Roberts’ post office opened in 1896
Most of Roberts was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975.
How Roberts began, and where its name came from
When was Roberts founded?
The Roberts post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name.
How did Roberts get its name?
Originally named Merritt, Roberts began as a Northern Pacific Railroad siding in 1893.
The town was platted in 1902 and the name changed the same year. The name comes either from a surveyor of the railroad or the railroad manager between Billings and Red Lodge.
Famous people close to Roberts
Nobody well known was born in Roberts itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places now gone
Roberts’s post office has been open since 1896.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Roberts’ history
What year was Roberts founded?
The Roberts post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.