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The Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton, Montana, is operated by the Bitter Root Valley Historical Society (BRVHS) in order to acquire, preserve, and interpret the historical and cultural heritage of the Bitter Root Valley and the inhabitants of Ravalli County, Montana. United States. The Museum is open year-round and features three main focal points: local history, natural history and art.
Ravalli County Museum has a total of 9 exhibit galleries, with five of the galleries housing permanent exhibits.
“The Discovery: Lewis & Clark Meet the Salish in the Bitter Root,” is a display that depicts the story of the historic encounter between the Salish Tribe and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the Bitterroot Valley, just before they crossed the Continental Divide in 1805. The exhibit is made up of murals, copies of pages from the Lewis and Clark Journals, Native American artifacts, the local flora and fauna and replicas of the equipment used on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The "National Senior Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame" is a collection of rodeo items from Hall of Fame inductees combined with interpretations that tell the story of rodeo and the lifestyle of the American cowboy.
“A Walk Through the Bitter Root,” is a two-room exhibit featuring murals of the landscape of Darby, Conner, Sula, and Hamilton as it looked in the 1900s, painted by local artist Suzette DelRae. [1] The exhibit also features agricultural artifacts, old maps and dioramas depicting the lifestyle of the pioneers that settled in the valley.
“Bertie Lord, Pioneer Photographer” displays artifacts from the collections of Bertie Lord, donated to the Museum by the Lord family. Photo equipment, memorabilia and prints from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, including stereo views, portray the hobby that was Bertie Lord’s passion.
The Natural History Exhibit features a collection of wildlife from Western Montana including a white wolf, hawk, eagle and elk. There is also a wide variety of fly fishing ties from the 1920s and fishing party photos from the late 1800s.
The "Trapper and Miner Exhibit", created with artifacts from the 1800s and 1900s, depicts the lifestyle of a miner or trapper living in the Bitterroot Mountains at that time. The exhibit is made to look like the inside of a one-room log cabin complete with stove, bed, furs and mining and trapping equipment. The exhibit also houses a chair that was hand made by Father Antonio Ravalli.
Rotating exhibits are featured in three of the small galleries and the main gallery; the “Old Courtroom” features large rotating exhibits of community interest throughout the year. The Museum hosts traveling exhibits throughout the year as well as lectures on topics of local interest. [2]
In 1955, the Bitter Root Valley Historical Society founded a small historical museum which was operated out of the old train depot in Hamilton, Montana. Upon demolition of the depot, the museum artifacts were moved into barns and basements of area residents.
In 1974, local officials planned to demolish the Ravalli County Courthouse, designed and built in 1900 by architect, A.J. Gibson. The Bitter Root Valley Historical Society successfully advocated for the repurposing the building as the new site of the Museum. The Ravalli County Museum opened its doors soon after. [3] It now houses many historical collections from the Bitterroot Valley’s American Indian heritage and early settlers in the Bitterroot Valley. The building includes a Cold War-era bomb shelter which has been turned into a work area. [4]
Most of the collection of artifacts have been donated to the Bitter Root Valley Historical Society over a number of years. Many pioneer families contributed to the collection, including a variety of objects that were collected and donated by Henry Grant. Some of the other items on display are on loan from various contributors.
The permanent collection includes American Indian artifacts from local tribes such as the Salish, Crow, Nez Perce, and Kootenai Native Americans. [3] There are also local agricultural, scientific tools, and collections associated with the homesteading of the valley [5] along with military uniforms and accessories dating from the American Civil War era to Operation Desert Storm. A large collection of Victorian Era household fixtures, dry goods, vintage clothing, portraits and paintings, and various other articles make up the bulk of the holdings.
The Ravalli County Museum houses a collection of archival material especially which is available to historical researchers, including vertical files of local documents and a newspaper collection with several rare original publications (dating as far back as 1880s). There is also a card catalogue with a listing of obituaries and various other topics, which are also included in a searchable database. As well as files of original documents of various types, there is a Hamilton Architectural Survey and a collection of local books.
The Annual McIntosh Apple Day Festival, begun in 1979, is a one-day event held in October to celebrate the Apple Boom of 1907 to 1911. The Museum staff and volunteers make and sell apple pies, apple butter, and other apple dishes. Up to 175 vendors from the Bitterroot Valley and other areas of Montana and Idaho set up booths on the streets surrounding the Museum.
Bitter Root Day, a Salish Culture themed festival, is held each June, and promotes the preservation of the Montana State flower, the Bitter Root. Plants and seeds of the flower are sold with planting instructions. At the Art & Treasures Annual Appraisal Event, local residents bring in their own artifacts and collectibles to be appraised by a local appraiser. All profits from this event go to support the Museum and its mission.
In June, the Annual Afternoon of Cowboy Music & Poetry takes place on the lawn of the Museum. Guests sit on hay bales and listen to cowboy poets and musical performers as they depict the lifestyle of the cowboy through poetry and song. [6] [7]
Since 1992 the Museum has held an annual 'Photograph Montana' contest to raise funds for the preservation of the Ernst Peterson photograph collection. [8] Professional and amateur photographers are invited every year to submit photos of Montana for a small fee for each photo. The photos are judged and ribbons and prizes are awarded to the winners during a special ceremony. All photos are featured in an exhibit in the Old Courtroom Gallery on the third floor of the Museum. [9] [10]
Bitterroot is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet rediviva refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots.
Ravalli County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 40,212. Its county seat is Hamilton.
Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census.
Stevensville is a town in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,002 at the 2020 census.
Arlee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Montana, United States. The population was 636 at the 2010 census. It is named after Alee, a Salish chief. The chief's name has no "r", as the Salish alphabet has no letter "r".
The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. The reservation was created through the July 16, 1855, Treaty of Hellgate.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are a federally recognized tribe in the U.S. state of Montana. The government includes members of several Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles tribes and is centered on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
The Bitterroot Valley is located in southwestern Montana, along the Bitterroot River between the Bitterroot Range and Sapphire Mountains, in the Northwestern United States.
The Bitterroot River is a northward flowing 84-mile (135 km) river running through the Bitterroot Valley, from the confluence of its West and East forks near Conner in southern Ravalli County to its confluence with the Clark Fork River near Missoula in Missoula County, in western Montana. The Clark Fork River is tributary to the Columbia River and ultimately, the Pacific Ocean. The Bitterroot River is a Blue Ribbon trout fishery with a healthy population of native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. It is the third most fly fished river in Montana behind the Madison and Big Horn Rivers.
Bitterroot National Forest comprises 1.587 million acres (6,423 km²) in west-central Montana and eastern Idaho, of the United States. It is located primarily in Ravalli County, Montana, but also has acreage in Idaho County, Idaho (29.24%), and Missoula County, Montana (0.49%).
Lost Trail Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States, on the border of Idaho and Montana in the Bitterroot Mountains. The pass is at an elevation of 7,014 feet (2,138 m) above sea level and is traversed by U.S. Highway 93.
KBAZ is a commercial radio station in Hamilton, Montana, broadcasting to the Missoula, Montana, area. KBAZ airs a Active rock music format.
Antonio or Anthony Ravalli was an Italian Jesuit missionary, artist, and doctor active in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He is known primarily for his contributions to the architecture and art of Jesuit missions in the region. He also inoculated the tribes he served against smallpox, and his efforts shielded the Bitterroot Salish against epidemics that devastated other tribes. In 1893 Ravalli County, Montana was named after him.
The Historic St. Mary's Mission is a mission established by the Society of Jesus of the Catholic Church, located now on Fourth Street in modern-day Stevensville, Montana. Founded in 1841 and designed as an ongoing village for Catholic Salish Indians, St. Mary's was the first permanent settlement made by non-indigenous peoples in what became the state of Montana. The mission structure was rebuilt in 1866. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Glacier Country, Montana is a tourism region in the U.S. state of Montana. Glacier Country includes the cities of Missoula, Kalispell, Polson, Libby, Whitefish, Browning, Eureka, and Thompson Falls. Glacier Country is home to Glacier National Park, and Montana's 2nd largest city- Missoula, Montana. The 2015 population of Glacier Country is 332,702.
Como Dam is a dam in Ravalli County, Montana, in the far western part of the state.
Charlos Heights or Charlo's Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 120 at the 2010 census.
Conner is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 216 at the 2010 census.
Fort Owen State Park is a historic preservation area owned by the state of Montana in the United States, located on the northern outskirts of the town of Stevensville, Montana. The park is named for Fort Owen, a mission and later trading post established in 1841 and named for trader John Owen. The park is one acre (0.40 ha) in size, 3,293 feet (1,004 m) in elevation, and is owned and managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Fort Owen is known as the "cradle of Montana civilization".
Coordinates: 46°14′40″N114°09′28″W / 46.24447°N 114.15784°W