Podium From JFK Visit at Great Falls History Museum

When US President John F. Kennedy visited Great Falls, Montana many years ago, the podium from which he spoke was saved and given to the City. As time rolled on, it was stored, then taken out of storage and donated to The History Museum. It proudly bears the United States presidential seal and has several special construction features outlined by Kennedy’s secret service detail. Jim Meinert, executive director at The History Museum, touted details of the special … Read more

Buffalo Hide at The History Museum

One very prominent display I saw at The History Museum in Great Falls the other day was very captivating. The tanned buffalo hide certainly tells a story, many stories in fact. It’s a beautiful way to depict Native American ways of communication, storytelling and expression. Jim Meinert, executive director of The History Museum, pointed our different designs on the displayed hide. There is also a nice display of arrowheads, or points, used for harvesting the … Read more

Full Court Quest – Montana Basketball History

At The History Museum in Great Falls you can see a very unique display of the Fort Shaw, MT all Indian girls basketball team. In the early 1900’s there was an Indian boarding school at Fort Shaw, Montana. Writers Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith researched not only the school, but the Indian girls basketball team that was formed there. Ultimately, this basketball team went on to play at the 1904 World’s Fair held in St. … Read more

Checking Out The History Museum

Today I had a meeting at Great Falls’ History Museum. It was a great opportunity to tour the museum and check out some of their updated displays. The History Museum building was originally built as an implement dealership. The back of the building has an old freight elevator and some pretty impressive loading docks. To honor their beginning, an old tractor is displayed next to the freight elevator. The street where The History Museum is … Read more

A Museum Within A Museum

A trip to the Ursuline Centre in Great Falls, MT is an architectural treat, a feast for antique-lovers and when you see their “museum” you’ll want to spend much more time there. Many of the Ursuline Sisters taught at St. Peters Mission near Cascade, MT and were given Native American gifts. The red elk tooth dress hangs proudly in one corner of the room housing the museum. Just think about how many elk it would have taken … Read more

We’re Off To The Blaine County Wildlife Museum

There are two museums in Chinook, literally a stone’s throw apart. Our first stop was at the historical museum and then we wandered into the next block to the Blaine County Wildlife Museum. I can remember this building from many years ago because it was the local theater. It’s next use was as a video rental location and now it seems to have a perfect fit in showcasing Montana wildlife. The wildlife museum was in developmental … Read more

Chinook’s Blaine County Museum

Today we are cruising east on US Hwy 2 from Havre to Chinook. Our first stop is the Blaine County Museum. There are several notable themes at the musem – area homestead history, Chief Joseph and the Battle of the Bear Paw, and the Montana Dinosaur Trail. The Blaine County Museum serves as interim visitor center for the historic Bear Paw Battlefield 16 miles south of Chinook. Park ranger Stephanie Martin was on hand to … Read more

Keeping The Railroad Theme

As soon as my friends arrived at the Havre Amtrak depot we scurried to the nearby Railroad Museum. It’s just two blocks from the depot so it’s very convenient, even if you don’t have transportation. We were going to try to squeeze in as much touring as possible that afternoon and what a fun place to start! You could literally stand in the middle of this museum and turn very slowly absorbing all of the memorabilia … Read more

Firearms Collection at Russell Museum

Several years ago the Browning Firearms Collection was tucked away in the basement in a far corner of the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT. Now it’s one of the first installations you see after you leave the reception desk in the lobby. The other day I had a chance to visit and marvel at the display one more time. The firearms collection is part of the Russell’s permanent collection and I really … Read more

Russell Museum Impresses Journalist

One of the best parts of my job is escorting journalists around north central Montana. We recently hosted someone from the United Kingdom who had never been to Montana before. He had spent some time at a Montana guest ranch right before coming to Great Falls so he was thinking cowboy! Our visit to the C. M. Russell Museum romanticized his view of the cowboy lifestyle even more. Charlie Russell came to Montana when he was just … Read more