Photo of buildings
Circle, Montana, has changed dramatically since photographer L.A. Huffman took this photo in 1907. Huffman noted at the time that Circle was along the Redwater River, but he left us no record of why he was traveling in the area and took this view.
Circle takes its name from the circular brand of the Mabry Cattle Company, which in 1884 established its headquarters, the Circle Ranch, on the Redwater River. Peter Rorvik, the founder of Circle, arrived in the area in 1905. Rorvik opened a store and post office to accommodate area farmers and the town received an added boost with the influx of homesteaders after 1909.
Dry Farming Promotion in Eastern Montana (1907-1916) looked at the Homestead Era of eastern Montana where thousands of people flooded to eastern and central Montana, including in and around the Circle area to try their hand at dryland farming. For many farmers, that dream ended harshly with severe drought, grasshopper plagues followed by cutworms, and then a collapse in the wheat market.
MHS Photo Archives 981-075
