Martinsdale: A Small Town with Big Stories
Tucked into the wide open spaces between the Crazy and Little Belt Mountains, Martinsdale, Montana, may be small in size, but it’s mighty in history.
The first version of the town wasn’t even called Martinsdale—it was Gauglersville, named after Franklin Gaugler, who built a hotel and general store in the area in 1876. Life was rugged and raw, catering to early ranchers, travelers, and adventurers carving out a life on the high plains.
In 1878, thanks to a push from Civil War veteran and newspaper man Martin Maginnis, a post office was established, and the town got a new name: Martinsdale.
Everything shifted again in 1899, when the Jawbone Railroad (more officially, the Montana Railroad) laid tracks through the area. Like many towns across the West, Martinsdale picked up and moved—literally—two miles south to sit beside the rail line. With that move came new buildings, more visitors, and a bustling little hub for ranchers and rail workers alike.
Martinsdale became a center for sheep ranching, and for a time, was surrounded by some of the most productive wool operations in the nation. During shearing season, the town came alive with card games, poker, and whiskey as ranch hands left the pens for a night on the town. Many of them stayed at the Crazy Mountain Inn to sleep it off and head back to work the next day.
The town was also home to Grace Stone Coates, a beloved Montana poet and essayist, who found endless inspiration in the quiet beauty of the region. And it played host to Charles M. Bair, Montana’s “Sheep King,” whose legacy still echoes in the halls of the Bair Family Museum.
Even Kessler Brewing Company, one of Montana’s earliest breweries, had a presence here in the early years—at one point operating out of the Crazy Mountain Inn.
Today, Martinsdale is quieter. There’s no gas station, no grocery store, and cell service can be spotty. But that’s exactly the charm. It’s a place where the wind whispers stories across the prairie, where the peaks of the Crazy Mountains rise like old friends, and where history lingers in every weathered board and gravel street.
If you’re looking to step off the beaten path and into the heart of Montana history, Martinsdale is waiting for you.
