Join the Historical Society for a field trip to Red Lodge’s former ski hills with Ray Masters. Meet at the Museum at 9:30 AM and carpooling to the three stops. Bring a dish to share. Lunch at Inn on the Beartooth. Limited Spots available! Pre-registration required.

Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by September 12th.
*Free for members. $15 for General Admission.

Join the Carbon County Museum for Music at the Museum with musical guest, Philip Page, presenting Cowboy Music and Authentic Storytelling.

FREE EVENT! Sponsored by Humanities Montana

Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM

Program Description

Through Cowboy Music and Authentic Storytelling, Philip Page educates audiences about Montana’s early rich history. It’s been said music is a bridge between emotions and actual thoughts and endless visions of the mind. For instance – Who were some of the first ones to come to the Montana Territory after the Lewis and Clark Expedition? What drew the first settlers to the wilderness? Who brought the first livestock and why? Where and how did they access the area? How the gold strikes of Bannock and Alder Gulch were instrumental in the expansion of the west? How men like Charley Russell and L.A. Huffman preserved early western history? Music can inspire humanity and proper stewardship of one of the most beautiful places on the planet, Montana.

Presenter Bio

Philip Page is a singer, songwriter, working cowboy and saddle maker based in Dillon, Montana. He has traveled across the intermountain west as a storyteller, and has played his songs at the National Cowboy Poetry gathering in Elko, Nevada. For over 35 years, Phil has taught horsemanship clinics across Montana. He owned and operated the Rocky Mountain Guide School for Guides, Packers, and Horseman, where he instructed students in five week courses. Currently, Phil runs Page Saddlery and Page Livestock, where he builds saddles for working cowboys, and trains and shows horses.

The Lemhi Shoshone have been in the Missouri Headwater Country for thousands of years, but flukes of history and geography have relegated them to Idaho. Father De Smet and I are part of the problem. Come hear about efforts to put these people back on the map of their Montana homeland.

Author Bio

SALLY THOMPSON is the award-winning author of three books of nonfiction, each of

which derives from her unusual career. She received her PhD in anthropology from the

University of Colorado in 1980, the same year she moved to Missoula. Her

dissertation, ironically, focused on human adaptation to climate change on the High

Plains. One highlight of her decades of research and collaboration with indigenous

communities, was to conduct interviews with more than 250 elders from tribes along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. These interviews, along with friendships that were established then, significantly inform the way she approaches her work and writing.

 To learn more about Sally, go to sallythompsonauthor.com.

August 22nd, 2026

• 6:00 PM

• Carbon County Historical Society & Museum (map)

Are you fascinated by Red Lodge Ghosts? Join the Carbon County Museum and Red Lodge Paranormal for a suspense filled evening as we explore some of Red Lodge's most haunted locations:

Learn how to use paranormal equipment to talk with spirits!

Please bring:

- Walking shoes

- Warm Clothing

- Personal Transportation to cemetery required

20 tickets available! $50 per person.

This is an +18 up event.

In this presentation, Loendorf argues that after leaving the Lewis and Clark Expedition, John Colter—perhaps the best-known mountain man—spent the winter of 1806–07 in Clarks Fork Canyon with Joseph Dickson & Forrest Hancock. The following year, Manuel Lisa sent Colter & George Drouillard to encourage Crow & Shoshone to trade at Lisa’s newly built fort at the confluence of the Bighorn & Yellowstone rivers. Working with Cobe Chatwood, Loendorf has traced Drouillard’s route across Carbon County & found that his journey around the Pryors differed from Colter’s, which headed directly to Sunlight Basin & through what is now Yellowstone National Park. This account places Colter entering Yellowstone from the east in the fall of 1807, rather than following the route proposed by other fur trade scholars, who argue that he traveled south to Cody, the Wind River Basin, & Jackson Hole before heading north through Yellowstone in the spring of 1808.

Speaker Bio

Lawrence Loendorf is a native Montanan with BA and MA degrees from the University of Montana and a PhD from the University of Missouri Columbia. He taught at the University of North Dakota for 22 years and then at New Mexico State University for 10 years. He currently manages Sacred Sites Research, Inc., a non-profit company. Loendorf is best known for his research at pictograph and petroglyphs sites at locations from Canada to Mexico. His recent research has focused on recording traditional cultural properties, often teaming with American Indians in the process. He has authored or co-authored a dozen books including several on the American Indians in Yellowstone National Park.

Wednesday, August 12th, 2026

• 8:30 AM

• Carbon County Historical Society & Museum (map)

Join the Historical Society for a field trip to the Mystic Lake Powerhouse. Meet at the Museum at 8:30 AM and carpooling to the location. Bring a dish to share for a potluck picnic.

Limited Spots available! Pre-registration required. Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by August 11th.

FREE TRIP!

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for a walking tour of Historic Downtown Red Lodge, Montana!

Learn the history of Red Lodge’s most famous western architecture with Ray Masters as you explore one of Montana’s best preserved main streets. Then explore the Museum to learn more about our county’s history with included admission!

Please bring: good walking shoes, weather appropriate clothing, water

* $10 for members $15 for general admission *

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Join the Carbon County Museum for Music at the Museum with musical guest Barney Baritone AKA Barney Peterson, will perform songs of Montana and the Wild West from the Tin Pan Alley era (~1910s - 40s) with voice and ukuleles.  

Don't miss Barney Baritone at the Carbon County Museum Friday, August 7th, 2026 at 5:00 PM!

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Free for members

$5 for General Admission

Are we alone? Or, is there an extraterrestrial intelligence that is engaging with this planet and our people? Has there been a UFO cover-up? What is the process of "UFO Disclosure", and is that process currently underway? Is this a topic that merits your attention? If we are not alone, how might that news affect our lives and those who come after us? Do average citizens have a stake in this? If so, how do we make our voices heard? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by Dr. Richard O'Connor, M.D. as he presents "UFO Disclosure: What You Need to Know".

Are you fascinated by Red Lodge Ghosts? Join the Carbon County Museum and Red Lodge Paranormal for a suspense filled evening as we explore some of Red Lodge's most haunted locations:

Learn how to use paranormal equipment to talk with spirits!

Please bring:

- Walking shoes

- Warm Clothing

- Personal Transportation to cemetery required

20 tickets available! $50 $30 per person.

This is an +18 up event

. Purchase Tickets Here

Historic Downtown Red Lodge Walking Tour

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for a walking tour of Historic Downtown Red Lodge, Montana!

Learn the history of Red Lodge’s most famous western architecture with Ray Masters as you explore one of Montana’s best preserved main streets. Then explore the Museum to learn more about our county’s history with included admission!

Please bring: good walking shoes, weather appropriate clothing, water

* $10 for members $15 for general admission *

Purchase Tickets HERE

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

• 7:00 AM

• Carbon County Historical Society & Museum (map)

Join the Historical Society for a field trip to the Keogh Buffalo Jump. Meet at the Museum at 7:00 AM and carpooling to the location near the Stillwater Mine. Bring your lunch or stop at the Nye Trading Post. Limited Spots available! Pre-registration required. Please contact the Carbon County Museum at (406) 446-3667 to secure your spot by July 11th.

$5 for members. $15 for General Admission.

FREE ADDMISSION DAY!

Elevation Science is a nonprofit focused on paleontological and natural history research, education, and outreach. Their work is based in the Bighorn Basin of Montana, with their home base located right here in Red Lodge!
Come check out their Pop-Up Museum, where you can interact with fossils and cool finds from their adventures out in the Bighorn Basin!
In honor of their work in the area, the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum is hosting with FREE ADMISSION!!!

Explore the prehistoric world of dinosaurs in the Bighorn Basin with Jason P Schein!

Jason Schein is a writer, naturalist, explorer, educator, and a paleontologist. He grew up in Alabama, and with encouragement from his family, inherited and developed from an early age a deep love and fascination with nature - both past and present.  Early memories of fossil-hunting trips around the state and the unbridled exhilaration accompanying every discovery fueled his imagination and drive through graduate school and into his professional career.  He now dedicates his time to sharing and creating similar experiences with his own family and others.

Jason is the Founding Executive Director of the Elevation Science Institute (formerly known as the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute). He also serves as a researcher and educator within the organization.

Are you fascinated by Red Lodge Ghosts? Join the Carbon County Museum and Red Lodge Paranormal for a suspense filled evening as we explore some of Red Lodge's most haunted locations:

Learn how to use paranormal equipment to talk with spirits!

Please bring:

- Walking shoes

- Warm Clothing

- Personal Transportation to cemetery required

20 tickets available! $50 per person.

Purchase Tickets HERE

This is an +18 up event.

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for Music at the Museum - Red Lodge Locals Showcase!

This event will feature a variety of Red Lodge Local Musicians in a unique & diverse showcase of local talent.

* FREE for Members $5 General Admission *

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum as we bring back one of our most beloved events, the Geology Ecology of the Beartooth Pass Tour for the 90th year of the Beartooth Highway!

• Pre-Registration Required Purchase Tickets HERE

• Tickets $50 - Purchase online or at the Museum

• Bring your lunch!

  This will be an all day trip into the Beartooth Mountains, Please be prepared with proper clothing for the weather and good footwear for short, informative walks. Limited space is available for this trip and carpooling should be anticipated..

Join the Historical Society for a field trip to the Finnish Kaleva Lodge. Meet at the Museum at 11:30 AM and carpooling to the the lodge north of town. Bring a dish to share for a picnic!
*Free for members. $10 for General Admission.

Celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Beartooth Highway with Jon Axline!

Jon Axline is the soon-to-be retired long-time historian and interpretive marker coordinator at the Montana Department of Transportation. Long ago, he graduated from Montana State University (Go Bobcats) with an MA in American history. Jon has published a number of articles and books on a variety of Montana history subjects ranging from dinosaurs, historic bridges, to cold war sky watchers, and, most recently, a flying saucer film. He lives in Helena with his wife, Lisa, Corgi, an Australian Shepherd, and a very spoiled dachshund.

Carbon County Historical Society & Museum invites you to our Annual Meeting!

• Brief meeting, election of board members & awards presentation

• 1920's style dress encouraged!

• Speakeasy after shindig at the One Legged Magpie

• Red Lodge Prohibition with Speaker Jeff Gildehaus

  • Jeff Gildehaus, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Beartooth Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Ret. 2020. 28 years on the Beartooth RD including Snow Ranger, Winter Sports Administrator, Recreation and Lands Special Uses, Certified Blaster, District Recreation Staff.

    Prohibition in Carbon County covers the Prohibition Era in Montana and more particularly Carbon County from 1916 - 1933. The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale or possession of alcoholic beverages in the United States; although did not prohibit consumption. Carbon County and Montana had a unique role in Prohibition. Red Lodge's colorful past is part of this time period in Montana History.

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum in celebrating Norrine "The Outlaw Queen" Linderman's 96TH Birthday!!
June 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM

Meet the Outlaw Queen herself as we celebrate her incredible 96 years around the sun! Live music by The Friends of Norrine Band, Eddie Bracket, Tylee Wickens and songwriter, Kid Valance, with an incredible performance planned for yodeling Norrine "The Outlaw Queen" Linderman!

Enjoy the music video and song created to honor this Carbon County legend at it's official premier on the Roman Theater's big screen!

Cover: $5 or Donate What You Can!

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE!!

Join the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum for a book signing and talk with co- author Kirby Lambert, June 5th, 2026 at 5:00 PM.

• Montana Trivia with the Montana Historical Society following at the One Legged Magpie

Book Summary

“A History of Montana in 101 Places: Sites and Stories from the Montana Historical Society ” outlines how community organizations, everyday folks, and local, state and federal governments have made and remade the Last Best Place.

“101 Places” features diverse locations that embody major cultural, economic, and political developments in the history of the state. Battlefields and government buildings appear alongside homes, schools, and taverns. Indigenous cultural sites share space with farms and mines as these places come together to tell Montana’s story.

Author Bio

Kirby Lambert worked for almost thirty-seven years at the Montana Historical Society where he served in a variety of capacities—as museum registrar, curator, and Outreach and Interpretation program manager. He is a coauthor of several books and a regular contributor to “Montana The Magazine of Western History.”

Donna Erickson is the author of Rooted at the Edge: Ranching Where the Old West and New West Collide, published by the University of Nebraska Press in April of 2025.  Erickson grew up on a ranch in Missoula’s North Hills and was a professor of landscape architecture and planning at the University of Michigan for 16 years.  Since leaving academia, she has consulted with land conservation groups across the west from her home in Missoula. Donna’s previous book is MetroGreen: Connecting Open Space in North American Cities. 

Brian Urbanik - Music at the Museum

Saturday, April 18th, 2026

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Join the Carbon County Museum for Music at the Museum with up and coming local artist Brian Urbanik!

Brian Urbanik is a returned Red Lodge local. He's considered himself a guitar player for over 12 years, and in the past few years he's started exploring singing and songwriting.

Brian's music has never been tied to a single genre or style. The songs he writes come from feelings and experiences happening in and around his life. Guitar playing—and now songwriting—has always felt like therapy for him.

Brian doesn't play music to impress others. He plays to make it through this life.

Some of his songs may be considered sad, but they’re powerful. The intensity of his musical expression reflects the weight and meaning of his life experiences. Brian's journey has been shaped by important people in his life, including Travis Burdick, Cory Leone Johnson, Wes Urbaniak, and many well-known artists.

Don't miss Brian Urbanik at the Carbon County Museum Saturday, April 18th, 2026 at 5:00 PM!

Doors open at 4:30 PM

Music starts at 5:00 PM

Free for members

$5 for General Admission

Historic Preservation Meeting

Fromberg, Montana

Clark’s Fork Valley Museum Tour and Carbon County Historic Preservation Updates

Kid Valance - Music at the Museum

Friday, March, 2026
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
Music at the Museum
Kid Valance performs his original songs and stories of his time as a Spirit Runner for Peace at the Carbon County Museum Friday, March, 2026 at 5:00 PM!
Doors open at 4:30 PM
Music starts at 5:00 PM
Free for members
$5 for General Admission

Join Red Lodge Paranormal for the Dead Lodge Ghost Investigation Evidence Reveal

March 13, 2026 @ 5:00 PM

Nita Waples of Red Lodge Paranormal reveals the evidence from our October Ghost Investigation. Explore the recordings and pictures from the October ghost investigation!

Find out more about Red Lodge’s ghosts!

Free for previous ghost hunt participants & members

$5 for General Admission

FREE for Members

“Goodbye Wives & Daughters” Music Video Premiere
February 27, 2026 @ 5:00 at the historic Roman Theater
Speaker: Jeff McNiesh, Smith Mine Expert
Live Music: Linda McKenzie, songwriter & Mike Holm & guests!

Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.carboncountyhistory.com/admission-tickets

or with cash at the Carbon County Museum or the Roman Theater the day of the event.