Central Montana’s pride, The Bair Museum near Martinsdale, opened for the season May 1st. This coming Saturday FFA students from Plenty Coup High School will raise a tipi and then lead Crow Indian cultural events on the museum grounds.Tipi raising begins at 11am and is open to the public. Traditional Indian tacos and beverages will be available at the Martinsdale Community Center, just a mile away, after the ceremony. When you arrive at The Bair … Read more
Some folks spin a yarn and tell a story, others really do spin yarn! Once a month a local group of spinners and weavers sets up spinning wheels in a Great Falls, MT museum and demonstrates this amazing art. This group was at the C M Russell Museum one Sunday afternoon. I had just completed an afternoon of running around town checking off my long list of errands to accomplish. I was stressed to the … Read more
Here’s a deal for the budget weary – Sunday Sampler in Great Falls, MT April 5th. The Great Falls Museum Consortium holds its 9th Annual “Sunday Sampler” April 5th from noon until 5pm. Admission to 10 museums in Great Falls is free. Yes, zilch, zippo, zero! Museums participating are the Children’s Museum of Montana, C. M. Russell Museum, The History Museum, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Malmstrom Air Force Base Museum, Galerie Trinitas on the … Read more
Yes, you read that title correctly! The new baby in Havre is actually a cast of a very old baby and can be viewed at the H. Earl Clack Museum located on US Hwy 2 in Havre’s Holiday Village Mall. The infant Maiasaura cast is one of several dinosaur displays at the Clack Museum which is on Montana’s Dinosaur Trail. Visitors to the Clack will also see 75 million year old dinosaur eggs and embryos. … Read more
You don’t always associate a castle with Montana but White Sulphur Springs boasts one standing proudly and overlooking the town. The Castle Museum was a treat to see – beginning with a recently constructed carriage house and gift shop. Docents lead you through the Castle and give the history of this stone sentry. You can also soak in the hot springs in town. The Spa Hot Springs Motel surrounds one large pool and two smaller … Read more
We stayed overnight at Virgelle, MT in original homestead cabins, complete with kerosene lantern and a copy of the original property deed. What unique lodging! The Virgelle Merc was busy this morning with several groups getting ready to launch canoes at Coal Banks Landing just one mile downstream. We didn’t get a chance to canoe, but we did ride the free river ferry and my travel buddies loved it! The Upper Missouri has three river … Read more
We left Great Falls this morning and drove first to Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Past blogs will give you a glimpse into my birdwatching skills and I wanted to show this gem off to my friends. After a stop at Benton Lake’s new visitor center we took one of the auto tour routes. We saw a lot of birds, I couldn’t name hardly any of them. Our visit was still a treat but…I should … Read more
Today we visited the C. M. Russell Museum complex located in what I call the heart of Great Falls. The museum”, Charlie and Nancy Russell’s home, and Charlie’s log studio are all on this one-block complex in their original location. A few years ago the Russell Museum rehung all of Charlie’s art in chronological order. At the time I didn’t think it was a big deal but it really shows his growth as an artist. … Read more
Grab your Montana map, find White Sulphur Springs and then Harlowton to the east. In the middle of that stretch you’ll find a small town named Martinsdale and nearby is the Bair Family Museum. At first glance, the Bair Family Museum appears to be an extra large ranch home with well manicured yard. Let’s just say its all that and much, much more. Your first stop at the Museum will be at the Visitor Center housed in the … Read more