The Museum will be closed from Monday, May 27, 2024 – Wednesday, June 4, 2024 for updates and exhibits.
We apologize if we missed hosting you.
Opening Friday, June 7, 2024 – Homestead Fever
The settlers who advanced upon the northern high plains struggled to establish homesteads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The lure of owning land at minimal cost—but at great labor—was forcefully enticing. In the face of formidable odds against them, such as drought, wind, cold, remoteness, and primitive tools, these determined people established homes, planted fields and gardens, and raised livestock. Climatic conditions and economic forces often conspired against them. Many persevered, and many sold out and moved on.
As a former resident of Montana’s Judith Basin, I have long admired these stalwart people. Recently I have returned with my 8 x 10 inch view camera to record their rapidly diminishing remnants. Their abandoned structures and rusting machinery, set against the immensity of sky and land, evoke in me a profound respect for their courage and resiliency. May these images honor their frontier spirit.
– Lee Silliman, Exhibit Curator
