New Exhibit!

The Welcome Ring of Progress

by Jennifer Coons, Sterling Boone, and Jenna Copeland

Step back in time and learn about Gallatin County’s heritage. Visit the Gallatin History Museum in Bozeman, which offers a unique glimpse into the area’s past. In addition to jail cells and a hanging gallows, the museum maintains displays illustrating the unique histories of a variety of people who have called Southwest Montana home. Permanent exhibits include the infamous Big Horn Gun, a life size Pioneer cabin, exhibits on women, agriculture, music and the history of the jail.

The museum also boasts a photo archive with more than 20,000 historic images that can be reproduced for a small fee. The research library maintains an extensive file collection with information about local families, places, and topics. Also available are newspapers, oral histories, maps, yearbooks, family histories, and Montana, Lewis and Clark, and local history books. The museum bookstore has hard-to-find materials dealing with the history of Gallatin County for sale at reasonable prices.

The Gallatin Historical Society, founded in 1977, moved into two rooms in the county jail building in 1979. Built in 1911, the jail was already considered a historic structure. When prisoners were moved to the newly-constructed Gallatin County Detention Center in January 1982, the county commissioners granted the Society use of the entire building for a museum. The Pioneer Museum was created and in 2014 the name changed to Gallatin History Museum to better reflect the collection and the mission of the organization - to preserve, promote and foster the history of Gallatin County and Southwest Montana.

The Gallatin History Museum is a 501(c)(3) non profit and is operated by the Gallatin Historical Society. It is not a county agency and does not receive any tax dollars, but instead relies strictly on memberships, donations, and memorials to operate. Members receive a magazine that features articles on local history, free admission to the museum and discounts in the bookstore.