Old Trail Museum in Choteau, MT

After we left Triple J guest ranch we drove to Augusta, then up Hwy 287 to Choteau. The two communities are about a half hour apart.

We drove north on US Hwy 89 through the main business district in Choteau and came to the Old Trail Museum Complex. Choteau’s Visitor Information Center anchors the south end of the complex and there are several buildings in between.

We started at the main museum to learn some history about the Circle 8 Ranch owned by the Gleasons. Our next guest ranch adventure is at The Nature Conservancy’s Pine Butte Guest Ranch and it was formerly the Circle 8.

The Old Trail Museum also has great dinosaur displays, inside and out and a lot of early day settlement history. We visited with a group of motorcycle riders from Alberta as they parked their bikes by the outside dinosaur displays. They were joking about being dinosaurs themselves and their bikes made a nice colorful photo.

Other outdoor displays at the Old Trail Museum include a cabin with Grizzly Bear information, a Metis River Cart made by the French Canadian-Cree people, and the Gleason Art Studio. The Visitor Information Center has some very nice maps and also very well trained volunteers giving out literature and advice.

We spent more time at the Old Trail Museum than I had planned but everyone enjoyed learning the area history. Did I mention that there is also an ice cream parlor in the complex? Well yes, it was a good day for ice cream!

After our refreshing snack we drove north of Choteau about five miles, then turned west on the Teton Canyon Road. Our next stop is Pine Butte Guest Ranch owned by The Nature Conservancy.