Broadwater County Museum 2025 Season

The Broadwater County Museum and Historical Society is busy getting ready for the 2025 season. The museum will open on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.

In August of 1877, George Cowan of Radersburg, and party, including his wife and several others went on an adventure to Yellowstone Park. They camped there for several days and on the morning of August 24 prepared to be on the road home. During this preparation, they were approached by a group of Nez Perce Indians. More and more Indians came until the party hitched up their teams, got into the wagons and started for home.

The number of Indians continued to increase along the way. Finally, they could no longer continue with the wagons and were commanded to continue on foot. Their situation was desperate. One of the Indians fired a gun at Mr. Cowan, and the bullet struck him in the right thigh. After a struggle, he was shot again and left for dead. The other members of the party were forced to go with the Indians.

The open house for the season will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Museum at 133 North Walnut Street in Townsend. During the open house program, Linda Huth, the Curator of the museum, will make a presentation that will continue the above story. Plan to attend this event and learn the unbelievable story of the members of the Cowan Yellowstone Adventure. Did they survive the adventure or not?

During the summer of 2024, Grady Knight of Libby, Montana, contacted the Broadwater County Museum and said that he is in possession of a rifle that is supposed to have belonged to a member of the Yellowstone Cowan Party. The rifle was taken by the Indians during their encounter with the Cowan Party. Poker Jo, who was a member of the Indians who captured the Cowan Party, later gave the stolen Holden rifle to Samuel Tilden, grandson of Chief Joseph. After having been in the hands of several other owners over the years, Grady was able to purchase the rifle and did extensive research of it and was able to confirm that it was stolen from a member of the Cowan Party.

When Grady Knight contacted the local museum, he offered the rifle for display, and it was decided to accept his offer. He delivered it to us in April of this year for the 2025 season. We are proud to offer it for the public to view this season.

Townsend Schools 7th grade visits Radersburg

On April 30, Preserve Broadwater History, the Broadwater County Museum and Radersburg Historical Preservation, Inc. (RHPI) hosted the Townsend Schools 7th grade class's 5th annual outing at the historic Radersburg School.

The 7th grade class is the class that studies Montana History and Radersburg has a very rich history!

Linda Huth (Broadwater County Museum Curator) started off the outing by giving an interesting and entertaining history of Radersburg. All of the students were enthralled with Linda’s presentation.

The Seventh Grade Class enjoying a photo op 

To read more about the field trip click on:

Radersburg Fieldtrip

 

Broadwater County Museum History

The July 4, 1976 dedication of the Broadwater County Museum and Historical Library culimnated seven years of planning and promotion by probably more county citizens than any previous event.

October 7, 1969 the Canton Women’s club called a meeting to stimulate interest in a Historical Society. The first official meeting of the Broadwater County Historical Society was August 21, 1970 and Lloyd Heberle was elected President. There was one silver dollar in the treasury left over from a previous historical society.

The priority project was to buy or build a museum. The need for a museum became urgent because artifacts were disappearing to the dump or to dealers. The project was motivated by the farm Bureau and other community organizations.

At the first annual meeting of the Historical Society on April 30, 1971 the treasury had $814 and there were 329 members.

The Board of Directors considered such alternatives as moving into the old Canton Church and buying the ranch home from the Cook Estate. In 1973 the County Commissioners offered for lease the lots on which the museum now stands. The membership had increased to over 500. The building fund was also increased from revenue sharing, a county mill levy, estates, memorials, life and annual memerships, private companies, school children, the Bicentennial Commission, and local merchants and service organizations.

Inflation was increasing, but the project appeared to be supported by most of the county. A bid was received from a local contractor which appeared to provide the building desired with the budget available. Construction began in April 1974 and one year later the annual meeting was held in the completed building. An Exhibit Hall Committee was named and worked under the direction of Rose Flynn designing and building the displays of artifacts collected for the grand opening. The museum is open to the public throughout the summer, closed only on the Fourth of July.

Work continues on registering, indexing, abstracting, repairing, displaying and filing acquisitions. In 1977, publication of a county history book, the Broadwater Bygones was completed; marking of all historical sites in the county is underway; and a rock veneer was added to the museum. A framed addition was built in the fall of 1986. It has a display hall, a workroom, storage/shop room and second floor storage.

In 2000 work was completed on the newest addition. It measures 60’x80′, and contains a half-scale model of a dugout canoe of the type Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery built on their voyage along the upper Missouri. Also featured in this addition are an authentic sheep herders wagon, a horse drawn carriage and a buffalo skin.

We deeply appreciate the enthusiastic support we have received throughout the years for historical projects.