One day in the 1990s, Ruth McFarland was reading a Montana Historical Society newsletter that sent her on a path that led to the historic gold rush towns of Virginia and Nevada cities. The newsletter announced the state’s purchase of Virginia City and Nevada City and the immediate need for restoration of the towns’ historic Read More »
“Cemeteries aren’t often on the top of the list when considering Montana’s cultural heritage. However, the state is home to hundreds of historic burial sites that provide a glimpse into the past and the people who made our future possible.” Click here to read the rest of the article from the Great Falls Tribune. Read More »
Beyond the fences of the Forestvale Cemetery, hidden in tufts of cheatgrass, sage and prickly pear, the stories of Montana’s foreign pioneers decay in heavy thumbprint depressions in the ground. As many as 200 Chinese immigrants were buried beyond the gothic arches, but the blank patch of prairie outside Forestvale wasn’t their final resting place—at least it wasn’t meant Read More »
China Row, an unkempt field outside of Forestvale Cemetery near Helena, lies filled with mostly unmarked graves of Chinese people from Helena and surrounding towns who were buried between 1890 and 1955. There were originally over 200 burials, but small-town rumors hold that the graves were disinterred in the 1950s, with the remains being sent back to Read More »
The Montana Historical Society just had a great reception for some of the Montana ranch women whose stories are told in a new book, “Montana Women: From the Ground Up.” Available Online at the MHS Museum Store The “Ground” in the title reminded me of the day I arrived at the ranch. As I drove Read More »
The Montana History Foundation invites you to a 3-day Cemetery Preservation Technology Workshop in Helena, June 21st – 23rd. Come meet Kayle, a specially-trained forensic canine who helps locate unmarked gravesites. Learn more about the capabilities of ground penetrating radar, forensic archaeology, drone photography and more. The workshop is open to the public and the Read More »
Two years ago, Kim Murphy Kohn, an archives technician at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, tuned into a friend’s online museum exhibit in Richmond, Virginia, titled “50 Objects of Richmond.” She was intrigued. It’s a given that when residents think of Butte, mining comes to mind for many. Still, others think of Our Lady of Read More »
Helena’s Guardian of the Gulch now has a guardian of its own. After a 2016 arson fire damaged the southwest strut of the Helena icon, the city floated plans to tear down the tower and build a replica in its place. But a group of concerned citizens has since come forward to take a closer Read More »
The Livezey Painting Acquisition Committee is seeking donations to help ensure the 6-by-8-foot painting hanging in the Montana Governor’s Office is placed in the permanent collection of the Montana Historical Society. Titled “The Confluence – Headwaters of the Missouri,” the painting by Dale Livezey depicts the rivers that come together to form the Missouri River near Read More »
The 28th Annual Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award honoring the Montana History Teacher of the Year was held at the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday. Jodi Delaney of Helena was honored with the prestigious award. Delaney is a Montessori teacher for fourth and fifth grade at Broadwater Elementary School in Helena. At 10:40 a.m. Delaney joined her students Read More »