Montana Moment

For generations, the old Carnegie Library in downtown Missoula has been home to one of the region's most enduring art museums. The Missoula Art Museum features contemporary art, and is well known to artists, schools, and the community as a whole. This year, MAM, as it is popularly known, celebrates 50 years of artistic service to the community. NBC Montana attended opening night of the 'Solid Gold...

Most Christians observe Christmas on December 25th. But most Eastern Orthodox celebrate Christ's birth on January 7th. For parishioners at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Butte it was a joyous week. Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church was built on The Flats in Butte in 1965. It replaced the church that was built by Serbian miners in uptown Butte. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

On Monday, January 6th, Montana lawmakers will convene at the State Capitol in Helena. Our elected officials have been meeting in this grand building for more than 120 years. The Capitol was built as the home of state government. But it's also a unique symbol that honors Montana's history, citizens and landscape. They call the building that stands on a knoll at 1301 East 6th Avenue 'The People's H...

From a talking bird that puts a Montana saloon on the map, to a love of classic cars and the open road, plus a storied inn with a rebellious reputation. We're taking a look back at some of the memorable moments of the year. Each week, Kevin Maki shares a glimpse of what makes our state so special. Here are some of our favorite Montana Moments from 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Every Christmas season, Christians honor the birth of Jesus by putting up Nativity scenes. The Gospels record the first visitors to the stable as humble shepherds. Last week, visitors to Historic St. Mary's Mission and Museum in Stevensville, came to see a Nativity scene that is more than 150-years old. Father Anthony Ravalli probably painted his shepherds on tin cutouts in 1866 or soon after. It'...

You can still find windmills on the American landscape. Most of them are in rural areas with limited water. But for the most part, they are vestiges of a time that is passing. Big Sky Windmills is a family-owned company in Victor that's reviving the skill of windmill building . Jess Nelson and Conner Reed build and install windmills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not many people today remember the small town of Canton. If they do remember, they were children, or were very young at the time. It happened in the 1950's. Canton and its surrounding farms and ranches were submerged under Canyon Ferry Lake when Canyon Ferry Dam was completed. The dam and reservoir play an important role in Montana. They benefit thousands of Montanans, providing electricity, irrig...

In the 1950's, the Bureau of Reclamation completed the Canyon Ferry Dam on the Missouri River near Helena. The concrete structure replaced a timber crib dam that was built in the late 1890's. The new dam created Canyon Ferry Lake. You might be surprised to learn that under part of that lake is a once thriving farm and ranch community. "Canton was covered by the waters of the lake," said Broadwater...

One of Montana's most treasured amenities is our abundance of wildlife. The raptors that fly over Big Sky Country are some of the most glorious. When many of those birds of prey are orphaned, or grounded with injuries, a non-profit in Kalispell helps them recover. Beth Watne is executive director of Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center. She founded the center in 2013. Learn more about your ad choice...

Revered as 'The Cowboy Artist,' Charles Marion Russell is also known as 'Montana's Favorite Son.' Russell has been gone for almost 100 years, but his life's work is still treasured around the world. The C.M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls is internationally known for its extensive Russell collections. The complex includes 16 exhibition galleries in the neighborhood Russell worked and lived....

This Veterans Day NBC Montana interviewed Vietnam veteran Dale Stovall at his home in Missoula. Dale is a retired Air Force Brigadier General, and the fourth highest combat decorated graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He was also part of an elite team of rescue pilots. In his ten-and-a-half months serving in Vietnam he recovered 12 men who had been shot down. He is best known for pla...

Malmstrom Air Force Base began as the Great Falls Army Air Force Base during WWII. It trained bomber crews in WWII, and has played key roles in the military for more than 80-years. The Malmstrom Museum and Air Park hosts visitors from all over the world. Here, they learn about Malmstrom's history, and get a firsthand look at vintage planes and vehicles. When you enter the park you can't miss the I...

For thousands and thousands of years, it's been a trade that has stood the test of time. From the Great Pyramids to the Taj Mahal, craftsmen have used this simple material to erect some of the greatest buildings and monuments in history. Stone is prized for both its sturdiness and beauty. Karl Marcus is a stonemason. NBC Montana went with Karl to a riverbed near Virginia City, where he collects ri...

After gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863, throngs of fortune seekers poured into Virginia City and its surrounding area. Coming from all points of the compass, most of them were men. But in this male-dominated rough and tumble town, two pioneer women rose to prominence as successful and respected pillars of their community. The obstacles they overcame is one of amazing resilience.  Virgini...

Imagine what Montana and the rest of the west looked like 220 years ago. When President Thomas Jefferson launched Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery in 1804, Montana was wild and untouched. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls explores the history of that monumental trip, taking visitors on a historic and visual experience back in time. The Interpretive Center stands high above...

Good conversation and a good laugh create healthy connections to community. Getting together with old and new friends keeps the blues away. It all makes the day brighter. This is a story NBC Montana calls 'Coffee with George.' To begin, we meet Jeff Martin at 5 a.m. at the Talking Bird Saloon in St. Regis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bordering the Montana State University campus in Bozeman, is a little sub sandwich shop that's been a hit with college students for generations. But it's just as popular with tourists, and the Bozeman area community as a whole. Now, the restaurant at 809 West College, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.  The restaurant looks the same as it did in 1974. It's still packing customers into a tiny spa...

America has always had a love for the open road, and it's promise of adventure. Whether it's on an interstate, black-top highway, or country road, driving offers freedom, and the allure of what's waiting 'round the bend.  Since 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has been a symbol of that American tradition.  The Hellgate Corvette Club in Missoula has been at the forefront of bringing Corvettes to Missou...

From our skies, to the mountains, and open fields, Montana's wildlife ensure a vibrant and healthy environment. As predators and prey, reptiles play an essential role in the balance. Montana Reptile Rescue's director and chief executive officer Jeremy Allestad protects and rehabilitates both native and non-native reptile species. Jeremy started the non-profit in Great Falls eight years ago. But hi...

To be creative, it helps to immerse yourself in an environment that sparks creative thought and action. A fine artist from Walkerville can tell you all about it. To inspire innovation, Mike Hamblin built his own ideal world. From the exterior, Hamblin's garage looks typical. But when he opens the door you step into a whole other environment. It's a hot, sunny day in Walkerville. But inside Hamblin...

Between Sheridan and Alder stands an inn once known as a major transportation hub. The building has long since been retired as a place of business, and is now one of southwest Montana's most historic sites. After gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863, fortune seekers and other travelers rested here before moving on to their destinations. It was touted as a notorious stop off, but like many ta...

If you stroll through downtown Bozeman, slow down and check out the public art. Scattered about are 50 to 60 sculptures, all with their own unique stories. The Gallatin Art Crossing Sculpture Park may be one of Bozeman's most intriguing amenities. NBC Montana met Quiana and Chris Conlon on the pathway at the Bozeman Public Library. "As you walk along the pathway there are sculptures on both sides,...

For 17 years, he lived alone in the mine yards at Montana Resources, the open pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte. He survived in a barren landscape near the toxic Berkeley Pit. But his life was free and filled with friends. His name was The Auditor. He was a dog. To learn more about him, NBC Montana visited those mine yards. We hopped in a pickup with Montana Resources Vice President of Human...

In the early 1900's especially, the Bitter Root Valley grew several hundred varieties of fruit trees, most of them apple. But many of those antique fruits were lost or forgotten. For decades, nurseryman Roger Joy has been working to bring them back. Roger has grafted antique fruit varieties onto thousands of trees at his wholesale Canyonview Nursery in Corvallis. He learned the art as a young man...

In Montana, few outdoor scenes remind us more of spring than a crop of new calves. NBC Montana visited Lifeline Farm near Victor to see the latest additions to Ernie Harvey's cattle herd. It was a warm spring day. Some calves were sleeping in the sun. One youngster jumped and bucked, relishing the energy of youth on a nice day. The ancestors of Ernie Harvey's calves came from Switzerland. Learn mo...