[4] After James Hill and his partners built the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway (which in 1890 became the Great Northern Railway) across Montana's "High Line" in 1887,[5] Malta evolved from rail siding number 54.

Its name is said to have been determined by a spin of the globe by a Great Northern official whose finger came to rest on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.

[6] On July 3, 1901, Kid Curry (Harvey Logan), as part of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, robbed a train just west of Malta, near Wagner, Montana,[7] making off with about $40,000.

[8] One of the best preserved dinosaurs ever discovered and one of only four that were fossilized is a 77-million-year-old Brachylophosaurus nicknamed Leonardo, unearthed north of Malta in 2000.

[9][10] Leonardo,[11] together with brachylophosaurs Elvis[12] (1994), Roberta[13] (2003) and Peanut[14] (2002), is on display at The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km2), all land.

[15] Malta experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.

36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Malta Public Schools educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Great Plains museum is also home to the Judith River Dinosaur Institute.

[24] The Institute provides the opportunity for others to participate in an educational dinosaur dig or take a fossil preparation course.

[25] The Festival includes adult and children's activities focused around paleontology.

The Phillips County Museum has local history information including artifacts from Native American culture, cowboys and outlaws, and pioneer life.

The radio station KMMR FM 100.1 (Country music) is licensed in Malta.