Madison National Forest was established as the Madison Forest Reserve by the General Land Office in Montana on August 16, 1902 with 736,000 acres (2,980 km2). After the transfer of federal forests to the U.S. Forest Service in 1905, it became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On December 16, 1931 Madison was divided between Beaverhead, Gallatin and Deerlodge National Forests and the name was discontinued. [1]