In Disturbing the Sleeping Buffalo, Sally Thompson unearths new information and startling insights into Montana's untold history in twenty-three true stories. Along the way, she shares the challenges of groundbreaking research and the joys of finding hidden treasures. These stories connect past and present, bringing into focus a common heritage among many peoples in an uncommon land ..read more

Grain elevators tower above the rolling hills of Central Montana’s farmland, punctuating the seemingly endless horizons of the Big Sky State. Immensely scaled, yet dwarfed by the landscape, historic grain elevators were the final collection point for harvested grain before distribution by train. Eventually replaced by larger facilities boasting modern technology, many remaining grain elevators have been ravaged by weather after falling into disuse and disrepair. Kate Geer and Jared Schmitz, historic preservation team members at A&E Design, share their work documenting the early evolution o ..read more

Brigham Young University–Idaho professor of history Andrea Radke-Moss examines the organizing efforts of Cascade County women in 1892–93, including the challenges and successes they faced in representing Central Montana at the World’s Fair. Ladies organizing the fair exhibit chose to exclude women like Mollie Thompson, Great Falls actor and variety theater owner ..read more

Montana historian Daniel Wells explores the tumultuous life of actor and variety theater owner Mollie Thompson, who ran the well-known Park Theater between 1892 and 1896 ..read more

Montana Department of Transportation historian Jon Axline explains how Nick Mariana, general manager of the Great Falls American Legion baseball club, captured the first footage of an unidentified flying object (UFO) ever taken. Axline examines the alleged government conspiracy that has generated speculation since the film was made public ..read more

Mary Murphy, professor emeritus of history at Montana State University; Jan Zauha, Humanities and Outreach librarian at Montana State University; Zoe Ann Stoltz, retired reference librarian at MTHS; and Molly Kruckenberg, MTHS director, are working on a book about food and community in Montana history. Their presentation, Roots, Rhubarb, and Raspberry Pie, explores how Central Montana women wrestled with preserving and cooking the food they grew in their gardens; examines the cooking lessons they learned at home, in school, from newspapers, and on Great Falls station KRTV; and illuminates how ..read more

During the Cold War, fashion became another frontline in the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the Soviet Exhibition of Science, Technology and Culture in New York, which took place in the summer of 1959. Join Montana Historical Society archivist Lindsey Mick in looking through the lens of Montana newspapers and other media to explore how both Americans and Soviets used fashion to demonstrate their nation’s modernity and cultural superiority during this tense era in world history ..read more

From the 1940s through the 1960s in the small town of Roundup, Lee Steen and his twin brother Dee created a sprawling roadside assembly of sculptures made from cottonwood tree branches and discarded trash. Passing motorists on Highway 12 bought the sculptures for five dollars apiece. Two art students from the University of Montana met the Steen brothers in 1970 and helped organize the first exhibit of the Steens' "tree people" at Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings. Historic architecture specialist Linsday Tran will highlight how, fifty years later, the Steen brothers remain a case study in the ..read more

Art educator Kathy Martin interprets an exhibition of ancient, traditional, and contemporary art and artifacts from the Hockaday Museum, while traditional games instructor Mary Ellen Little Mustache (Blackfeet/Piikuni) discusses the role of games in Blackfeet culture, including time for audience participation. Included in this video are photos taken during the live session which show beautiful Native American artwork ..read more

Great Falls History Museum archives administrator Megan Sanford discusses the industry that slaked the thirst of legions of smelter workers. With endless pure Missouri River water and high-quality barley nearby, Great Falls breweries flourished. Many rich stories, including immigrant families, a missing brewmaster, and scientific controversies, punctuate Great Falls’ brewing history ..read more