Melstone, Montana
Melstone, Montana | |
|---|---|
Location in Musselshell County and the state of Montana | |
| Coordinates: 46°35′49″N 107°52′21″W / 46.59694°N 107.87250°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 | 2,914 ft (888 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• 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 | 2412981 |
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. 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.
The Melstone Oil Field west of town developed in the 1950s and saw renewed production in the 1990s.