Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association Field Trip
July 16th, 2025 10:30 AM

Join the Historical Society for a field trip to the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association. Meet at the Museum at 10:30 AM and carpooling to the the camp south of town. Bring a dish to share for a picnic on the porch overlooking Rock Creek Valley!

*Free for members. $10 for General Admission.

In “The Crow Indian Student Experience at Carlisle Indian Industrial School: A Bittersweet Legacy”, Dr. Janine Pease founding president of Little Bighorn College, shares stories of students who attended a school designed to, in the words of school founder General Richard Henry Pratt, “kill the Indian, but save the man.” Crows experienced many horrors, even as many of them learned trades and later had a major impact on Crow history.

Dr. Mike D'Emic is a paleontologist and Associate Professor at Adelphi University in New York. He earned his doctorate at the University of Michigan studying the evolution of long-necked dinosaurs. His research takes him around the world to visit museums and excavate fossils. He has been excavating fossils in the Bighorn Basin with students and colleagues since 2007. Mike has published numerous articles on dinosaur evolution, including a recent cover article for Scientific American.

*FREE for Members *$5 for General Admission

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum in celebrating Norrine "The Outlaw Queen" Linderman's 95TH Birthday!!

June 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM

Meet the Queen Herself as we celebrate her incredible 95 years around the sun! Live music by her bandmates Charlie Highsmith and Mike Holm, with a bit of yodeling from Norrine! Light refreshments provided!

The Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association Camp was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. This camp, located on Mount Maurice, has served as a geological research base for numerous universities for nearly 90 years, first opening in 1936. Marv Keller, of the Carbon County Historic Preservation Commission & Joan Brownell, a historian from Fishtail, MT, will present the camp’s history and its significance to national, state and local history as well as the contributions to understanding the geology of the area."

Finnish Kaleva Field Trip

June 4th, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Join the Historical Society for a field trip to the Finnish Kaleva Lodge. Meet at the Museum at 10:30 AM and carpooling to the the lodge north of town. Bring a dish to share for a picnic!
*Free for members. $10 for General Admission.

April 30th, 2025 5-8 PM
Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for Pint Night at Sam's Tap Room!
$1 donated to the CCHS&M for every pint sold!
Musical entertainment by Kid Valance!

Thursday

April 24th, 2025

Music at 5:00PM Meeting at 5:30PM

~Musical entertainment from Lee & Charlie

~Election of board members and officers

~Brief meeting and Light Refreshments

~Awards Presentation

Norm Tjeltveit Presents Camp Sawtooth

In August of 1930, some of the senior staff from WGN radio in Chicago travelled to the Red Lodge area to visit Camp Sawtooth. The dude ranch was situated in a meadow below Sawtooth Mountain and just above Deep Lake – south of today’s Beartooth Highway in the Shoshone National Forest. We’ll share their adventures courtesy of 30 minutes of video footage taken by one of the ‘dudes’, learn a little about dude ranching in the area around Red Lodge during that era, and about F. I. (“Doc”) Johnson, Camp Sawtooth’s creator.

Join the Carbon County Historic Preservation Commission for our quarterly meeting at the Fromberg Town Hall, April 3rd, 2025 at 10:00 AM. There will be a potluck style lunch and a visit to the Clark’s Fork Valley Museum following the meeting. All are welcomed and encouraged to come!

Friday, March 28, 2025
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
Music at the Museum
Eclectic night with Hunter White and John McCollough at the Carbon County Museum Saturday, March 28 at 5:00 PM! Blues, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Folk Music!
Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM
Free for members
$5 for General Admission

NEW DATE!!! Saturday, March 8, 2025
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
Music at the Museum
Local legends, One for the Road, come together to play classic country at the Carbon County Museum Saturday, March 8 at 5:00 PM!
Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM
Free for members
$5 for General Admission

Friday, February 21, 2025
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
Music at the Museum
Kid Valance performs his original songs and stories of his time as a Spirit Runner for Peace at the Carbon County Museum Friday, February 21 at 5:00 PM!
Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM
Free for members
$5 for General Admission

POSTPONED TO A LATER DATE!

Saturday, February 8, 2025
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
Music at the Museum
Local legends, One for the Road come together to play classic country at the Carbon County Museum Friday, February 8 at 5:00 PM!
Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM
Free for members
$5 for General Admission

Music at the Museum

Grizzly Peak Pickers presents performance at the Carbon County Museum Wednesday, January 15th at 5:00 PM!

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Free for members

$5 for General Admission

Music at the Museum

Lee Calvin from Calvin & the Coal Cars presents acoustic performance at the Carbon County Museum Wednesday, January 15th at 5:00 PM!

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Free for members

$5 for General Admission

Join the Carbon County Museum for the final Speaker Series of 2024. This talk will be on local skiing history, including Red Lodge Mountain and the unveiling of our ne Skiing Red Lodge Exhibit. Bring your skis and snowboards for a FREE wax from Red Lodge Mountain to get them ready for the ski season!
Suggested $10 donation to the Carbon County Museum greatly appreciated!
*Free for members * $5 for General Admission

Howdy!

It’s time to participate in the first annual Montana Cowgirl Showdown in Red Lodge, Montana. This event will take place, October 12th at the Roman Theater, the longest continuous theater venue in Montana! This will be a gathering of Cowgirl Talent featuring country music, poetry, dance, and cowgirl couture. But it gets better, this event will be a fundraiser to benefit the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum. This museum was founded by the first woman to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, Alice Greenough, and we are honored to follow in her footsteps to showcase the talents and gifts of other amazing cowgirls!

How can you participate or perform? Please contact the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum at 406-446-3667 or email Preservation@carboncountyhistory.com to register in advance by October 7th, 2024. This event is FREE to all registered participants! Please note the number of participants and performers is limited. Please contact us early to secure your place in the lineup. The winners from each category will participate in the Evening Showdown and will receive recognition and awards! If you are interested in performing in the Evening Showdown or participating in the contests, please reach out to discuss further details to book your space.

Looking to attend the event? We are anticipating a day full of exciting activities and showcases featuring local and professional talent! If you would like to experience the all day festivities $15 tickets are available. For entry to the evening finals and performance there are $10 tickets that can be purchased. Tickets can be purchased directly through the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum’s website at: https://www.carboncountyhistory.com/admission-tickets/montanacowgirlshowdowntickets

Would you like to sponsor the event or donate? Please contact Betsy Scanlin for prizes or sponsor information at bescanlin@msn.com. If you would like to donate items for the silent auction, please contact Becky Van Horn at the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum at 406-446-3667 or email Preservation@carboncountyhistory.com. Any donations can be made either online through the museum website at https://www.carboncountyhistory.com/donate , at the museum directly at 224 Broadway Ave. South, Red Lodge, MT, 59068, or with checks made out to the CCHS&M mailed to P.O. Box 881 Red Lodge, MT 59068. Donations will also be appreciated during the event.

               It is our intention that this event will help not only raise funds for the museum but that it will also raise awareness of the incredibly talented cowgirls who grace our lives and community! We aim to create an event that will empower women to express themselves and be recognized for their talents. The Montana Cowgirl Showdown is looking forward to a hootin’ an hollerin’ good time on October 12th, 2024 and we hope to have you participate in whatever way you can!

Happy trails!

John Mueller is a founding member and current board member of Busses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust in Red Lodge, Montana. He has studied and researched the history of the Yellowstone Park transportation system for over 4 decades. John has hands-on experience on woodworking and sheet metal fabrication. This expertise has been used in the preservation and restoration of several Yellowstone Busses, and has led to a life-long interest in Yellowstone Park transportation history. The presentation will cover the transition from horse-drawn to motorized transportation- “Horses are out, motorized vehicles are in!”

Join the Carbon County Historical Preservation Commission for a walking tour of Historic Bridger. Meeting at the Dana Zier Gallery at 10:00 AM for the commission meeting and following our guide through the town. Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by September 29th.

*$5 for the

Bridger Historical Society

Join the Carbon County Historical Society for a tour of Camp Senia. Meeting at the Museum at 10:00 AM and following pilot car to the site. Bring a dish to share for a picnic! Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by September 21st.

*FREE for Members

*$10 for General Admission

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for

InterTribal Dancers

Saturday, Sep. 14th, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

All are welcome!

*FREE for Members *$5 for General Admission

Patty Molinaro

Origins of Crow Agencies in Montana

On May 7, 1886, the Treaty of Ft. Laramie forever altered the Crow way of life, defining reservation boundaries and establishing a federal agency. These early agencies faced numerous challenges that forced the adoption of western farming methods in the face of hunger and new struggles for subsistence. Crow leaders were instrumental in guiding their people to adapt the skills necessary to sustain their tribe in hopes for a better future. Author Patty Molinaro recounts the shifting boundaries and historical pivotal period for the Crow Nation

*FREE for Members *$5 for General Admission

Join the Historical Society for a field trip to Red Lodge’s former ski hills. Meet at the Museum at 9:00 AM and carpooling to the three stops. Lunch provided at the Inn on the Beartooth. Limited Spots available! Pre-registration required. Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by August 10th.

*Free for members. $15 for General Admission.

MATT STUMP

Graveyards of a Mine: Domestic War Heroes of Montana Coal and Iron Co. (1943)

In 1943, an explosion occurred at the Smith Mine in Bearcreek, Montana. 74 miners perished during a voluntary overtime Saturday morning.

Hitler annexed Austria in 1938 and then began his European conquest in 1939, first invading Poland. Realizing Germany’s nefarious plans, mine workers increased their commitment to support the war effort. The first war bond drive occurred before Christmas, 1942. Frank and Jack Mourich, two Austrian immigrants working at the mine, ramped up their efforts as the war bond drives began in earnest. Government and media propaganda were used to encourage the purchase of war bonds by working class Americans. In September 1942, Frank Mourich purchased $75.00 in war bonds from a $132.00 net paycheck, 56% of his paycheck! In order to afford this investment in America’s future, the Mourich’s and other miners volunteered to work extra days offered by their company, it was necessary to provide food for their families and defend the country from the Axis forces. When they died in the Smith Mine Disaster on February 27th, 1943, these immigrant patriots became domestic war heroes. Yet, in the aftermath of the disaster, the families of these heroes were left desolate and abandoned by the federal government while returning veterans were greeted with parades and accolades. The sacrifices of these immigrants have, until now, remained in the background of American History.

*FREE for Members *$5 for General Admission

Join the Carbon County Historical Society for a tour of Saint Olaf Church. Meeting at the Museum at 10:00 AM and following pilot car to the site. Bring a dish to share for a picnic!

*FREE for Members

*$10 for General Admission