Photo courtesy of Roundup Cattle Drive ©

Roundup Montana

  According to historians, Roundup was so named because ranchers found the valley near the Musselshell River a natural place to "round up" their cattle in the fall of the year. Some say it was named because it was the ending point of the Texas Trail cattle drives in Montana.

  Roundup began in an area just south of the bridge over the Musselshell River some two miles southwest of the town's present location. With the arrival of the railroad and newcomers who camped and built adjacent to the tracks, a rapid growth in population resulted in the relocation of the original Roundup post office from what is now known as "Old Roundup", a process that caused considerable lively debate at the time. The present location of Roundup, however, is actually the very area where most of the early day "round ups" occurred.

  In the 1800's the valley was unsurveyed and mostly uninhabited. Much of the area was surveyed in 1882 or 1883 and by 1900 a significant portion of the surrounding land was fenced according to the ranchers' holdings. Little open range was left.

  The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (lovingly called the "Milwaukee" by local residents) reached Central Montana in 1907 when "Old Roundup" was nothing more than a little cow town. The railroad spurred both homestead filings and development of the rich local coal deposits. Roundup coal mines soon became the principal source of fuel for railroad steam locomotives throughout the northwest.

  In 1908, A.W. Eiselein began publishing the Roundup Record-Tribune, which has since become the oldest newspaper in Montana published by one family. The history of the Roundup area is recorded on the pages of Eiselein's newspaper -- complete files of which are found at the newspaper office, in the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum and on microfilm at the Community Library.

  Those pages record stories of "red light districts", thriving businesses, stately hotels, gourmet restaurants and "greasy spoons", brawling bars, meat markets and grocery stores. Tragic tales unfold around murders, manhunts, death from flu epidemics and other diseases. High society had it's day, too, as weddings, card parties, teas and other social events were reported.

  Many of the buildings along Main Street (from Railroad Avenue to 9th Avenue and between Main Street and Third Streets East and West) were built in the very early 1900's. A complete guide to these historic homes and business buildings is available in the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum.

  Musselshell County was organized in 1911 and Roundup was named county seat. Publicity put out by the railroad and the availability of homestead land brought increasing numbers of people into the area. Many European immigrants came to claim land or to work in the coal mines, making Roundup a veritable "melting pot" of nationalities.

  Life was far from easy in those early days and many homesteaders gave up and either returned to eastern homes or moved on to less challenging areas. However, Roundup continued to grow. In 1908 it had 800 people; by 1910 the number had grown to 1,513; in 1920 59 2,450 and in 1930 to 2,577 (17th among Montana cities.) Today, Roundup's population remains around 2,500.

  Coal mines near Roundup -- No. 1, Klein No. 2, No. 3, Prescott and various smaller mines -- coupled with a strong farm and ranch economy kept the city thriving in the early years. Montana's first oil well was discovered a few miles north of Roundup and an ensuing oil boom caused much activity in the area.

  During the late 1950's and early 1960's, coal lost its place as a primary fuel for many industrial activities and Roundup's coal mines lost prominence. All underground operations finally ceased and only small surface mines survived. Oil activity also began a steady decline during the latter part of the 70's and early 80's. The same period saw reductions in Milwaukee railroad activity and that line was eventually abandoned. The past decade has also witnessed periods of severe drought, falling agricultural prices and heavy pressure on the agricultural economy.

  Roundup seemed to be headed for the same fate experienced by countless other small western communities when major elements of their economic health were lost, but a couple of things halted and possibly turned the decline around. Celebration of Montana's statehood centennial in 1989 saw Roundup become the "trailhead" for the Great Montana Centennial Cattle Drive of 1989, an event two years in the making and one which saw people from all over the world arrive in Roundup. The Cattle Drive saw some 3,000 cattle, 3,500 horses, 3,000 riders and about 300 wagons and tens of thousands of spectators assemble near Roundup for an epic six day trip to Billings. Roundup people played a key role in the organization and execution of the drive. The project reminded people of and made them acutely aware of their heritage and had a tremendous impact on community spirit. At about the same time, Meridian Minerals Company expressed interest in developing a modern large scale underground coal mine not far from Roundup.

  Today Roundup folks are intensely proud of their town -- newly planted trees line Main Street, new sidewalks and street pavements are in evidence, business places have remodeled, repaired and spruced up appearances, and people are friendly and hospitable. Roundup has a fascinating past and local people take pride in welcoming visitors in the hope that they will spend a few hours (maybe even days?) enjoying the local museum, shops, stores, cafes and motels.

The Town of Roundup
by Phyllis Adolph

  Roundup sits on the north edge of the beautiful pine-clad Bull Mountains. The location offers many recreational activities including hunting of deer, elk, turkey, antelope, pheasants and other game birds. The Musselshell River Valley features fishing opportunities for sand pike, small mouth bass, and everybody's favorite, the trout. The Roundup area includes overnight camping facilities, public parks with swimming pool and tennis courts, an excellent nine hole golf course and a fine museum. Annual summer events include the 4th of July Rodeo, Tri County Fair during the 3rd week of July and a cattle drive takes place in the month of August. Roundup professes to be the the Gem of the Musselshell Valley, sitting in the heart of the Big Sky Country.


Town size:  Approximately 176 square blocks

Population: Roundup 1,931
                   Musselshell County 4,497

Elevation: 3,226 ft.

Type of Government: Self Government


Climate
Average Annual Precipitation - 12" to 14"
Average Annual Snowfall - 34"
Average Mean Temperature Hottest Month - 85 Degrees F
Average Mean Temperature Year Round - 45.3 Degrees F
Average Winter Low Temperature - 12.6 Degrees F

Housing
Public Housing Unit Facilities - 74 Units
Average Monthly Rental - House $350 Apartment $225
Average Cost for New House - $85,000

Health Facilities
Roundup Memorial Hospital - 11 Bed
24 hour Emergency Room
Nursing Home - 37 bed
Full time Ambulance Service & EMTS
Musselshell Valley Medical Center
Dr. Mark Rosebush - Dentist

School Enrollment
Kindergarten - 8th Grade - 410 students
High School Grade 9 thru 12 - 243 students

Churches

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