 7 flood, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Dodson | $5,000 | Large hail caused damage to a vehicle |
| April 2023 | Flood | Dodson | - | The Milk River at Dodson (DMRM8) rose above its flood stage of 23 feet at 5:45 PM on April 12th. The river then crested at 23.47 feet at 7:15PM on April 12th. The river would go below flood stage at 8:30 PM on April 12th before rising back above flood stage at 3:00 PM on April 14th. The river would fall below flood stage at 4:20 PM on April 14th. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Public reported at 75 mph wind gust at their personal home weather station. |
| April 2018 | Flood | Dodson | - | The river gauge at Dodson (DMRM8) rose above its flood stage of 23 feet at 2:45 AM MST on April 18th. It crested at 28.14 feet at 7:00 AM MST on April 23rd. The river remained above flood stage into early May. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Trained spotter reported shingles blown off a shed and a skylight torn off a workshop. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Trained spotter estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| June 2016 | Hail | Dodson | - | Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Trained spotter reported tree limbs up to 6 inches in diameter downed by strong winds. |
| October 2016 | Flood | Dodson | - | Phillips County Emergency Manager reported many back country roads flooded, including Content Road, Sun Prairie Road, Beaverton Road. Regina Road south of Malta was underwater after a culvert on Alkali Creek washed away. |
| October 2016 | Hail | Dodson | - | Storm Chaser reported, via social media, nickel sized hail. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Public reported 60 mph winds and 0.7 inches of rain. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Trained spotter reported 60 mph winds. Location is right on the Phillips/Blaine county line. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | No damage. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Dodson | - | Hail didn't cover the entire ground, but there was a lot of hail from half an inch to one and a half inches across at least a three mile area. Some minor vehicle damage. |
| June 2013 | Flood | Dodson | - | The Milk River at Dodson (DMRM8) rose above its flood stage of 23 feet at 2:30 PM MST on June 4th, crested at 25.95 feet at 4:40 PM MST on June 5th, then fell back down below flood stage at 10:45 PM MST on June 7th. |
| June 2013 | Flood | Dodson | - | Peoples Creek, west of the town of Dodson, rose out of its banks on June 4th and covered the surrounding low-lying areas, including Montana Highway 8 and US Highway 2. Law enforcement officials set off a quarter-mile section of US Highway 2, directing vehicles to slowly tread a depth of 3 inches of water until the water receeded on June 6th. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Dodson | - | Tribal Law Enforcement reported Peoples Creek was flooding along the Lodgepole Highway. Flooding also began at Dodson on March 19th. |
| June 2011 | Flood | Dodson | - | Flooding mainly occurred on the Peoples and Beaver Creeks. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Severe thunderstorm brought a gust to about 60 mph. |
| July 2009 | Funnel Cloud | Dodson | - | Funnel cloud spotted about 15 miles southwest of Wagner. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Spotter estimated the wind gusts to be between 60 and 70 mph. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Dodson | - | The hail ranged in size from pea to quarter. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Dodson | - | Water was covering and flowing across Highway 204. |
| July 2007 | Heavy Rain | Dodson | - | Measured eight tenths of an inch of rain in 20 minutes. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | The wind was accompanied by pea sized hail. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | Several trees blown down in and around Dodson. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Dodson | - | There was an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dodson | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner | 9.0 miles | 7 | |
| Lost Lake (historical) | 17.1 miles | 7 | |
| Malta | 19.8 miles | 8 | |
| Phillips | 21.3 miles | 7 | |
| Brookside (historical) | 21.6 miles | 7 | |
| Sumner | 27.5 miles | 7 | |
| Loring Colony | 30.6 miles | 7 | |
| Old Whitcomb Place | 31.6 miles | 9 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Dodson | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q584262 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 770687. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




