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Blaine County MT Museum

Blaine County MT Museum

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lat: 48.590808 long: -109.231496

Established in 1977, our museum is home to Blaine County’s long, storied, and thoroughly western past. From our exhibits to our archives, our institution exists to retell and preserve the legacy of those who have inhabited this land, from the mighty Gorgosaurus who lived nearly 80 million years ago, to the evolving Plains Tribes, to the farmers, ranchers, and businesspeople who created lives for themselves here during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Historically, this land was part of the Blackfeet tribe’s hunting territory, and was populated as far as the eye could see with herds of bison. The French Canadian fur trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes is thought to have been the first Caucasian to visit this area, having explored Montana between 1731 and 1742. Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery would pass through the southern border of Blaine County in 1805. Ranching operations in this area began following the Desert Land Act of 1877.  Settlements for farming and ranching would begin to grow in numbers during the late 1880s, following the construction of the Great Northern Railroad in 1887. Large scale homesteading would begin around 1910.

The Blaine County Museum offers a full exhibit relating to the Bear Paw Battlefield, the site of the last battle of the four-month Nez Perce War of 1877. The battlefield, located 16 miles south of Chinook, is part of the Nez Perce National Park and the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail. Our exhibit houses displays of artifacts found at the Bear Paw Battlefield, time-period photographs, and the twenty-minute multi-media presentation “Forty Miles from Freedom”. Centered around Lorenzo Ghiglieri’s paintings of the conflict, the presentation recounts the events leading up to the battle and siege of the Bear Paw which ended one of the most remarkable and tragic retreats in this nation’s history.We also provide Bear Paw Battlefield cancellation stamps for the National Park Service’s Passport to Your National Parks® and Bear Paw Battlefield activity books for the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger program.

 

Nearby Attractions

Distance Unit:

Bear Paw Battlefield
Bear Paw Battlefield

Bear Paw Battlefield - Nez Perce, Chinook, MT, USA
Distance: 14.83 Away

Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes Tribal Experiences

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White Cliffs
White Cliffs

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, NE Main St, Lewistown, MT, USA
Distance: 54.93 Away

Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes

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Slaughter River
Slaughter River

Lewis & Clark Camp, Big Sandy, MT, USA
Distance: 66.71 Away

Outdoor Experiences RV and Camping LC Features

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Decision Point
Decision Point

Decision Point, Loma Ferry Road, Loma, MT, USA
Distance: 74.25 Away

Outdoor Experiences LC Features

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Smithsonian Hornaday Bison
Smithsonian Hornaday Bison

Museum of the Northern Great Plains, 20th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Distance: 84.68 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Museum of the Northern Great Plains
Museum of the Northern Great Plains

Museum of the Northern Great Plains, 20th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Distance: 84.68 Away

Galleries and Venues Museums and Interpretive Centers Tribal Experiences

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Homestead Village
Homestead Village

1205 20th Street, Fort Benton, Montana, USA
Distance: 84.68 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Historic Old Fort Benton
Historic Old Fort Benton

Old Fort Benton, River Street, Fort Benton, Montana 59442, USA
Distance: 84.71 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers Forts

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Old Fort Benton
Old Fort Benton

Old Fort Benton, River Street, Fort Benton, Montana 59442, USA
Distance: 84.71 Away

Tribal Experiences Forts Museums and Interpretive Centers

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State of Montana’s Lewis and Clark Memorial
State of Montana’s Lewis and Clark Memorial

Lewis and Clark Memorial, Front Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Distance: 84.79 Away

LC Features Other

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The Baker House
The Baker House

1600 Front Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Distance: 84.94 Away

Other

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Old Fort Benton Bridge
Old Fort Benton Bridge

Old Fort Benton Bridge, 15th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Distance: 84.98 Away

Other Viewpoints

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