Ringling, Montana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ringling, Montana
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Ringling from the south
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 Ringling, Montana
Location in Montana
Ringling, Montana
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Meagher |
| ZIP code |
59642
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| Area code(s) | 406 |
Ringling is a small, quiet place in Meagher County, Montana, in the United States. It's called an "unincorporated community," which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. It's located along U.S. Route 89.
Ringling used to be a busy stop for trains. It was on the main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as "the Milwaukee Road"). It was also the end point for another train line called the White Sulphur Springs and Yellowstone Park Railway. These train lines helped connect Ringling to other places.
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Discover Ringling, Montana
For many years, Ringling was an important center for ranchers and people who settled on farms nearby. However, as farming activities in the area became less common, the number of people living in Ringling slowly went down. By 1980, both train lines were no longer used. Today, only a few people live in this historic community.
How Ringling Got Its Name
Ringling was not always called Ringling. At first, it was known as Leader. The town's name changed when the White Sulphur Springs and Yellowstone Park Railway was built. It was renamed after John Ringling. He was part of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus family.
John Ringling helped pay for the railway and was even its president. He also owned a summer home and a spa in a nearby town called White Sulphur Springs. Plus, he owned a lot of ranch land in the area around Ringling.
Amazing Weather in Ringling
The lower Shields Valley, where Ringling is located, has some of the warmest average January temperatures in Montana. This is thanks to something called a chinook wind. A chinook wind is a warm, dry wind that blows down the side of mountains. It can cause temperatures to rise very quickly, even in winter!
Scientists believe that this same kind of warm, consistent wind helped create an "ice-free corridor" a very long time ago, during the Pleistocene Ice Age. This corridor might have been a path that the ancestors of most Native Americans used to enter North America.
Ringling in Stories and Songs
Ringling is well-known because it's featured in books and songs. The town is the setting for parts of a famous book written in 1979 by Ivan Doig, called This House of Sky.
Ringling was also the topic of a song by the musician Jimmy Buffett. The song is simply called "Ringling, Ringling" and can be found on his 1974 album Living & Dying in 3/4 Time.
