Museums

Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede

It’s been 100 years since an amazing exhibition of Charlie Russell’s masterpieces went on view at the Calgary Stampede. At that time, Russell headlined the exhibits in an effort to help boost a struggling Stampede Rodeo in the Alberta town of Calgary. The event spanned one week and the events and exhibits commemorated and chronicled the changing West, a good fit for cowboy Charlie’s art. Charlie and Nancy Russell shipped 24 paintings and 8 bronzes … Read more

Historic Building Houses Brewery in Harlowton

It’s almost been a year since Gally’s Brewing in Harlowton, Montana opened their doors to seekers of craft beer. Their first anniversary is December 15, 2018 and plans for a celebration are underway. Gally’s history – over three years ago Drew Galahan got the idea of opening a brewery in his hometown. A vacant building, most recently occupied by a dentist, was calling his name. I hesitate to call the location just a vacant building. … Read more

24 Hours in Great Falls, Montana

If you only had 24 hours to enjoy Great Falls what would you do? First of all you need to realize that you can’t see it all and you will get only a taste of the community. And that’s just what we did a week ago for visitors to the area. After checking in to the Hotel Arvon in downtown Great Falls, a dinner plan was decided. Our visitors wanted something casual and fun. Someone suggested Roadhouse Diner, … Read more

Central Montana’s 3 Famous Dogs

Dogs and history? Of course! Seaman There are three dogs in Central Montana’s history whose legacies live on today. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected Meriwether Lewis to lead what became known as the Lewis & Clark Expedition. The mission – explore the Missouri River and waterways to the Pacific ocean in search of a water route across the continent. Captain Meriwether Lewis then invited William Clark to join and share command of the group. In … Read more

Cowboy Artist Charlie Russell: The Women In His Life and Art

A new exhibition just opened at the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana. At first glance, the title “Charles Russell: Women in His Life and Art” seems out of line, perhaps an ill-fit for America’s cowboy artist. Most western art aficionados I know value Russell artwork because he created such realistic images of wildlife and he portrayed the Plains Indian tribes with such accuracy. Since Russell lived the “cowboy way of life” he produced poignant and … Read more

Unique Adventures in Central Montana

The phone rings. It’s my cousin and she’s looking for ideas for a summer vacation. Before I ask what interests her family has, I start blurting out an entire list of ideas. Knowing there are kids involved I immediately think of our our summer dinosaur digs and our six amazing museums on Montana’s Dinosaur Trail. If they are traveling on US Hwy 2 (Montana’s Hi-Line) they could stop at the Blaine County Museum in Chinook and … Read more

Passports for Dinosaur Travelers

Members of the Montana Dinosaur Trail have developed a passport for the fourteen museums on the trail. For $5 you get a very official looking passport with the logo for the dino trail on the cover, a page dedicated to each museum, fun fossil facts about the dinosaur fossil found in each area, artwork depicting each dinosaur, a place for field notes and the passport stamp. Each museum on the Montana Dinosaur Trail has their own unique … Read more

Discovering Dinosaurs – Digs, Displays and Museums

Montana has had some incredibly significant discoveries of fossils, most noteworthy are the dinosaur bones. Fourteen areas have joined together to form the Montana Dinosaur Trail coverning eastern, central and southwest Montana. This past weekend I met with the members of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and I’d like to share some information about a few of them. If you are traveling on US Hwy 2 from the North Dakota border and traveling west you could stop at … Read more

An Afternoon at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

The other day I took a few minutes to stop in to Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art and see their current exhibitions. I’ve missed most of the opening receptions lately because of conflicts and I was eager to get a glimpse of what they have displayed. And, I was not disappointed! The Blackfeet Portrait Project was very impressive and I even recognized a few of the people featured in the exhibit. One of my favorite pieces was … Read more

It is Appropriately Called Awesome Autos Etc. Museum

Last week I was in Chester, Montana for a meeting. After the meeting and lunch we stopped in at a place called Awesome Autos Etc. Museum. Located right on US Hwy 2 across from Chester’s Lions Park, Awesome Autos was easy to find. The neat and tidy looking metal building holds an absolute treasure of vintage and not-so-vintage automobiles along with some former business signs that will bring back memories. I wasn’t sure what to expect … Read more