List of museums in Montana

This list of museums in Montana encompasses museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

The six areas referred to in the "Region" column are explained in a separate section below.

Montana has an unusual number of paleontology museums and museums with paleontology sections, much of them filled with discoveries from within the state. These museums are listed again in a separate table below with more specific information.

This list is a sortable table. Click on the small boxes next to any heading title to reorder the list (in alphabetical order or reverse alphabetical order) by that category.

Defunct museums

* Dumas Brothel - Butte [http://www.thedumasbrothel.com/] - The institution is still struggling to survive as of April 2008, with a fundraising plea on the home page of its website. The website states the bordello was "designed and built as a brothel in 1890 and remained active as a brothel until 1982, making it America's longest running house of prostitution". [ [http://www.thedumasbrothel.com/ "About" page] at the Dumas Brothel website, accessed May 12, 2008] In the early part of the twentieth century,there was a "red light district" in Butte that was several city blocks in length.It was located in the uptown historic district.

Museums with paleontology holdings

This list repeats items in the above list, with more information on fossil dinosaur holdings. Each of the museums on the Montana Dinosaur Trail has "unique paleontology displays, interpretation, replicas or actual skeletons of dinosaurs and other fossils" found in Montana", according to the official Montana Dinosaur Trail web page. [http://www.mtdinotrail.org/ Montana Dinosaur Trail Web page] , retrieved May 11, 2008]

Regions

The six regions referred to in the above lists are based on those used by the Montana tourism authority [ [http://www.visitmt.com/tripplanner/wheretogo/museum.htm Museums web page] of the Visit Montana state website] , retrieved May 11, 2008] and the Montana Association of Museums [ [http://www.montanamuseums.org/ Home page] of the Montana Association of Museums, retrieved May 11, 2008] . The regions used here have the same boundaries but are renamed here:

* North central ("Russell Country"):
** Prominent communities: Great Falls
** Counties: Cascade, Chouteau, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty County, Meagher, Pondera, Toole, Wheatland

* Northeast ("Missouri River Country"):
**Counties: Blaine, Daniels, Fergus, Garfield, McCone, Petroleum, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Valley

* Northwest ("Glacier Country"):
** Prominent communities: Missoula, Whitefish
* Counties: Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli

* South central ("Yellowstone Country"):
** Prominent communities: Bozeman
** Counties: Carbon, Gallatin, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Park

* Southeast ("Custer Country"):
** Prominent communities: Billings
**Counties: Big Horn, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Golden, Musselshell, Prairie, Powder River, Rosebud, Treasure, Wibaux, Yellowstone

* Southwest ("Gold West Country"):
** Prominent communities: Helena, Butte
** Counties: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Granite, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Powell, Silver Bow

ee also

* (category)
* (category)
* Historic landmarks in Montana
* (category)
* (category)
* Museums list
* Nature Centers in Montana
* Registered Historic Places in Montana

Notes

External links

* [http://www.montanamuseums.org/ Museums Association of Montana]
* [http://www.visitmt.com/tripplanner/wheretogo/museum.htm Visit Montana - Museums] Complete listing of museums with facilities, contact info, directions.
* [http://mtdinotrail.org/ Montana Dinosaur Trail] - museums with focus on paleontology in Montana