Montana Historical Society Museum

Montana Historical Society Museum
225 North Roberts Street
Helena Montana 59601

Information

Monday - Saturday, 9 am – 5 pmClosed Sundays and holidaysGroup tours by reservation only.
(406) 444-2694
lat: 46.5865268 long: -112.0155242

For the go-to site to explore Montana’s history, look no further than the Montana Historical Society Museum!  The Museum features several long-term exhibits, exploring topics such as the history of Native Americans in Montana, and famous Montana artists. The impressive Montana Homeland exhibit, offers an overview of the way of life in Montana throughout history! When visiting the museum, be sure to see Big Medicine, a rare albino bison that was world-famous for its unique condition in the 1950s! For a more in-depth exploration of Helena’s history, the Museum offers guided tours of the Museum’s exhibits, along with the Original Governor’s Mansion in Helena. 

The Montana Historical Society, founded in 1865, collects, preserves, and interprets fine art, historical, archaeological, and ethnological artifacts that pertain to Montana and its adjoining geographic region. Montana’s Museum is where history and land come together in the story of the people who have called Montana home. Located near the State Capitol in Helena, the museum is an essential part of a meaningful travel experience in Montana. Exhibits include the Homeland which examines life in Montana and how its people adapted; the Mackay Gallery of C. M. Russell Art offers 80 stunning art pieces by Montana’s celebrated cowboy artist; and Neither Empty Nor Unknown interprets Montana and its Native people at the time of Lewis and Clark.

Montana in 1804-1806 was neither empty nor uncharted wilderness. Neither Empty Nor Unknown features Montana’s flora and fauna and its Native nations as the tapestry through which the thread of the Corps of Discovery is woven–often unseen–beneath other, vibrant patterns. Land forms and regions represent the breadth of Montana landscapes and the depth of its living communities. Each of the areas featured figured prominently in the discoveries and contacts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Explorers’ quotes and observations enhance the experience, but the sites they described were also spiritually and/or economically important to Native peoples. These special places serve as the vehicle for the interpretation of Montana’s Native life-ways and culture.

 

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