DescriptionThis southwestern Montana river likely takes its name from the outcrops of Cretaceous clays and brick-red sandstone along the banks. The first settlement in the area began in 1864; Joseph Shineberger established the Red Rock Ranch in the 1870s. Unsubstantiated speculation suggests that Shineberger named the river and town. In the 1880s, the town, situated on the Great Beaverhead Wagon Road, saw 8 daily stages between Red Rock and Salmon, Idaho, and Red Rock served as a stage stop for the Redrock & Salmon River Stage Company. The town boasted the most accommodations between Butte and Salt Lake City before the Gilmore & Pittsburgh Railroad arrived in 1910, but it has since disappeared into obscurity.Personal NamesShineberger, JosephContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1]
