The history of Montana is as deep as its mountains are tall. First inhabited by the Native Americans, the population started to shift after the Lewis and Clark expedition, which ushered in a wave of fur trappers and traders to Big Sky Country. Not long after, the railroad arrived bringing more growth to the state. With the turn of the 20th century looming, cattle ranching had become a large industry and farming grew as a result of homesteading in the area. Much of this rich history is shared here, at the Wolf Point Area Museum.

The museum first opened its doors in June of 1972, in the basement of the Roosevelt County Library, not far from the mighty Missouri River, which cuts across northeast Montana, carrying centuries of stories with it. After years of residing in the basement of the library, the museum was moved to a better location. Later, to accommodate a growing number of heirlooms, an addition was added.

The museum features displays of antiques and artifacts of Indian culture and the early-day settlers. A trip through the museum will bring you face to face with items like the 1890 Edison phonographs and cylinder records, bygone printing presses, a 1915 Bible, and an oak dresser, produced in 1913, that welcomed travelers to the first rooming house in Wolf Point. Also on display are two National cash registers, one a 1918 model built for N.J. Walters, Jr., who owned and operated Walters Drug Store, the first drug store in Wolf Point. The story doesn’t end there for this cash register, as it made its way across the state to Helena, serving in a drug store then a barbershop before being returned to Wolf Point.

Another special display includes an excellent arrowhead collection and paintings by local artists Tenny DeWitt, Magnhild Holum, and Marlene Toves. You’ll also come eye to eye with cowboy artist Charles M. Russell, whose life-size statue was made by Archie Graber, a Wolf Point High School Art Instructor, a monument entered in the Hall of Fame Contest and proudly placed second in the nation.

Explore the Wolf Point Museum, open from May through September, and immerse yourself in the history of Montana.