Museums

I don't visit a lot of museums when I travel unless I have more time than I usually have on the road.  A cursory visit doesn't reveal much.  But I did stop in at three on this tour.  Each of them offered me quiet respites on busy, hot days.   

The Billings County Museum in Medora, North Dakota:  

Because the museum was once the Billings County Courthouse, it includes a jail where visitors can have their photos taken.  Because it held all the county records, there are several enormous old safes which were theoretically fireproof. 

One of the amusing things is the table where the council met. Its base was a roulette table taken in a police raid in the distant past.  This piece of history wasn't discovered until the council moved into the new courthouse.  

I spent some time at this museum because it had WiFi service.  With the museum director's permission,  I sat in the stairwell to write my blog in air conditioned comfort.   

Later, I toured the museum with an older visitor and we commented that the artifacts dated back to our childhoods.  That certainly made us seem like artifacts, too. 

The Lochsa Historical Ranger Station in the Clearwater National Forest, along Highway 12 in Idaho:

This was a needed break for me half way along the winding highway through a canyon with drop offs into the Lochsa River, now in flood stage.  Someone had died after crashing into the river the day before, and that kind of thing makes me nervous.   

The station was built in the 1930's and includes the ranger house, along with several other buildings, including a barn and corral, a woodshed, and a combination building that was used to house trail crews.   

What intrigued me is that the station is run by volunteers.  Each couple stays for a week in one of the buildings.  It amounts to a week long vacation in one of the most beautiful places in the west.  I thought it was something Gary and I could do, then I realized we would have to drive down Highway 12 to get there.  Once was enough.  

You can get an idea of the highway by watching this:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-cHwGVOHRE


Crazy Mountain Museum, Big Timber, Montana.

I went here on the recommendation of Jacque, the librarian at the public library in Big Timber. 

This is a pioneer museum which shows a history like other western towns, but the displays are incredibly professional, with clear signage and explanations.  There are two bars from old saloons, a collection of "Indian maiden" calendar posters, photos of a grand hotel in a town that no longer exists, and a history of the railroads that ran through the town.

Afterwards I went for a lovely stroll through the cemetery next to the museum. 


Consider that Big Timber has a population of less than 2,000 people.  Somehow, they have found a way to fund a museum that any city would be proud of.