Circle, MT

Circle High School Art Students designed logos for banners to go down Main Street and along Hiway 200. One of the projects that rose to the top during Horizons was capitalizing on tourism as Circle is the hub of several roads. Why not encourage people to meet here or stay longer? On Town and Country Days in September, the townspeople voted for their favorite logo. The winner - a circle of wheat with the words Circle Montana inside in Maroon and gold, CHS colors. Under it was ” A great Place to Be ARound, edged in a barb wire design. The banners were put up by McCone Electric. Thanks to Nels Boe for all his research to find a banner company and brackets to hold them. The students got pizza out of their efforts and the whole community got to participate in choosing the banners representing their home town.

When Circle was going through the Horizons program and LeadershipPlenty, one of the activities was writing a postcard to someone in the community that had made a difference. Peggy Iba picked up the local postcards at Chapin Drug. The postcards were so old, they were in black and white with the Baldwin School still standing. It was torn down in the late 1970s. Eldon Moos and Julie Howard spearheaded the project to get new postcards for Circle to encourage tourism. They were taken by Eldons daughter via plane in June of 2005. Have you ever seen Circle so GREEN?

The postcards were popular, especially for class reunions. Now they are a collector’s item as the elevator and Chapin Drug have since burned down.

Circle is a family-friendly community that has exciting, fun activities with clean businesses and services that draw people to town. Circle is a vibrant, diverse and creative community where we have taken back control of our economic future by adding value to a majority of our agricultural products. We will also be a destination of choice for people the world over who are searching for a truly unique, outdoor-driven natural history or recreational experience.

The Circle web site: http://www.circle-montana.com/index.html

Major Seth Mabrey, a Confederate Army officer, came to the Redwater Valley about 1883, driving a heard of longhorns from Texas. As President of the Mabrey Cattle Co., he branded with a plain circle iron. From the brand, the operation became known as the Circle Ranch.

About 1903 the area needed a more reliable supply source. Local sheepman Peter Rorvik opened a store on the ranch. So began the town of Circle. In 1907 the surrounding lands were opened to homesteading and the area has been producing grain and livestock ever since.