Western Montana

Located next door to the Old Montana Prison is the auto museum. My friend and I stepped in to a large winding display of cars, which was around 150 cars on display. I had been to the Henry Ford Museum a few years ago so I knew what the “momma” of all car museums was like but I found that the Montana Auto Museum was filled with many gems. It is nice since it saves you from the long trip to Detroit!

On our way to Billings Montana we stopped at the Madison Buffalo Jump near Logan. As we traveled down the 7 mile long gravel road to the entrance we were treated to spectacular views of limestone cliffs that surrounded several farms. We arrived at the entrance and paid our fee of $5 to enter the park. We are from out of state, otherwise there is no fee for Montana residents

Located across the street from the Old Montana Prison is the Powell County Historical Museum. My friend and I decided to take in a little more history about the area after our tour of the prison. We walked in to the Powell County Museum and were greeted by 3 people, one of them being a old counselor for the prison.

Located across the street from the Old Montana Prison is the Frontier and Desert John’s Saloon Museums. My friend and I visited the museum where inside we found several displays of things from the old west. Guns, weapons, spurs chaps and even a collection of Custer’s belongs were on display.

In the busy summer months, the little village of West Glacier—the western entrance to Glacier National Park—resembles Grand Central Station. It’s easy to spend the day hitting all the “must-see” tourist attractions in the area, but there are equally enjoyable options for fun off the beaten path. Since I spend nearly every summer weekend in West Glacier, I have come up with my ultimate Saturday routine. Next time you’re in West Glacier, consider this one-day itinerary as a part of a longer stay or as a fresh day-trip if you live nearby.

After our tour of the living history was over we moved back into the museum and found what I had been waiting for, the dinosaur exhibit. Several rooms were devoted to the displays but in my opinion the best find was the tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, which was not a cast of the bones, but the real McCoy, the actual bones that were found! There was also a T-Rex skull, which was noted as the largest and most complete in the world. We spent a lot of time roaming around the rooms finding the different bones and skeletons while we learned of these mysterious giants. This was by far the most interesting part of the museum for me and I know my friend thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

We moved along to the different rooms learning about the stalactites, stalagmites and columns. The guide was very informative and both my friend and I remembered the stories and “jokes” that were told along the way of the tour. It was nice to see that the charm of the tour had not changed.

If you live in the Helena area, chances are you’ve heard about the Last Chance Tour Train during commercial breaks on television. You’ve probably seen it driving through town, twisting and turning through the streets of downtown Helena. But I’m always surprised at how few locals have actually ridden on the train, and trust me, [...]

Have you every wanted to step back in history and see what it might be like to live or work on a old western ranch? Well your opportunity is located on the edge of town in Deer Lodge at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Johnny Grant homesteaded in the Deer Lodge valley in 1862, only to 4 years later sell the home and ranch for $19,200 to Conrad Kohrs.

One of the key advantages to living in Bozeman is the number of parks scattered throughout town - and the quality and beauty of those parks! My favorite park is Burke Park. Located in the southeast portion of Bozeman at the top of Highland Ridge, Burke Park runs south from Peet’s Hill down to near Kagy Blvd, paralleling both Highland Ridge and Church Street.