Bozeman Magazine

Join Jon Axline, historian and interpretive marker coordinator at the Montana Department of Transportation, for a discussion of Montana’s exciting history, as visible from its storied highways. Over the past forty years, the Montana Department of Transportation has recorded and photographed hundreds of archaeological sites and historic properties. Many are rather mundane, but many more have fascinating stories to tell about the state’s colorful past. Montana Highway Tales tells the stories of just a few of those places. Some, like the stone chimney south of Havre and the concrete structure built into the hillside between Logan and Three Forks, have been the subject of speculation by motorists for decades. Jon Axline’s presentation will delve into the histories of the Bozeman Trail, the famed Smith Mine near Bearcreek, Montana’s cold war radar stations, historically significant roads and bridges in the state, and giant grasshoppers among other subjects. Montana history is much more than vigilantes, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and copper kings. This presentation will, hopefully, widen our appreciation for the state’s varied and lively history.