Distinctly Montana Magazine

102 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 5 article and photos by BRYAN SPELLMAN G E T T O K N O W G E T T O K N O W A C O U N T Y A C O U N T Y G O L D E N V A L L E Y C O U N T Y G O L D E N V A L L E Y C O U N T Y B ORN AT THE HEIGHT OF THE HOMESTEAD- ING BOOM (OCTOBER 4TH, 1920), GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY WITH ITS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NAME PROMISED RICH HARVESTS, PRESUMABLY OF GOLDEN WHEAT, BUT THE CLI- MATE DIDN'T LIVE UP TO THE FARMERS' NEEDS, AND THE COUNTY'S POPULATION HAS DROPPED FAIRLY CONSISTENTLY SINCE ITS FIRST CENSUS IN THE COUNTY'S TENTH YEAR. The 2020 census counted 823 residents, the low- est number in the county's history, but the 2024 estimate does show a 5% increase to 863, still lower than any previous census. On October 4th, 1920, the Montana Legislature took land from Musselshell and Sweet Grass Counties to form the new Golden Valley County. If, like me, you're asking "Sweet Grass County?" I direct you to your Montana counties map. It becomes clear that while most of the land came from Musselshell County, there is a small parcel, south and west of the rest of Golden Valley Coun- ty, that appears to have been cut from Sweet Grass. I can only assume that settlers in that area felt they would better served being closer to Ryegate than they were to Big Timber. Or am I the only one to get caught by things like that? In any event, Golden Valley County was Montana's fifty-third county created. With an area of 1,176 square miles, it is fifty-sec- ond in area. And with an estimated 2024 population of 863, it is fifty-fourth in population. The county seat is Ryegate and the county number is 53. The Milwaukee Road (The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pa- cific Railroad) built its way across south central Montana in 1908, building depots roughly every ten miles. One depot was built in a rye field on the Sims-Garfield Ranch. As you had to go through a gate to get there, the railroad named the depot Ryegate. A town grew up around the depot, eventually including a hotel, café, newspaper, churches, grain elevators and saloons—this is Mon- tana, after all. The town incorporated in 1917 and with the cre- ation of Golden Valley County, Ryegate became the county seat. The 1920 census counted 405 residents in Ryegate, the highest number in the small town's history. One hundred years later, the count had dropped to 223, and many of the early businesses had closed. Carroll Van West, writing in his blog MontanaHistori- cLandscape, talks of the big "whammy" to south central Mon- tana when in the 1970s the Milwaukee Road ceased operations and almost simultaneously Interstate 90 was completed roughly 45 miles south of US Highway 12. All Musselshell River Commu- nities were affected, and Ryegate was no exception. In fairness, though, the town's population has been dropping almost from its beginning. RYEGATE

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