Museums

Three Historic Jails in Central Montana

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Three small communities in Central Montana have some interesting jail history that you can view today. Square Butte, Montana , once a stop along the Milwaukee Railroad as it traveled from Great Falls to Lewistown, has a granite jail built from locally quarried ashlar granite. As you drive in to this little community there is even a sign that says “Historic Jail 3 Blocks”. There really aren’t “blocks” in this community but it probably is … Read more

Four Urban Trails in Central Montana

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Easily accessible, scenic and historic trails weave through several of Central Montana’s communities and offer a variety of recreation and scenery. Lewistown Trail System The Lewistown Trail System has 24 miles of trail for walking and running. Find the trailhead on Main Street (211 E Main) in the business district. The trail system connects all of Lewistown’s public schools, a nice perk for kids and teachers who want to bike or walk to school. Big … Read more

Quirky Exhibits at Three Central Montana Museums

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Many museums have unique and historic items on exhibit but let’s take a look at some rather quirky things at three of Central Montana’s small town museums. In Stanford, Montana you’ll find the Judith Basin County Museum next to the local courthouse. A well-manicured lawn and beautiful flowers surround the entrance during the summer. As you enter the main floor level of the museum you can’t help but see their massive collection of salt & … Read more

Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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