The Christmas ‘Copter: Santa’s Visit to Bozeman in 1948

Rachel Phillips

On Friday, December 10, 1948, an intriguing invitation to local children appeared in the Bozeman Courier newspaper. Underneath a photo of the popular bearded and bespeckled holiday celebrity was printed the following message: “Meet me at 2…

Our Larry: Bozeman’s Legendary Motorman

Rachel Phillips

For nearly thirty years, from 1892 to 1921, Bozeman residents enjoyed reliable and convenient streetcar transportation. Trolleys moved commuters between the Northern Pacific passenger depot on Bozeman’s north side and the college campus to the…

Lions, Boxing and Bears: The Story of David Angus “Kid” Johnston

Rachel Phillips

In June 1926, David Angus “Kid” Johnston and his trained mountain lion performed several stunts for a Universal Film Corporation film crew in Manhattan, Montana. According to a Gallatin County Tribune and Belgrade Journal report…

Above All A Gentleman: The Legacies of Fred Willson and Richard Brown

Rachel Phillips

Bozeman architect Fred F. Willson, 1929. Photograph courtesy of the Gallatin History Museum Some people have a mind and a passion for history that has a mysterious way of making the past come alive for everyone around them. Richard Brown was one…

A Christmas Feast in July

Rachel Phillips

Bozeman’s Grand Hotel and its 1891 Christmas Menu

A Way Of Life: Gallatin Canyon Dude Ranching

Rachel Phillips

Gallatin Canyon has played host to summer vacationers for well over one hundred years. In the early 1900s, several dude ranches in the canyon offered outdoor paradise to eastern visitors unaccustomed to ranch life but yearning for a taste of the…

Gallatin Gold: Dairies in the Gallatin Valley

Rachel Phillips

The dairy industry has been an important part of Gallatin County agriculture since early white settlers brought their milk cows across the plains in the 1860s. One hundred years ago, small and large dairy farms helped feed Gallatin Valley’s…

The Truck Farmers Market Gardeners of South Church Avenue

Rachel Phillips

Spring fever in Montana usually hits in full force in April, prompting its victims to plan summertime gardens. Though rival town Missoula was given the nickname “Garden City,” historically, the Bozeman area has been known for its…

Many Kinds of Valentines

Rachel Phillips

The Collection of Myrtle Hollier Cheever

Rag Dolls & Air Rifles A Century of Cherished Gifts

Rachel Phillips

On December 6, 1956, the Gallatin County Tribune and Belgrade Journal announced the official beginning of the Christmas season. “Coincident with the drop in temperatures there was an appreciable rise in that intangible thing called Christmas…

For the Benefit of the Country

Rachel Phillips

Memories of Early Montana Politics

The Hole in the Wall

Rachel Phillips

Attempting to Solve a Historical Mystery

Honk For Service: Bozeman’s Full-Service Gas Stations

Rachel Phillips

As automobiles became popular and affordable for Bozeman’s middle class in the first half of the twentieth century, a new type of business emerged that changed the local cityscape. Automobile service stations sprouted up around Bozeman –…

Bavaria to Montana: Clara Lang’s Way to the West

Rachel Phillips

One day in August of 2023, a man wandered into the Gallatin History Museum research center and introduced himself as Raphael Lang. He was trying to find information on his great-great-grandmother and asked if we could help him. He explained that he…

Sweeten to Taste: Ice Cream in Bozeman History

Rachel Phillips

As a kid, one of my favorite summertime activities was helping my parents make homemade ice cream on the Fourth of July. We had a bright blue slatted wooden bucket with a hand crank and interior metal canister with wooden paddles. After filling the…

My Trip to Montana: A Journal by Allan Charles Thurman

Rachel Phillips

In June 1927, 13-year-old Allan Charles Thurman traveled to the Gallatin Valley by train to spend the summer with relatives. Allan was from North Carolina and had never visited Montana before. He stayed with extended family in Belgrade and enjoyed…

What’s in a Name? Examining MSU Building Namesakes

Rachel Phillips

When traversing the MSU campus today, one passes by dozens of unique buildings from various eras. The names emblazoned on signs outside of most of these structures honor people who contributed in a variety of ways to the creation or growth of the…

Gallatin Licks Polio Danger: The Local Crusade to Eradicate Polio

Rachel Phillips

Ernest Monforton, Mary Kay Lindvig, Harold Lindvig, and Joe Garry (left to right) stand with a Hereford heifer in the sale ring at the Montana Winter Fair. Monforton donated the heifer to a polio campaign, and the animal brought over $700. April…

The Huffman Women: Their Lives in Pictures

Rachel Phillips

Huffman family, circa 1910s. Clockwise from left: Hugh, George R., Anna and Susan A small collection of photograph postcards in the Gallatin History Museum archives paints a charming picture of the lives of several local women. In many ways, the…

Moonshine Tales: Art Lenehan, Jake Mast, Seth Bohart

Rachel Phillips

In December 1918, Prohibition went into effect in Montana. Interestingly, anti-liquor laws were introduced and ultimately revoked earlier in the Big Sky State than in the nation as a whole. In Montana, Prohibition lasted from the end of 1918 until…