Bozeman Magazine

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU is partnering with the Belgrade Community Library to host a talk entitled “Welcome to Montana: Automobile Tourism in the 1930s” at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the library. This event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will be preceded by a social with refreshments at 5:30 p.m. Jon Axline, a historian and the interpretive marker coordinator for the Montana Department of Transportation in Helena, will discuss the development of the highway system in Montana and associated tourism programs. During the Great Depression, the Montana Highway Department improved over 5,000 miles of primary, secondary and urban roads.

As a result, the state’s highways transformed from the nation’s worst to one of the most modern systems in the U.S. During that turbulent decade, the highway department also developed automobile tourism programs to draw visitors to the state. Axline studies the history of Montana transportation from 1860 through the Interstate era. He graduated from MSU with an M.A. in American history in 1985. He is a published author of articles and books on a variety of Montana history subjects.

Seating is limited at Belgrade Community Library events, and advance registration is encouraged to ensure you get a seat. However, walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information or to register, please visit the OLLI at MSU website at www.montana.edu/olli/. The Belgrade Community Library Foundation and First Interstate Bank sponsor these collaborative free community programs. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach (ATO) at Montana State University. ATO works across MSU to support and advance our land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.