Montana is home to over 200 historical societies, preservation organizations, and heritage groups. From major institutions in Helena to small-town societies preserving local heritage, these organizations maintain vital connections to Montana's rich past.
Featured Historical Societies
Montana Historical Society
Location: Helena, MT
Founded: 1865
Montana's premier historical institution operating museums and archives documenting Big Sky Country. Features extensive collections on Native American heritage, mining, ranching, and frontier history. Located in the state capital.
Website: mhs.mt.gov
Museum of the Rockies
Location: Bozeman, MT
Founded: 1957
Smithsonian Affiliate featuring world-class dinosaur collections, Northern Rockies history, and planetarium. Home to extensive paleontological research and exhibits on Montana's prehistoric past and settlement era.
Website: museumoftherockies.org
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Location: Crow Agency, MT
Founded: 1946 (National Monument status)
Preserves the site of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn. Memorializes U.S. 7th Cavalry and Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. Features museum, battlefield tour, and Native American perspectives.
Website: nps.gov/libi
Montana Historical Society
Location: Helena, MT
Founded: 1865
Operates museum and archives documenting Big Sky Country from Lewis and Clark through homesteading. Extensive collections include Charles M. Russell art gallery and pioneer artifacts.
Website: mhs.mt.gov
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Location: Crow Agency, MT
Founded: 1946
Commemorates June 25-26, 1876 battle where Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors defeated Custer's 7th Cavalry. Interprets conflicting perspectives on Indian Wars.
Website: nps.gov/libi
Museum of the Rockies
Location: Bozeman, MT
Founded: 1957
Smithsonian affiliate with world-class dinosaur collections including T. rex specimens. Also interprets Montana history, Plains Indians, and Yellowstone region natural history.
Website: museumoftherockies.org
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Location: Deer Lodge, MT
Founded: 1972
Preserves 19th-century ranch headquarters documenting open-range cattle industry. Working ranch demonstrates cowboy life and techniques that shaped Western cattle business.
Website: nps.gov/grko
World Museum of Mining
Location: Butte, MT
Founded: 1963
Built around Orphan Girl Mine documenting Butte's hard-rock mining heritage. Hell Roarin' Gulch recreates 1890s mining town with authentic buildings relocated to site.
Submit a Society
Know of other Montana historical societies? Help us expand this directory by submitting organizations you're familiar with.
Submit a Society →Additional Montana History Resources
- Montana Historical Society - Statewide history organization and museums
- Montana State Historic Preservation Office - State historic preservation programs
- Montana Historical Society Archives - State archives in Helena