Transportation in southern Montana has evolved from Native American trails to railroads and highways. In 1805, when Lewis and Clark arrived on their famed expedition, not a highway or railroad spur was to be found. They witnessed miles and miles of uninterrupted terrain, across the prairies and badlands of the east and mountains and valleys in the west.

By the end of the 19th century, the transcontinental railroads had reached Montana Territory, in what is often referred to as one of the most transformational economic developments in Montana history. Looking back, it might be hard to believe how extremely isolated Montana was for the non-Native population. Transportation was seasonal. It was hard to get here in the summer and even harder to leave in the winter. Most people arrived on foot or bumped along the frontier on stagecoaches or in wagon trains. Water transportation was an option, but only for approximately six weeks out of the year. By the mid-1800s, miners, merchants, farmers, and cattlemen were dreaming of the day the railroad would arrive, and really, they didn’t have to wait long. The railroad connected Montana to the outside world, and soon, that world was about to become even easier to reach.

Enter the automobile. At first, they were essentially play things for the rich and weren’t considered very reliable. What they lacked in dependability, however, they made up for in excitement and freedom. Imagine how it felt to be able to go anywhere you wanted whenever you chose! By 1913, there were so many automobiles on the road that the state began registering and taxing them. By the mid-1920s, most middle-class families owned a car.

As automobiles became more prevalent, roads were being improved. In 1933, Hardin was connected to Billings via Highway 87. Lee Fly, a nearby rancher, opened the Fly Inn after he noticed a need for a stopping point on this fifty-mile stretch of highway. Motorists would stop for a top off or for help with minor automobile issues. If you can believe this, in the Fly Inn’s early days, a gallon of gas would cost approximately twenty cents!

Over the years, roads continued to improve. As the interstate system spread across Montana, old roads, such as Highway 87, became less traveled. Eventually the Fly Inn closed and was moved to the Big Horn County Museum in 1986.