Why visit Shelby
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 12 parks and trails, 3 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Roxy Cinema, Rainbow Conoco, Shelby Town Hall and Andy Anderson Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 82°F; January lows average 6°F, and about 39 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Shelby
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Shelby
Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,169 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Shelby, Montana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks4
Rainbow Conoco
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Gas station in Shelby, Montana, United States
Shelby Town Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Town hall in Shelby, Montana
Marias Museum of History and Art
Museum · 0.6 mi
1129 1st St North, Shelby Montana
Parks, trails and playgrounds12
Restaurants and cafes3
History
Shelby was named in honor of Peter O. Shelby, general manager of the Montana Central Railway. A railroad station was established here in about 1892, at the junction of the Great Northern Railway and the Great Falls & Canada Railway.
On July 4, 1923, the town hosted a heavyweight boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons for the undisputed world heavyweight boxing championship title. This event almost bankrupted the town of Shelby.
In the early 2000s the town hosted a dog camp that made national news. It was named Camp Collie and helped mistreated dogs.
Welker Farms, an agricultural operation known for its popular social media channels, is located near Shelby.
The Well Done Foundation, which plugs orphaned and abandoned oil wells, opened a visitors' center in Shelby in 2020.
From the History section of Shelby, Montana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay10
OYO Hotel Shelby MT Hwy 2 & I-15
Motel and hotel · 0.8 mi
1200 West Roosevelt Highway
Churches and places of worship10
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare1
Map of Shelby
53 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 6°F | 0.5 in | 7.3 in |
| Feb | 35°F | 10°F | 0.4 in | 5.8 in |
| Mar | 44°F | 18°F | 0.6 in | 6.9 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 28°F | 1.3 in | 4.1 in |
| May | 64°F | 38°F | 1.8 in | 1.9 in |
| Jun | 73°F | 46°F | 2.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 52°F | 1.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 49°F | 0.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 71°F | 40°F | 1.0 in | 0.5 in |
| Oct | 56°F | 29°F | 0.7 in | 1.4 in |
| Nov | 42°F | 18°F | 0.5 in | 5.5 in |
| Dec | 33°F | 9°F | 0.5 in | 5.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Shelby (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Toole County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-07-18: Severe Winter Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-31: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-08-30: Flooding (Flood)
- 2016-05-24: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds (Severe Storm)
- 2011-06-17: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Shelby Airport (SBX) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Valier 22 mi southwest, about 36 min by car
- Conrad 23 mi south, about 37 min by car
- Cut Bank 23 mi northwest, about 37 min by car
- Sunburst 26 mi north, about 41 min by car
- Glacier Colony 28 mi northwest, about 45 min by car
- New Miami Colony 29 mi southwest, about 46 min by car
- Chester 41 mi east, about 1 h by car
- Heart Butte 47 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Choteau 50 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- North Browning 54 mi west, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Shelby Montana Downtown, I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Shelby Town Hall2 NRHP 06000040 Toole County, MT, Jon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shelby Town Hall NRHP 06000040 Toole County, MT, Jon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Amtrak Engine 135, Empire Builder, Shelby Train Station, Shelby, MT, Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rainbow Conoco, Oct 2009, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 3.0
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