Northern Rockies Heritage Center

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Northern Rockies Heritage Center

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The Mission of the Northern Rockies Heritage Center is the preservation of the heritage and integrity of historic Fort Missoula.

To establish an environment fostering historic, cultural and educational enrichment, NRHC will preserve the entrusted propert

11/03/2026

On June 25-26th, 1876, the Lakota and Cheyenne people went head-to-head with the U.S. cavalry to avoid being pushed into reservations and having their lifestyles ripped from their hands. While the final battle occurred in June, tensions had been rising for many years up until then. In fact, between the years 1865-1867, The Lakota and Cheyenne peoples had been holding their stance against the wanted conformity from the United States. In the end, the United States presented the Treaty of Laramie, which created a reservation for the Lakota in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. While a few Lakota leaders pushed to sign the treaty, many such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse didn't want to lose their nomadic lifestyles on their lands.

As tensions grew over the years, George Armstrong Custer was sent in 1874 to explore the reservations boundaries and map the area. Upon his exploration, he noticed multiple deposits of gold which sparked miners to invade the lands, directly violating the Treaty of Laramie's regulations. While this sparked even more tension between the United States and the Natives, the straw that broke the camel's back was when the Commissioner of Indian Affairs ordered the Lakota people to be on the reservations by January 31st, 1876, or they would be labeled as "hostiles" in the eyes of the United States. With no response from the natives, General Philip Sheridan devised a plan to engage with the "hostile" Lakota and Cheyenne in which several thousand of his men would engage with the 800-1500 native men. The plan didn't go well due to lack of communication and not knowing what the nomadic lifestyle was like and eventually, only 40 men stood at what is now Bighorn National Monument with the Cheyenne and Lakota people taking victory.

For a more in-depth history of the Battle of Little Bighorn, I have linked the National Park Services website below:
https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/index.htm

10/27/2026

The Daly Masion once belonged to the Copper King of Butte Mr. Marcus Daly. What once started as a summer home, is now one of the most fascinating estates in Montana.

After his success in the copper industry, Daly purchased the property with the goal of creating a small village of his own. After building his home, the first thing he set his mind to building was the Bitterroot Stock Farm, a 22,000-acre ranch and horse breeding operation. He then went about creating a stable for his horses in which he named it the "Tammany Castle" as well as a racetrack, apple orchard, and vet clinic. On top of all this, he housed cattle and even built sawmills to help feed his smelters. Eventually, Daly invested in an irrigation company which dug ditches to help water his orchards and land. In 1900, Daly died and his wife Margaret took over ownership until her death in 1940 and until 1980 when Montana took ownership, the Mansion sat unattended.

While there is more fascinating history of the Daly Mansion and Marcus Daly's wealth, that's not what I'm here to report about this week. The hauntings of this house are slightly stranger than the ones I have covered thus far. The more obvious tales told by many of the staff or guest have said there are cold spots in certain areas that don't appear to have any obvious drafts, as well as furniture and picture frames being moved off kilter. There have also been apparition sightings that guests and staff have said to be Marcus Daly Jr. as well as seeing Margaret in her third-floor room. One of the more interesting tales about the Mansion is how you can smell cigar smoke in some of the rooms when no one has been smoking, which many attribute this to Marcus Daly himself.

The following are links to a video on the Mansion as well as the website I have pulled all of this month's post from and the Daly Mansion website:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K7E8wtRLF7g
https://beyondhaunted.com/montana
https://dalymansion.org/

Happy Halloween everyone!!

10/22/2026

Located in Fort Benton, Montana, the Grand Union Hotel was once named the Bloodiest Block in the West. Built in 1881 and opened just a year later, it was known as the finest thing between the rivers and mountains. It was originally built for luxury, often hosting guests who participated in the steamboat trading route, though it was short lived. With the expansion of the Norther Pacific Railroad, the railways changed the path of traffic and Fort Benton became a pretty quiet town.

During the Hotels prime, there was a significant amount of lawless behavior just outside the hotel door. In fact, many people were said to be gunned down, including Native Americans, who were said to be "fair game". With saloons, brothels, and even gambling dens, many of the residents were up to no good. One of the saloon owners by the name of Mose Solomon was said to have shot two of his customers just around the corner from his establishment. While men were the major offenders, record says that the women were just as tough. Madame Moustache, a brothel mother, was known to brandish her c**t and was said to have even halted a boat carrying small pox.

With such a bloody history, the hotel has become accustomed to a decent number of hauntings that have been retold by the staff and guests. Starting off simple, people have reported the usual: noticing figures walking the halls out of the corner of their eyes, lights turning on and off unexplainably, small objects moving or being rearranged in rooms, catching orbs in pictures or seeing blue lights, and housekeepers have mentioned seeing clear imprints of a body in beds after just making them. For a couple of more specific instances, staff and guests have reported the following: a woman, who possibly died in a fire around the 1900's - though there is no record of her death - is said to be looking for her child who also died in the fire. Not only that, but room 202 has many accounts of guest being awoken by a blank or strange light in the middle of the night as well as seeing a ghost woman. Finally, legend tells of the staircase shooter. One night, a drunken cowboy was dared to ride his horse up the staircase. With only making it halfway up, he was shot and killed by an armed guard and guest have said they can hear the hooves walking along the stairs.

The following is a link to a short YouTube video that gives other good information about the hotel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc8wTxyyQWQ

10/20/2026

Established in 1871, the old Montana State Prison is one of the most eerie places in Montana. When it was first opened, it quickly became overcrowded and was heavily underfunded. In fact, between 1890 and 1921, they forced the inmates to add onto the area. Instead of using their labor as rehabilitation and giving the inmates useful economical abilities, they used the labor for punishment. During these punishments, the inmates built more prison structures as well as the road buildings and the lodgings.

I will get to the hauntings here in a second, but I want to touch on some more chilling history of the prison. On April 6th, 1959, two inmates were able to seize control over the prison and actually held it for 36 hours. Jerry Myles and Lee Smart took control over the 1912 cell house where they took 24 hostages - 19 of which were employees and 5 were prisoners - as well as shot and killed Dep. Warren Ted Rothe. Once the Montana National Guard intervened, a deputy named Warden Floyd Powell got ahold of a bazooka and fired it towards the Northwest tower where Myles and Smart were said to be staying. Floyd was able to free the hostages and eventually found Smart and Myles dead due to a double homicide. This riot is said to be one of the deadliest that Montana has faced.

Due to the inhuman treatment of the inmates, as well as the chilling history, the old state prison has a lot of darker energies that are said to be roaming the grounds. Most accounts talk of temperature changes in the older sections of the building, movement such as fleeting shadows in the corner of one's eyes, sounds like whisperings or noises that have no trace to them, and even physical contact in the solitary confinement rooms. Many people have reported an ominous, aggressive, and mean energy in the solitary confinement. Along with this energy, there is often a foul odor, and many visitors have reported that as they are leaving the room, they feel a push back as if a spirit is trying to push them out, leading the people to go faster than they intended to go. Though the prison doesn't have the best track record of inmates, there is one inmate that was beloved by all. He goes by the name Turkey Pete. Supposedly, while he was staying there, his mind started to loosen his hold on reality, and the wardens didn't think it was right to send him into the world as he was. Pete was an incredibly positive person and when he passes, he was given a burial on prison grounds as well as having his cell set up as a memorial with pictures of him during his time at the prison.

The prison gained a lot of traction of the years, and a couple ghost hunting shows such as Ghost Adventures and Destination Fear have covered the prison. I will link the short Youtube videos I found below!

Ghost Adventures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgodJtDFnRY

Destination Fear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or_OI96yQhM

10/13/2026

What once was a place for dam workers and their families to watch a show, now serves the same town as a non-profit that stages performances for the current residents of Fort Peck, consisting of around 240 people. Built in 1934, the theater has a lot of history not only inside itself but also around it. At the boom of Fort Pecks construction, this town and theater once served up to 50,000 people! With this history and this much traffic comes at least a couple instances of some hauntings. Many of the stories depict lights flickering off when no one is around the switches, footsteps heard from the auditorium when it is empty, doors opening and closing with no one near, objects from backstage moving from one spot to another, and a sense of being watched from the projection booth and balcony. While all these seem like the usual spooky encounters, there is one story that tells of a spirit by the name of Red. Red is known as the former projectionist and/or a theater worker who likes to play jokes on guest and current staff. His shenanigans often ramp up more when there are audiences watching the shows, many staff saying that it is as if Red thinks of the audience as the show rather than the performance. One last story of the theater talks of a man who was helping construct the building in 1934 when he fell and died. He is said to help protect people who stand on ladders or stairs and is known to sleep in the restrooms. He is also seen in work khakis in the back balcony most of the time.

10/06/2026

With October in full swing and the spooky vibes settling in, this month will be all about Montana's haunted history! Starting off with a bang, I bring y'all the Many Glacier Hotel located on Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier Park.

Built in 1915 with the help from James J. Hill, the hotel was put in the region to spark tourism often met with the slogan "See America first" due to its connection to the Great Northern Railway. The architecture of the hotel actually took a lot of inspiration from Swiss designs due to the frequency of American's taking lengthy trips overseas. The interior has inspiration from Japan as seen with the lanterns hanging from the ceiling as well as Switzerland's woodwork seen with the high beams and wood interior. While the Hill's took inspiration from European architecture, American culture still rang through the halls with decorations such as bearskin rugs and bison skulls.

Though the history of the Hotel is wildly interesting, the haunts are what we are after this month. Out of all of the four places I will be looking at this month, the Many Glacier Hotel has got to have the most sighting or interactions between spirits and guests/staff. Staring off with the sighting, one account of both staff and guest states that many have seen a lady in a red dress on the balcony of the Lake McDonald lodge looking out into the lakeside. Not only does she appear on the balcony and hallways of this lodge, during his stay at the hotel, a little boy tells the story of how a lady in a red dress mysteriously appeared in his room and when she noticed that she was seen, vanished into thin air seconds later. Another encounter guest has had was while a couple was staying in one of the chalets (houses or lodgings) where the male says that during his shower, he saw a little girl standing with him. He and his partner were so afraid that they checked out of the place while he was still dripping wet. Along with these, many staff and guest also say they have seen a man with a top hat roaming the halls, heard a couple loudly arguing along the balconies of the hotel and when they peek out to see the commotion, no one is to be seen, and a ghost that many have named Bob who likes to play tricks on guest/staff by taking their keys or even jumping out and scaring them. While there are many other encounters and sightings, the last one I will touch on is Room 308. Many of the guests staying on this floor and near the room have stated a couple things. Often when the room isn't booked, odd noises can be heard coming from the room. Not only that, but guests have also seen several entities going in and out of the room as if there is a party going on.

10/06/2026

Join us tonight, 6pm! Light refreshments provided.

09/29/2026

With Montana sitting at on the Northern section of the Intermountain Seismic Belt, the region is extremely active with earthquake, often experiencing hundreds per year, only to have a couple be felt. This was not the case for Helena in 1935. Between October 4, 1935, and April 30, 1936, Helena experienced 1800 tremors, with the most devastating being October 18th and 31st. On the 18th, a 6.2 magnitude quake rippled through Helena, causing building to crumble. Though it only last 12 seconds, the devastation was long lasting. Many of the residents transitioned into living out of temporary homes or tents. Only weeks later, on the 31st, a 6.0 aftershock added to the devastation. It not only ruined untouched buildings from the first quake but also toppled building that had been struck before. The aftershock left 500 residents homeless and crushed 300 homes. Not only that, buildings such as the Deaconess School along with the elementary, middle, and high schools were all ruin. While many of the students were placed into different districts, the High School was forced to come up with a temporary solution. Donated train cars were placed and used to teach out of so children could continue their schooling. Eventually the town was repaired but the history was not forgotten. The quake of 1935 has been named the fifth most destructive earthquake in American history and there is a plaque along the walking mall in Helena that is just one tribute to remembering what happened that year.

09/24/2026

Tragedy hit Missoula in 1908 after days of snow and rain, leaving many families stranded. On June 6th, the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers hit 17.5 feet, only 4.5 feet higher than the average major flood stage. The water took over buildings, rail lines, and even bridges - including the Higgins Street Bridge, leaving one lone piece in the middle of the devastation. As water raced through Missoula, Bonner was also being hit. The Clark's dam had been built just six months prior, and the town was wondering if it was going to hold. Upon the initial storm, reports say there was an estimated 48,000 cubic feet of water gushing over the dam's spillways. To try and relieve the dam's pressure, the workers tried to dynamite the south side of it, but with how much cement and steel was put into the construction, there was little success in this attempt. The worst that Bonner faced was the dam's powerhouse flooded, causing a power outage for two weeks, though the dam had needed some repairs after the incident. Today, the loan piece of bridge that stood in the Clark Fork River after the flood remains as part of the walking bridge off Van Buren which leads to the University of Montana.

09/15/2026

Inscription: "GREAT NORTHERN EXPRESS CAR. Appearance of Express Car after being dynamited by Frank-hauser and MacDonald in train holdup, near Rexford Montana."

This week's postcard is a look into the culture of the wild, wild west with the daring train holdups from adventurous and bold individuals. There wasn't a lot of information on the incident pictured in the postcard and given the lack of hard information regarding the holdup, the date varies between 1907 - 1915.

The two men mentioned on the postcard are Charles Macdonald (McDonald) who was 27-year-old and Ed Smith (alias Frankhauser) who was 30-year-old, both listed as miners. These two are said to have taken residence near Rexford where they surveyed the Norther Pacific Railway looking for their target and when to hit. On September 9th, 1907, Frankhauser and MacDonald jumped at their chance, taking hold of two men and ordered them to slow the train to 40 mph until they reached their pre-selected location. After reaching the location and grabbing their tools, they ordered the men out, blew the safe out - along with half the car - and found nothing to take. With some more digging, they found four mail bags containing $40,000 from the Old National Bank of Spokane and decided that was their prize. After fleeing the scene, a man named Jesse Howe alerted Spokane police and they ambushed Frankhauser and MacDonald. Eventually, the boys escaped from jail on March 21, evading the search parties and following the Missouri River north, taking what they could from cabins and farmhouses. Months later, a Fargo police officer caught their scent and the two ended up splitting up. Around Thanksgiving, Frankhauser was arrested and sentenced to life in prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Many say Frankhauser escaped and stayed on the run while others are stating he died in prison. No one is sure which is true. But, with MacDonald still free, another holdup occurred with the same identifying features as the pairs and Macdonald was arrested, finally ending the rein of MacDonald and Frankhauser's train robberies.

Address

Missoula, MT
59804

Telephone

+14063964750

Website

http://www.nrhc.org/

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