News & Updates

Flathead had first movie production house in the state

Apparently the first movie filmed in Montana was Where Rivers Rise in 1922.

We’d love to find a copy of this film and hope history buffs may have come across it, or know someone who might know more about the film and the beginnings of Montana’s movie business.

A screening in 1947 in Columbia Falls mentions Mr. and Mrs. Bill Slifer, who sponsored the event.

Contact the museum, 406-756-8381, with any leads you may have! Thank you.

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What does an ethnohistorian do?

Find out the answer to that question and more at Sally Thompson’s presentation about Northwest Montana stories and how they shape our lives, part of the museum’s continuing 23rd annual John White Series.

Thompson’s talk starts 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. Please don’t delay in reserving a spot as there are only a couple of dozen seats left. Come into or contact the museum, or order online here.

Focusing on several regional stories in her newly published Disturbing the Sleeping Buffalo, Sally Thompson will talk about frontiersman William Hamilton, aka “Wildcat Bill,” and his time in the Tobacco Plains; the Glacial Lake and Kootenai origin story; and how Thompson followed the trail of Father De Smet and found a cross that had been installed at the headwaters of the Columbia in 1845. Where is it exactly?, you might ask. “I’m not telling,” Thompson says as she freely shares the story of the man and the discovery.

The way we share, retell, and integrate stories of the past shapes our view of the now and the future, a principle that intrigues Thompson and keeps her digging for more.

About the presenter: Sally Thompson, who has an academic background in anthropology and archaeology, prefers to call herself an ethnohistorian or cultural heritage specialist.

She ran the archaeology program at Historical Research Associates; served as expert witness for the Taos Pueblo Water Rights case, and for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes on the ARCO lawsuit regarding pollution of the Clark Fork River; and as director of the Regional Learning Project at University of Montana, where she worked with tribes to develop curriculum resources on history, geography, and culture.

Her first book, People Before the Park, was published in 2015. In 2024, Farcountry Press published her Disturbing the Sleeping Buffalo, which was followed by the publication of Thompson’s Black Robes Enter Coyote’s World: Chief Charlo and Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains (University of Nebraska Press).


All John White Series talks are followed by social time in Hollensteiner-Stahl Hall.

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2025 gets off to a good start

We are sold out for Sunday’s presentation by Jack Gladstone, which launches our 23rd annual John White Series.

Space remains for the other three talks in the series, but it would be wise to get on it! Either come in to the museum to reserve a spot, call us, or purchase online from the convenience of your keyboard.

All John White Series talks in recent memory have sold out.

They’re a great chance to gather with Montana-focused folks eager to learn more about where we live. The John White Series pays homage to longtime employees John Whites Sr. and Jr. of Central School (current home of the Northwest Montana History Museum), who connected with generations of Kalispell schoolkids and educators.

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John White Series ready to roll

For 23 years, the Northwest Montana History Museum has organized presentations on the many facets of Montana history for its John White Series.

John White Series talks last year focused on bears, motorcycle adventuring, indigenous foods, and Meriwether Lewis’s mom.

The talks go deep on aspects of Montana life and history and give reason to gather in winter with friends, family, and others who share curiosity for our state and its people. Reserve your space early to avoid disappointment (talks almost always sell out) by ordering the series online here or individual talks at the links below. You also can make reservations by stopping by or contacting the museum.

2 p.m. Jan. 5 Jack Gladstone on “C.M. Russell: Heritage and Legacy“
2 p.m. Jan. 19 Sally Thompson on “Northwest Montana Stories and How They Shape Our Lives“
2 p.m. Feb. 2 Aspen and Cameron Decker on “Our Belongings: Sqelixʷ (Salish) Art and Toolmaking“
2 p.m. Feb. 16 Denny Olson on “Glacier National Park: The Little-known Stories Behind the Grandeur“

The John White Series pays tribute to beloved former staff members John Whites Sr. and Jr. of Central School. The 1894 schoolhouse is Kalispell’s oldest public building and home to Northwest Montana’s premier history museum, which draws thousands annually for exhibits and events.

The John White Series is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Northwest Montana History Museum and its mission to preserve and present regional history.

Details: 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 5 and 19 and Feb. 2 and 16, 2025; social time in Hollensteiner-Stahl Hall afterward; Northwest Montana History Museum, 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901; 406-756-8381; nwmthistory.org

Tickets for individual talks are $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers. The four-part series costs $40 for members, $75 for nonmembers. Purchase online, come in to the museum, or contact Amy Drown or Margaret Davis at the museum.

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Save Jan. 29 to mark Chinese New Year by learning about it

Last time Mark T. Johnson came to the museum, in April 2023, the Notre Dame professor and author (who lives in Helena) came to speak on the Chinese experience in Montana. His research for his book, The Middle Kingdom under the Big Sky (shown), uncovered the lives and stories of many who came West and contributed significantly to the development of Montana. At one point Chinese residents accounted for more than a tenth of the state’s population.

During his time in Kalispell, Johnson toured Demersville Cemetery and looked at materials in the Northwest Montana History Museum archives. His findings on Flathead Valley resident Mar You became part of a talk he delivered at the Montana History Conference in Helena last year.

Now Johnson returns to bring in the Year of the Snake with a talk about Keeping Chinese Culture Alive on the Montana Frontier.

In his words, “From the earliest days of non-Native settlement of Montana, Chinese pioneers played a key role in the region’s development. Navigating life in this new land, Montana’s Chinese residents gained comfort through the continuation of their spiritual and cultural practices. Yet, publicly practicing cultural traditions invited unwanted attention from anti-Chinese forces who sought to expel the Chinese from the region. This talk details how Chinese Montanans persevered to maintain cultural continuity and togetherness through these practices while resisting tensions and threats from their detractors.”

Details TBA, but for now save Jan. 29 to celebrate with us.

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Featured artist Valentina LaPier appears Nov. 20

The artist’s reception for Valentina LaPier, whose work is currently displayed in the museum’s north changing gallery, runs 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20. Come meet the artist, see her work, and gather with us!

Click here for more on her work.

Details: Free artist’s reception runs 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20; regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Northwest Montana History Museum, 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell; 406-756-8381; nwmthistory.org

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The Flathead knocks it out of the park

Congrats, Flathead Valley residents, for making the sixth Montana Antiques Appraisal Fair the biggest yet. In all, 181 people attended the fair at the Northwest Montana History Museum on Oct. 26, bringing with them more than 250 items for an expert look from appraisers Grant Zahajko (above) and Tim Gordon.

What a fun parade of people and objects made their way to the tables. Some attendees stayed the whole day just to soak up the info and sights of rarities that seldom go out in public.

Thank you to the staff at Foundation for Montana History for bringing their well-organized show to town, and for all who helped make it a success.

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Appraisers make a high-value Saturday

So far about 150 people have signed up to have up to four treasures each verbally appraised by experts as part of the Foundation for Montana History’s Montana Antiques Appraisal Fair. This is Kalispell’s turn to host this popular, unique event.

The museum has submitted a couple of items for public appraisal during the day, such as this arrow quiver from the Edo period in Japan that one of the museum’s board members found in the shed of her place in Somers.

This fundraiser for the foundation draws a range of items and people for a day of education and entertainment. There are a few afternoon slots left; sign up at https://thefoundationformontanahistory.thundertix.com/events/232678 (no firearms, chemicals, or jewelry). Otherwise, it’s free to spectate and soak in the atmosphere from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.

See you Saturday at the fair!

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Here comes a party for the pages

Just in time for reading season, the Northwest Montana History Museum welcomes book writers and lovers from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, for a program of speakers and exhibitors focused on Northwest Montana.

Featured speakers include Debra Magpie Earling, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, Melissa Barker & Stewart Wilson, and Leslie Budewitz.

We also welcome writers and publishers to exhibit and sell their books; please submit interest to participate at nwmthistory.org/programs/northwest-montana-book-festival/. Help us present a wide range of subjects and genres by spreading the word!

Festival mission: Gather Northwest Montana readers and authors to promote, celebrate, and inspire regional writing and writers.

Thank you to Humanities Montana for the support.

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