Conferences, Workshops, and Special Events

Building on the Past, the 50th annual Montana History Conference, will be held September 28-30, 2023 at the Delta Hotels Colonial in Helena – the same location as the first conference in 1974. Registration is now closed. Limited on-site registration will be available at conference registration on September 27.

We’ll be building on 49 years of gatherings to talk about Montana history with a stellar line-up of workshops, tours, lectures, and discussions, including:

Keynote Lectures by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Elizabeth Fenn on the history of the early West; Apsáalooke curator, writer, and cultural consultant Nina Sanders on her recent exhibit Apsáalooke Women and Warriors at Chicago’s Field Museum; retired MTHS curator Kirby Lambert on 50 things he knows about Montana history; MSU Billings professor of history Emily Arendt on the 1977 Montana Women’s International Year Conference; and University of Notre Dame associate clinical professor Mark Johnson on the changing status of Chinese women in Montana, 1860s to 1950s.

Workshops for educators, writers, and historic preservationists

Tours of the new MT Heritage Center (under construction), Made in Montana historic sites, Sieben Ranch, Fort Harrison, and the Last Chance Pow Wow

Concurrent sessions on Indian Education for All, dark history, architecture, public health, African American history, conservation, agriculture, renaming landmarks, Helena history, Montana heroes you don’t know, film censorship, F. Scott Fitzgerald, women’s history, communism, and more!

Hotel Information

Be sure to ask for the MT History Conference rate.
Delta Colonial Hotel, $160/night plus tax, Phone: (406) 443-2100
La Quinta Inn, $116/night plus tax, Phone: (406) 449-4000

If you missed our previous History Conferences, you can find the past conference programs or listen to session recordings here.

Educator Workshops

2023-24 Monday Meet-Ups (Online)

Join colleagues on the second Monday of the month, September-November and January-March, from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for a series of online sharing sessions around a variety of social studies topics. These sessions will NOT be recorded. Attend all six sessions to earn six renewal units or attend individual sessions to earn one renewal unit each. Find more information on our Professional Development page. 

Additional Online Professional Development

Find archived professional development, which can be taken for renewal credits, on our Professional Development page. Offerings include a guided tour of MTHS's Educator Resources and two lecture series: Montana History in 9 Easy Lessons and the Montana History in 9 MORE Easy Lessons. 

Bring a Montana Teacher Leader to Your Community!

Take advantage of our extraordinary Teacher Leaders in History program. Eleven elementary and middle school teachers from across the state, who have received training on the Montana Historical Society resources and are versed in best practices for history education, are available to provide professional development. Looking for a presenter at your school? Learn more.