Montana Historical Society

Big Sky ~ Big History

Museum and research center closed for renovations. For more info, call (406) 444-2694.

Footlockers

The Society's Footlocker program offers thematic "traveling trunks" focused on a wide variety of topics, from Indigenous history, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and state symbols to homesteading, the Progressive Era, and World War II. Learn how to orderClick on the footlocker title to preview the footlocker user guide (including a list of contents.) All user guides include historical narratives, "amazing Montanan" biographies, and lesson plans, many of which can be taught without ordering the footlocker itself. 

Chinese lantern and wall hanging, from East Meets West

Cavalry and Infantry: The U.S. Military on the Montana Frontier - Illustrates the function of the U.S. military and the life of an enlisted man on Montana's frontier, 1860 to 1890. Find content standard alignment here.

Coming to Montana: Immigrants from Around the World - Showcases the culture, countries, traditions, and foodways of Montana's immigrants through reproduction clothing, toys, and activities. Find content standard alignment here.

Discover Lewis and Clark - Traces the Corps' journey through Montana and their encounters with American Indians. Includes grizzly bear hide, trade goods, a sextant, books, and more! Find content standard alignment here.

The Montana Fur Trade Footlocker

East Meets West: The Chinese Experience in Montana - Explores the lives of the Chinese who came to Montana, the customs that they brought with them to America, how they contributed to Montana communities, and why they left. Find content standard alignment here.

From Traps to Caps: The Montana Fur Trade - Gives students a glimpse at how fur traders lived and made their living along the creeks and valleys of Montana, 1810-1860. Find content standard alignment here.

Gold, Silver, and Coal Oh My!: Mining Montana's Wealth - Chronicles the discoveries that drew people to Montana in the late19th century and how the mining industry developed and declined. Find content standard alignment here.

The Home Fires: Montana and World War II - Describes aspects of everyday life in Montana during the 1941-1945 war years. Illustrates little-known government projects such as the Fort Missoula Alien Detention Center and Civilian Public Service Camps. Find content standard alignment here.

Inside and Outside the Home: Homesteading in Montana 1900-1920 - Focuses on the thousands of people who came to Montana's plains in the early 20th century in hope of make a living through dry-land farming. Find content standard alignment here.

Land of Many Stories: The People and Histories of Glacier National Park
Focuses on the commemoration of the centennial anniversary of Glacier National Park. It is thematically tied to the MHS' exhibit The Land of Many Stories: The People and Histories of Glacier National Park. It examines the human experience in the area now known as Glacier National Park, from pre-contact to the recent past, focusing on human-environmental interaction. Find content standard alignment here.

Montana Indian Stories Lit Kit - Immerses students in storytelling and the oral tradition with seven class sets of Montana Indian stories collected for the Indian Reading Series (1972) and reprinted by the Montana Historical Society Press. The lit kit includes animal puppets and User Guide. NOTE: Out of respect for the storytelling customs of many Montana Indian people, this kit will be made available for use in the winter months (November through March.) Find content standard alignment here.

Montana Place Names Mini Footlocker - Consists of ten copies of the book, Montana Place Names: from Alzada to Zortman, and the lesson plan “Mapping Montana, A to Z.” Teachers will need to order classroom sets of Montana maps separately from Travel Montana or by calling 406-841-2870. Find content standard alignment here.

Montana State Symbols - Provides students the opportunity to explore hands-on educational activities to gain a greater appreciation of our state's symbols and their meanings. Find content standard alignment here.

Montana's First Peoples: Essential Understandings - Explores the Seven Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians. Includes pre-contact and contact-era trade items, a parfleche, drum, elk tooth dress, horse model, ration coupon bag, boarding school outfits, beaver pelt and bison hide, maps, illustrations, tribal flags, and more. Find content standard alignment here.

Oral History in the Classroom Mini Footlocker - Includes eight Sony IC Audio Recorders, batteries and chargers, useful reference material, and detailed lesson plans for creating a classroom-based oral history project. Find content standard alignment here.

Prehistoric Life in Montana - Exposes Montana prehistory (10,000-12,000 years ago) and archaeology through a study of the Pictograph Cave site in eastern Montana. Find content standard alignment here.

Homesteading kitchen tools, from Inside and Outside the Home

Stones and Bones Uncovers the earliest evidence of Montana's human history through a study of casts and reproduction stone and bone tools, including replica artifacts from the Anzick collection found in Wilsall, Montana. Find content standard alignment here. Explore our new complementary lesson, Making an Atlatl, which provides detailed instructions on how students can make atlatls and darts while learning more about the physics behind this ancient technology and the tremendous skill it took to hunt large games in the pre-contact era.

To Learn A New Way- Through a child's voice, as much as possible, this footlocker explores the late 1800's and early 1900's time in which Montana Indians were moved to reservations, experienced allotment and boarding schools - all of which resulted in dramatic changes in their lands, languages, and way of life. Find content standard alignment here.

Through a Child's Eyes: The Stewart Family in Turbulent Times, 1913-1921 - Investigates life and politics, 1913-1921, as well as the history and architecture of a magnificent building. Find content standard alignment here.

Tools of the Trade: Montana Industry and Technology - Surveys the evolution of tools and technology in Montana from late 1700s to the present. Find content standard alignment here. Explore our new complementary lesson, Making an Atlatl, which provides detailed instructions on how students can make atlatls and darts while learning more about the physics behind this ancient technology and the tremendous skill it took to hunt large games in the pre-contact era.

Woolies and Whinnies: The Sheep and Cattle Industry in Montana - Reveals the fascinating stories of cattle, horse, and sheep ranching in Montana, 1870 to 1920. Find content standard alignment here.