Melstone, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Location in Musselshell County and the state of Montana | |
| Coordinates: 46°35′57″N 107°52′11″W / 46.59917°N 107.86972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Musselshell |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.61 sq mi (1.59 km2) |
| • Land | 0.61 sq mi (1.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,940 ft (896 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 126 |
| • Density | 204.88/sq mi (79.13/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 59054 |
| Area code | 406 |
| FIPS code | 30-49000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0774093 |
Melstone is a rural small town in far eastern Musselshell County, Montana, United States, along U.S. Route 12. The population was 126 at the 2020 census.[3] The town was established in 1908 as a base for operating crews on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, then under construction in Montana. Although the railroad was abandoned in 1980, Melstone survives as a community center for farmers and ranchers in the lower Musselshell River valley.
Melstone was named for Melvin Stone, a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He happened to be on a train where the person sitting next to him, the railroad president, asked his name and impulsively decided to name the community after him.[4]
The Melstone Oil Field west of town developed in the 1950s and saw renewed production in the 1990s.[5]
- ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Montana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "P1. Race – Melstone town, Montana: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Saunders Jr., Richard (2001). Merging LInes: America's Railroads 1900-1970. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-87580-265-6.
- ^ "Melstone". Montana Place Names Companion. Montana Historical Society. Retrieved April 7, 2021.