Ryegate Court

The Ryegate Court as named herein includes the Golden Valley County Court (or as its otherwise known the Golden Valley District Court-Phone No. 406-568-2231), the Ryegate Justice Court (Phone No. 406-568-2102) and the Ryegate City Court (Phone No. 406-568-2102). The Lavina City Court (Phone No. 406-568-2102) is held in the same courtroom as the Ryegate City Court. All these courts have the same Fax number, 568-2428 and lie within the Fourteenth judicial district of Montana. The justice court handles civic and traffic infractions occurring in Golden Valley county with the exception of thos occurring within the city limits of Ryegate and Lavina. US 12 runs clear across the lower third of Golden Valley county and meets with SR 3 and SR 300. SR 238 is a road running to the North of Ryegate. US 12, SR 3 and SR 300 meet in Ryegate and SR 238 comes into the town from the North. SR 3 is the Main street of Lavina.

Golden Valley County is spread out in the shadow of the Snowy Mountains. elk, deer, the unusual white albino deer, antelope, mountain lion, bobcats, porcupine, gophers, badgers and even rattlesnakes still inhabit the area. Golden Valley county was formed around 1920 out of the Western end of Musselshell county and a Northeastern corner of Sweetgrass county. The Nez Perce people, led by Chief Joseph, crossed the Musselshell River near here in the Fall of 1877. However prior to that time the Sims ranch was known to exist in the area and was part of the Louisiana Purchase, probably around 1862. Cattle men began using the area's grazing lands for the special winter quarters of their stock around 1871. When the When the Milwaukee railroad purchased the right of way they set aside a siding for the railroad and a town site on what had been the Sims' hay field. Sims had a large field of rye there resulting in the naming of the town Ryegate. Lavina was founded North of the Northern Pacific railhead in Billings by one of the Territory's pioneers as a station for his stage line running over land to connect the railroad with his holdings in Fort Benton.