We Sang Our Song: Early Bozeman Poets

Rachel Phillips

The art of writing poetry has a long history in Bozeman. Early local amateur poets created work inspired by people, events, and places in Gallatin County, or to amuse their friends and neighbors. The Gallatin History Museum archives contain several…

Beneath Our Feet: A Full History of the Bozeman Tunnel

Rachel Phillips

The first Northern Pacific passenger train steamed into Bozeman on March 21, 1883 to much celebration and fanfare. It represented Bozeman’s shift from an isolated frontier town to a city with great potential for growth, now connected to the…

Trees, Bells, or Spiders? A Look at Downtown Bozeman’s “Colorful Holiday Attire”

Rachel Phillips, by Seth Ward

Each year after Thanksgiving, Bozeman’s Main Street is transformed into a holiday wonderland. Most popular among the downtown decorations are the giant garland cascades hanging over the Willson, Tracy, Black, and Bozeman intersections. For over…

The Schlechten Family Bozeman Photography Icons

Rachel Phillips

For many who grew up in mid-twentieth century Bozeman (or those familiar with local history), the name “Schlechten” is synonymous with photography. The unusual name brings to mind portraits, landscapes, and everything in between. Though…

Joseph Lindley and His Park

Rachel Phillips

These days, when one thinks of the Sweet Pea Festival, Lindley Park usually comes to mind. While the celebration is itself a Bozeman icon, so too is the popular city park that has been the Sweet Pea Festival’s home for the last 43 years. The…

Riding High: Memories of Yellowstone Travel by Horse

Rachel Phillips

In today’s world, traveling in Yellowstone National Park usually includes plenty of time sitting in traffic jams. For the last one hundred years, cars have dominated park transportation, but prior to 1916, sightseeing depended on the help of…

Spirit and Industry: The Montana State College Class of 1918 and Their “M”

Rachel Phillips

One of Bozeman’s most well-known and visible icons would undoubtedly be the College “M” emblazoned on the side of Mount Baldy in the Bridger Mountains. Easily visible for miles, this oft-photographed landmark is an integral part of…

The Block That Was Rocked

Rachel Phillips

Shortly after 8:00 am on March 5, 2009, a natural gas explosion rocked downtown Bozeman. The initial blast and resulting fire destroyed and damaged several historic buildings on the north side of Main Street, just east of Bozeman Avenue. Tragically…

Top 10 Iconic Women in Bozeman History

Rachel Phillips

Our community’s past is filled with iconic women, so while it is impossible to pick one over another, here are ten ladies who stand out as Bozeman history icons. Audrey AndersonBozeman’s favorite red-haired restaurant owner Audrey…

Bachelor’s Clubs in the Gallatin Valley ”Girls Are Certainly Favored Out Here”

Rachel Phillips

On a pleasant Sunday in July 1910, sixty-nine single men gathered in Manhattan to commiserate with each other on their lonely conditions. According to the Manhattan Record, ‘Brooks’ Duff, Charles Duffin, Al Oliver, Bill Perks, and George…

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…