From a Military Post Grew Agriculture Research

Fort Assinniboine was built in 1879 in reaction partly to General Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn. The War Department closed the fort in 1911 and Congress gave the buildings and one section of land to the State of Montana. The State bought an additional 2,000 acres at $2.50 per acre.

Thirty thousand acres were set aside for the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation and several thousand more were opened to homesteading. In 1914,  the North Montana Branch Experiment Station was establish on Fort Assinniboine to conduct agricultural research.

George A. Morgan became the first station agronomist in 1915. Few dryland crops had been grown in the area and none on station land. A steam outfit and horse drawn tillage were used to break ground. Station personnel used a binder and a stationary thresher powered by an 8-horse engine for harvesting. Morgan experimented with 2-, 3-, and 4-year rotations of winter wheat, spring wheat, oats, barley, flax and corn. His most significant contributions included the idea that tools for proper summer fallow were very important, that time of fall seeding was significant and that trees would provide protection as well as beauty. In 1922, he was offered the position of the North Montana Branch Station's first superintendent, and remained at the station for 20 years.

The Station's second superintendent, M.A. Bell, is remembered for his 1931 report on drought conditions. Using years of research, he concluded that there had been previous periods of drought as extensive as those during 1915-30, and that dryland farming in the Havre area would tend to follow the variations of an erratic climate regardless of farm enterprise or cultural practices, findings that proved true.

Fred Willson served as superintendent from1940-43. His greatest contribution was in reseeding rangeland with crested wheat grass in drought years and using it as early spring pasture for cows and calves.  Willson was succeed by John Sturm, who conducted a daily radio broadcast disseminating research to producers. He was instrumental in showing the benefits of using stubble mulch.

Joe Urick served as interim superintendent until Claude Windecker was appointed in 1960.  Donald Anderson served from 1975 until 2002 and Gregg Carlson from 2002 to 2010. Current Superintendent is Darrin Boss, 2011 to present.