Designated in 1910 as the nation’s 10th National Park, the grandeur of Glacier has attracted visitors for centuries. The Blackfeet Indian tribe that dominated the plains east of the mountains frequently wintered in the wooded valleys of what is now Glacier National Park, and considered the area around Two Medicine sacred. The Kootenai, who made … Read more
My favorite thing to do in fort Benton is to stroll along the levee eating ice cream from the Freeze. Unfortunately, weather doesn’t always cooperate. The weekend we went was muggy, windless and clinging on the verge of 90 degrees. On such days, the best policy is to visit one of the town’s five museums. … Read more
For years I have gone to the park in Fort Benton, and for years the fort failed to materialize. All that remained was an adobe blockhouse that you couldn’t enter and two fenced-off bits of walls, little more than mud heaps. This time however, the Fort Museum was finally open and somewhere deep inside me, … Read more
One of Montana’s premier events, Bannack Days is here again. Click here for a schedule of the packed full weekend. Click here, for SouthWest Montana’s video of Bannack Days from a few years ago (you may have to scroll down a bit). With exhibits, performances, meals, tours, demonstrations and music, Bannack days is one of … Read more
Helena’s architecture defies classification. To begin with it was a gold rush town—filled with saloons and brothels and dirt covered prospectors. Some of this remains in the tangled skein of roads that follow old footpaths, and in many buildings’ false-fronted western flair. In just a few short years, however, the town had become the epicenter … Read more
N.B. Our apologies for the title, it was to easy a reference to pass up. We thought about using “Wherefore art thou SouthWest Montana” but, frankly, have never been entirely sure of the meaning of “wherefore.” Imagine this scenario: you’re sitting in a bar with a few friends and friends-of-friends. You say you blog … Read more
A few weeks ago, I got to spend four days in Helena, doing as many touristy things as I could handle. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to act like a tourist in Helena, and it was a blast. Here is a list of the things we did, lots of these activities will … Read more
Before it became one of the foremost ceramics studios in the world, the site of the Archie Bray Foundation was the Western Clay Manufacturing Company. It took very little for Archie Bray to begin transforming the place into an arts center in 1951. Bray envisioned creating a place for “all who are interested in the … Read more
It is sometimes hard to imagine prospectors and cowboys playing baseball, but, in fact, Montanans have enjoyed baseball from the early days of the state (you can read more about Montana’s baseball history here). Today, four of the eight members of Pioneer League call Montana home. The Pioneer League is a rookie league–most of the … Read more
