Montague is a railroad town named in honor of Samuel Skerry Montague, Chief Engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad, who was most noted for his skillful engineering of the Transcontinental Railroad from Sacramento, California to Promontory, Utah. He later was responsible for engineering the California line of the Oregon and California Railroad connecting San Francisco to Portland.

With the completion of the Oregon and California Railroad in 1887, Montague became a bustling town and major thoroughfare. Commerce and travel throughout northern Siskiyou County was centered here, with cattle drives from Butte Valley to the east and trade to the west.

Yreka, a gold rush town and the county seat of Siskiyou County, depended on stagecoach, wagons and horseback for transportation. In 1888 and 1889 the citizens of Yreka built their own railroad from Yreka to the Montague hub. That railroad was known as the Yreka Western Railroad.

Source: City of Montague

The tracks were completed through Montague on February 8, 1887, and the depot was built of redwood in five weeks.

Montague became an important shipping center soon after the cattle corrals were built. Montague was incorporated January 25th, 1909.

The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot's last day was officially October 15, 1977, after ninety years of service. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company donated the depot to the City of Montague in 1978 with the provision that it be removed from their property. It was moved to its current site in 1978. The museum had a facelift in 2003 and 2004 and is now set up as closely to the original as possible.

Source: City of Montague