Northwest Montana History Museum

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Northwest Montana History Museum We preserve & present Northwest Montana stories! Join us 10-5 weekdays and for events year-round E., Kalispell, MT 59901; 406 756-8381; nwmthistory.org

Housed in a fully restored Richardsonian Romanesque stone and brick building from 1894, the Northwest Montana History Museum preserves and presents regional stories and artifacts. Exhibitions of Northwest Montana history feature subjects such as the evolution of Kalispell, American Indian culture, history of Flathead Valley, turn-of-the-century Demersville, and the timber industry; a bookstore and gift shop; a book club and movie nights. 124 2nd Ave.

Care for some medicinal candy?The museum's acquisitions department recently received a box of "Old Fashioned" rock candy...
10/15/2026

Care for some medicinal candy?

The museum's acquisitions department recently received a box of "Old Fashioned" rock candy from Dryden & Palmer from the 1940s.

While today rock candy is seen more as a fun treat to make at home, back then it was commonly used as a treatment for sore throats. For kids it would be mixed with heated milk. Adults mixed it with wh***ey. Sucking on the candy alone provided temporary relief, as with modern throat lozenges.

Stay safe during the coming cold and flu season. Eat rock candy!

Last week, museum volunteers took a field trip to the Stonehenge Air Museum, near Fortine. It was a great day connecting...
10/13/2026

Last week, museum volunteers took a field trip to the Stonehenge Air Museum, near Fortine. It was a great day connecting with history and a Montana inventor who put one of his passions on display.

We appreciate all our volunteers do to help run the Northwest Montana History Museum and provide fun, education, and authentic infotainment to the community and visitors from around the world!

Volunteers play many roles at the museum, and the time commitment varies. We have opportunities to suit everyone's skills and abilities, including several new openings for weekly shifts at the welcome desk and bookstore.

Join the best volunteer corps around! Give us a call, stop by in person, or visit our website for the form that jump-starts the process.

Thank you, volunteers!

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is our exhibit focused on the earliest history and Indigenous peoples of Montana...
10/08/2026

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is our exhibit focused on the earliest history and Indigenous peoples of Montana.

Local muralist Beth Vallieres is painting the corner wall of the “On a Passing Frontier” exhibit. When it’s finished, the mural will paint a vivid picture of Montana plains and mountains, surrounded by local flora and fauna.

The renovation also will feature new signage and up-to-date information, as well as interactive exhibits on tribal languages and natural resources.

Please join us next month for the grand reopening (exact date TBD!).

Come on out at 12:30 tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 7) for the Northwest Montana History Museum Book Club 20th birthday party...
10/06/2026

Come on out at 12:30 tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 7) for the Northwest Montana History Museum Book Club 20th birthday party.

We will have refreshments, a book swap, and, naturally, plenty of camaraderie among book-loving folk. Longtime club member Betsy Wood gives a welcome at 12:45 p.m.

You are welcome to stick around for the regular meeting afterward, focused on Jon Krakauer's "Missoula," which starts at 2.

Come for some, come for all! We look forward to seeing you and/or at another History Book Club meeting to come.

Happy birthday, History Book Club!

Incoming history, y'all! Come out TONIGHT to learn about the bedrock document that makes Montana awesome. Here's a chanc...
09/22/2026

Incoming history, y'all! Come out TONIGHT to learn about the bedrock document that makes Montana awesome. Here's a chance to love Montana even more by learning about the constitution that put Montana values to paper. Starts 6 p.m. at Creston School (4495 MT Highway 35) and is sure to enlighten and entertain. Long live our last best place

"Thank you" seems too simple to say. The 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge has closed effective 5 p.m. today, after ne...
09/11/2026

"Thank you" seems too simple to say.

The 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge has closed effective 5 p.m. today, after netting a record amount for 89 nonprofits, including the Northwest Montana History Museum. Thanks to you, the museum met its goal, and then some.

Thank you for your trust in us to preserve and present regional history, as we have for the past 27 years and hope to for many decades more.

We continue to build membership and visitation, drawing more than 10,000 people to Kalispell's "culture core" annually, while also digging deep to share the stories and artifacts that tell Northwest Montana's stories.

Thank you to the supporters, organizers, volunteers, and all who build community and do good in the Flathead.
https://whitefishcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list

When it comes to history, we are pro-lithic all right.Here’s a sneak peek into the update of the “On a Passing Frontier”...
09/09/2026

When it comes to history, we are pro-lithic all right.

Here’s a sneak peek into the update of the “On a Passing Frontier” exhibit dedicated to the earliest history of Northwest Montana! These are arrowheads found in the Flathead Valley that originate from the Selis-Qlispe (Salish-Kalispel), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), and Ksanka (Kootenai) tribes.

Soon we will close the gallery to make room for the changes to come—and this impressive lithic collection. Our other eight galleries remain open in the meantime.

To help us continue to preserve and present Northwest Montana history, consider donating to the museum through the Great Fish Community Challenge, open until 5 p.m. Friday (Sept. 11). Thank you!
https://whitefishcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list

Mark T. Johnson is on his way! Don't miss his free presentation at 6 tonight on "Feeding the Frontier: A History of Chin...
09/09/2026

Mark T. Johnson is on his way! Don't miss his free presentation at 6 tonight on "Feeding the Frontier: A History of Chinese Vegetable Gardens in Montana." History Happy Hour starts at 5! In addition, Johnson's next research topic is tunnels under Montana cities. A 1910 map shows the Chinese businesses clustered west of Main on Second Street in Kalispell. If you are familiar with this area and have info on any tunnels, please come to the museum tonight from 5 p.m. on and share your insights with Mark. Thank you!

We are in the final days of the 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge; let’s finish strong! To mark this Labor Day, we sho...
09/07/2026

We are in the final days of the 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge; let’s finish strong!

To mark this Labor Day, we showcase the work of U.S. Army Cpl. Harold E. Porteus. His medals are (from left) Bronze Star, Army Good Conduct, American Campaign, European Theater of Operations-4 Battle Stars, WW II Medal, and WW II Occupation. Porteus fought in the Battle of the Bulge and across northern France.

To support the presentation and preservation of history related to Northwest Montanans, consider donating to the museum through the Great Fish Community Challenge until 5 p.m. Friday (Sept. 11)! Thank you again to everyone who supports our work to highlight the people and places of this region.
https://whitefishcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list

Address

124 Second Avenue E
Kalispell, MT
59901

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

(406) 756-8381

Website

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