This townsite was a stop on a stagecoach in 1879, and got its first post office in 1880. It was also in 1879 that the Summit Hotel was built, later renamed the Beaumont Cafe and Hotel, which remains a popular place today. In 1885 the railroad came through, and this water tower now on the National Register of Historic Places, was built. But Beaumont never "blossomed", sporting around 200 people in 1910. The unincorporated community now has around 50 residents, with the post office closing operations in 1997.

The town was featured as part of the storyline in the 1998 movie "The Long Way Home" with Jack Lemmon, although in typical hollywood fashion, it was filmed in Canada.