Welcome to Roundup, Montana

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  Downtown

  Photo courtesy: Roundup Chamber

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  Mussellshell Valley Historical Museum

  Photo courtesy: MTOT

Welcome to Roundup, Montana, a historical town located along the banks of the Musselshell River. Roundup sits in an area surrounded by hills, which made it an ideal location for large cattle "roundups" in bygone years. According to historians, Roundup was so named because ranchers found the valley near the Musselshell River a natural place to "round up" their cattle in the fall of the year. Some say it was named because it was the ending point of the Texas Trail cattle drives into Montana.(copyright of Roundup Chamber of Commerce)

One of the many attractions in the area is the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum which houses a coal tunnel, complete with wooden car, carbide lamps, lunch pails, maps and photos. The exhibits tell the story of the birth of Roundup. Other exhibits include fossils, local Indian artifacts, and paintings by local artists. Special rooms display the old Rothiemy Store and post office, a one room rural school, a dressmaker shop and original operating rooms of the old Vicars Hospital.

The Bull Mountains, south of Roundup, offer beautiful roadside geology and pine trees. Companies, adhering to careful reclamation processes, mine coal in these mountains. North of town are oil wells, evidence of another rich mineral in the area. Eight miles north of Roundup is the Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge where wildlife commonly observed include long-billed curlews, upland sand pipers, sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and a variety of raptors. Elk have been known to travel through the refuge enroute to or from the Little Snowy Mountains to the west. The Musselshell River, noted for its fine trout and catfish, also offers plentiful spots for relaxing picnics along its lazy banks. The oblong mussels, for which the river is named, can be collected as 'jewels of the Musselshell.'