The area was opened up to homesteading in 1906 after the federal government moved the Crow Indian Reservation boundary further west to its present location.

This made possible the development of farms and ranches throughout the area and at the same time allowed the settlement of small towns like Hysham (Cheney 1984).

Charlie J. Hysham had moved from the town of Red Oak, Iowa, to manage the ranch.

James O. Lockard built the first building on the future site of Hysham shortly after the area was open to homesteading.

The general store was located north of the railroad tracks and also served as Hysham's first post office with Lockard appointed the first postmaster.

Hysham slowly grew by a general process typical throughout the frontier where an initial commercial or transportation need would establish the site, which would then grow as settlers homesteaded nearby.

This would, in turn, resulted in the need for other commercial enterprises followed by schools, churches, banks, government and other civic institutions (Cheney 1984; Kimball 1976; Sanborn 1920).

This same year, she worked to locate a town site with the help of James Lockard and F. L. Baker.

Town mayor, James Lyndes, started a real estate business with C. M. Patterson and opened a law office.

Another phase of the community development process usually occurred after the initial settlers became established and then encouraged friends and relatives to move to the area.

After James Lyndes set up his law and real estate business, four of his brothers: Bert, Wallace, Elmer and C. W. "Kid" and their families, became some of the earliest Hysham residents (Kimball 1976).

Five years later, C. C. Jordan gambled on the boom caused by World War I and opened the Treasure State Bank.

However, this bank was not as fortunate as its predecessor and ran into hard times with the post-war recession and a brutal winter in 1919, which severely damaged many of the area's cattle ranches.

Hysham boasted of concrete sidewalks with modern infrastructure including electric lights, telephone, water, and sewer.

New businesses included an International Harvester dealership, a drug store, a hotel, the Pin-Con confections and ice cream parlor, a hardware business, a grocery store, the Rosebud Flour mill, a grain elevator, a butcher shop, a bakery, the Hysham Echo newspaper, a barber shop and pool hall as well as other enterprises.

However, it was unique to the Hysham area and undoubtedly was a source of civic pride to the community and does to this day show movies every Sunday.

In addition to his many projects and businesses in Hysham, he also served in the Montana legislature where he was instrumental in promoting rural electrification and highway construction (U.S. Department of Interior 1993).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.21 square miles (0.54 km2), all land.