Redstone finds the origins of its name from the red shale in the area. Originally the region was settled by "squatters," people who took possession of the land by putting down their stakes and using the land. Later came homesteaders, farmers, stockmen, and ranch hands. The area around and east of Redstone, especially in the badlands of Big Muddy Creek, is cattle country. Every side road you follow offers great scenery and a lack of civilization.
South of Redstone, in the vicinity of Eagle Creek and Eagle Nest Butte, the Wood Mountain Trail intercepts the Moose Mountain Trail. This historic path started at Wolf Point and snaked northeast into Canada, leaving the United States in the area of Port Raymond, north of Plentywood. The Assiniboine used it, as did other early day wanderers.
Redstone is just a few miles north of the vast Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The reservation is home to Sioux and Assinniboine and encompasses more than 2 million acres of land just east of Fort Peck Lake, almost to North Dakota, and from 50 miles south of Canada to the Missouri River in the south. Poplar Museum and Tribal Museum feature tribal history and artifacts.
