Gallatin’s Gateway Community

Rachel Phillips

The community of Gallatin Gateway is one of the older settlements in Gallatin County and had its beginnings in the 1860s. Zachariah Sales relocated his family from Wisconsin to the Gallatin Valley in 1865, and they began ranching. Because of the…

Defining Nuisances: Bozeman’s 1883 City Ordinances

Rachel Phillips

When the city of Bozeman incorporated on March 26, 1883, John V. Bogert was elected the city’s enthusiastic first mayor. The new city leader and his aldermen immediately began passing ordinances regulating everything from business signs to…

Bozeman’s Medical Heroes

Rachel Phillips

In the late 1860s, only a handful of doctors lived in the Gallatin Valley, and most split their time between practicing medicine and other more lucrative careers. Today, our community supports a large regional hospital that employs hundreds of…

Gallatin History Timeline

Rachel Phillips

Gallatin County is a unique place. Throughout our history, environmental and geographical attributes intersected and interacted with the people who lived here, creating new ideas and opportunities. This timeline showcases some of the important events…

Wires in the Sky: A Short History of Telephone Service in Bozeman

Rachel Phillips

Today, nearly everyone has a telephone tucked into their pocket. These amazing machines are not only capable of making a phone call, but with the touch of a button they provide convenient access to online banking, social media, and entertainment…

Remarkable Bozeman Women

Rachel Phillips

Standing Tall & Strong

Popular Bozeman “Hangout” Restaurants of the 20th Century

Rachel Phillips

Pizza, Tomato Soup and Peanut Butter Pie

A Chambers-Fisher Company Christmas

Rachel Phillips

In November and December of 1955, the local newspapers were filled with large advertisements from Chambers-Fisher Company. Sometimes comprising an entire page, these ads featured illustrations of popular Christmas gifts and catchy phrases like:…

Doing Their Bit: Bozeman Women and WWI

Rachel Phillips

This fall marks the one hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I. The Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, bringing hope to millions that the misery and heartbreak of the Great War was nearly over. Though the United States was only…

Wheeling & Dealing: Bozeman’s Car Dealerships of Yesterday

Rachel Phillips

At the turn of the twentieth century, automobiles began puttering around Gallatin Valley roadways, their drivers bouncing up and down over rut-filled, unpaved streets. In 1905, Sam Mendenhall (future Bozeman City Manager and son of pioneer John…

Calamity Jane Dries Out in Bozeman

Rachel Phillips

Livingston News - “Calamity Jane is in town again. She entered a certain newspaper office in this city this morning and wanted to know where the dirty cur was who said she was in the poor house. She wanted it clearly understood that…she…

That’s Not What I Was There For: Ray Lau’s Story

Rachel Phillips

Since World War I, Montanans have been known for their military service. In honor of Veterans Day, I wanted to share some of Ray Lau’s experiences. Lau is a local Three Forks resident who grew up in Southwest Montana and served in the Pacific…

Life in Bear Canyon: Logs, Dancing & Steam Engines

Rachel Phillips

Today, Bear Canyon is generally quiet and peaceful. A dirt road gently winds up the canyon, passing homes, outbuildings, and barns. New World Gulch Trail begins where the road ends, leading adventurous hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers on a…

Rainbow Land: A History of Bozeman Hot Springs

Rachel Phillips

It’s summer—time for locals and tourists alike to cool off in ponds, lakes, rivers, and city pools. Today, families flock to water recreation areas like Hyalite and the Madison River, or visit in-town options like the Bozeman Swim Center…

She's Wild: The Beginnings of the Bozeman Roundup

Rachel Phillips

It was the summer of 1919. The Elks Club was busy finalizing plans for their statewide convention—their first big meeting since gathering in Butte in 1916, just before World War I. The war had definitely put an end to large-scale entertainment…

HE was a SHE Manhattan’s Sammy Williams

Rachel Phillips

Among the graves at Meadowview Cemetery, just south of Manhattan, Montana, sits a rather curious tombstone.  The inscription reads: “A female whose real name is unknown but who has been for many years known as Sammy Williams.  Died…

Adolph Peterson: Jumping Skis, and the Development of Gallatin Valley Skiing

Rachel Phillips

Adolf Pedersen was born in Lillehammer, Norway on November 15, 1900. He and his family immigrated in 1915, joining his uncle who had immigrated in 1911. At Ellis Island, immigration officials wrote “Adolph Peterson,” after hearing his…

Legendary Locals of Bozeman: Spooky Tales

Rachel Phillips

From its inception as a supply town during Montana’s gold rush in the 1860s, Bozeman has attracted visionaries, leaders, and pioneering thinkers. Now one of Montana’s fastest growing cities, Bozeman still retains elements of the past…

Legendary Locals of Bozeman’s Past

Rachel Phillips

From its inception as a supply town during Montana’s gold rush in the 1860s, Bozeman has attracted visionaries, leaders, and pioneering thinkers. Now one of Montana’s fastest growing cities, Bozeman still retains elements of the past…

The Dahl Family’s World War II Experience

Rachel Phillips

Patriotism, Sacrifice, & Victory