Southwest Montana Blog
Fall

With news of gold in Grasshopper Creek, the gold rush officially began in Montana in the summer of 1862. It was gold that drew thousands to Montana and established some of the region’s most prominent towns. On July 14, 1864, four men (known today as the Four Georgians) set up camp along Last Chance Gulch &#...

When it comes to ghosts and a belief in the paranormal, I would describe myself as an open-minded skeptic. While I’ve never had a paranormal experience myself, I’ve known plenty of people to describe their own encounters that verged on unexplainable. I enjoy the occasional ghost tour and love the history that...

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Hamlet, I.5) Here on the blog, there are a variety of opinions about ghosts and the like. More opinions than there are writers, in fact, because my skepticism/belief in ghosts has a good deal to do with how dark the &#...

Snow falls on the foothills, only to dissipate by midday. In the river-bottoms the leaves of the cottonwoods are rustling into yellow, as if capturing sunshine on the branches. At higher elevations, the changing leaves of the aspens are gilding the mountainsides. Fall is upon us and winter fast approaches. It...

The incredible fall weather in Montana has us itching to get on the road. Bright oranges, reds, and yellows dot the hillsides, begging to be explored. Cooler temperatures mean the perfect weather for cozy clothing and a nice warm drink – the perfect addition to any Southwest Montana road trip! If you are...

And just like that, Thanksgiving is only days away. The holidays and traditions go hand in hand, and while everyone celebrates a little differently, time among friends and family is something to be thankful for. In our family, Thanksgiving requires quite the road trip, four generations, home cooked meals for...

Halloween is just days away, and Southwest Montana has events for all ages. As one of the most anticipated holidays of the year, there is no skimping on the haunted encounters. To take it a step further, Southwest Montana’s colorful history may have left behind more than just an interesting tale or two....

The Butte Silver-Bow Public Archives sit at 17 W. Quartz Street in a building that once served as “Fire Station Number One.” This building remained the Quartz Street Fire Station until 1976 when the Montana and Mercury Streets Station was opened.  As you may know, the mining town of Butte, America saw its...

You know the Grant Kohrs Ranch for their great line-up of summer activities, but in addition to summer fun, the Grant Kohrs Ranch has some excellent fall events as well. Specifically, on the 20th of October the ranch is hosting its annual Pumpkin Sunday. The highlight of the event is, of course, the pumpkin...

We had an amazing summer in Southwest Montana: lovely weather, memorable events, and best of all – NO smoke! As you can imagine, it’s a little difficult to consider giving up such an incredible season … but, I suppose if something were to entice me to move on it would be pumpkin spice everything, sweater &#...

Fall has arrived, and with it a lovely Halloweenish atmosphere. If you are in search of a guide through the spookiest bits of Montana’s past, you’ll not find better than Ellen Baumler. Before retiring last year, Baumler had spent 26 years digging into the stories of Montana’s past. She’...

Montana’s smallest state park, Elkhorn Ghost Town State park consists of two buildings set on less than 1 acre of land. Those two buildings, however, may be the most photographed buildings in the state. Fraternity Hall represents a fascinating fusion of Greek Revival and gold camp architecture. Made entirely...