Absaroka (proposed state)

44°N 107°W / 44°N 107°W / 44; -107

Absaroka
Proposed Flag of Absaroka (obverse)
Proposed, contemporary map from 1939.
Status	Not admitted
Capital	Sheridan (from Wyoming) (proposed)
Common languages	English
Time zone	Mountain
Today part of	Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana

Absaroka was a proposed state in the United States that would have comprised parts of the states of Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, which contemplated secession in 1939. The movement began in 1935, during the Great Depression, as a form of protest against their respective state governments, who were criticized for failing to provide New Deal federal aid to rural ranchers and farmers.

A. R. Swickard, a local street commissioner, served as a leader of the movement and later declared himself governor. Swickard hosted a series of public hearings regarding grievances levied against the Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming state governments, receiving substantial media coverage and prompting the respective governments to act. This led to broader distribution of federal aid to rural regions, resulting in the secessionist movement dying out by the start of World War II. It has been debated whether the movement was a serious attempt to form a new state.