Augusta was a supply center for the cattle and sheep raising regions of upper Lewis & Clark County. Founded in 1884 by a rancher who named it after his daughter, it has remained historically intact, an excellent example of a small Montana town of a century ago. Augusta had no rail service until 1912 when the Great Northern approached, but did not enter, town. Immediately, a rival community sprang up where the railroad ended creating Gilman, a place that lasted until just after 1923 when the trains acquiesced to the older settlement. Located on the prairie east of the Rocky Mountain Front and a prominence named Haystack Butte, Augusta enjoys one of the nation's most spectacular backdrops.

The Augusta Area Historical Society supports events and programs on local history and is improving the old community center as a museum. They recently completed an area history.