Ryegate is a county seat. A fine field of rye attracted the attention of one railroad official and suggested the name for the station. Ryegate was built at the vase of rimrocks which are three miles long and once a part of the shore of a large lake. Marine fossils are found in abundance there. Prehistoric inscriptions can still be seen on the exposed rocks. One crudely drawn picture, a mile west of town shows six men and three antelope. (from Cheney's
Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) Even today you are almost guaranteed to see antelope and deer grazing in the pastures in and around Ryegate.
Ryegate is on the western edge of the Custer Country tourism region on the Musselshell River. The town is set in true central Montana cattle sheep ranch land. The State Recreation Area of Deadman's Basin, a few miles west is well known for camping, fishing boating and swimming.
Not far from Ryegate is Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Big Lake Complex, a large drainage area beginning with Hailstone to the north and ending at Big Lake to the south. This complex is one of the most productive areas in central Montana for waterfowl. The refuge includes a large alkaline lake and surrounding habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, pronghorns, and prairie dogs. Public use of the refuge is limited to bird watching and hiking, as it is intended as a sanctuary for all wildlife, free from disturbance by human activities. Walk-in access is through the north boundary.
