It's the summer of 1902 and you've been invited by the Fisk family to Helena, Montana's state capital, to participate in the dedication ceremonies for Montana's capitol building. Your family lives on a ranch in rural Custer County where you raise sheep and horses. Fallon is the closest town. Summer is the busiest time on the ranch and your help is always needed with the chores, so getting your parents to say yes wasn't easy. You will travel by train to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event and the 395-mile trip will take almost 19 hours. This will be your first trip away from home. You've never ridden a train before or been to such a big city.

Your home near Fallon

Montana's capital city

It is late summer and your friends, Austin and Isabel Russell from St. Louis, have invited you to go with them to visit their aunt and uncle at their lodge in Glacier National Park. When you find out that their uncle is the famous "Montana Cowboy Artist" Charlie Russell, you are even more excited to go. Not only do you get to meet one of the most famous western artists of all time, but you also get to see the amazing sites of the newly established Glacier Park. President Taft (1857-1930) had just signed the bill on May 24th, 1910-establishing Glacier as the country's 10th national park. You will be traveling from your hometown of Great Falls, Montana, which is located about 200 miles from the west entrance of the park. You will be traveling by car, and Austin and Isabel will be coming to pick you up. Since the speed limit is 10-15 mph, it will take you approx 2 days before you arrive at the park. Pack your backpack and get ready to go.

Your Hometown of Great Falls, Montana

Glacier National Park

The summer of 1941 is one you will never forget when you spend it on the Crow Reservation in southern Montana. Here you will meet members of the Apsaalooke tribe, also known as the Crow people, whose name means "Children of the Large-beaked Bird." Your hosts will be an elderly Crow couple who share their home with their grandchildren. They have just moved from their home in the hills near Pryor to the town of Crow Agency, the center of the tribal government offices. You will arrive in a black 1930's Chevrolet driven by the local Baptist minister, who is on his way back from Hardin where he went to pick up two young Crow college students returning from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Hop in the car, the summer has begun!

Crow Agency, Crow Indian Reservation, Montana

Butte is an exciting place to visit in 1925! Famous for its Richest Hill on Earth and infamous for its Copper King wars, Butte has an impressive, eventful and bloody history. Its mines employ thousands of immigrants from around the world, and the diversity of its populace sets the stage for an extraordinary history that is anything but boring! You will be hosted by the family of Albert Chinn, a prominent member of Butte's Chinese community and proprietor of the Mai Wah Noodle Factory. The Mai Wah specializes in making square cut noodles which are served at the popular restaurant located upstairs from the Wah Chong Tai Company's general mercantile and tea store. Albert Chinn and his family are waiting for you to arrive and looking forward to showing you around the Mining City.

Take a ride to Butte on a 1920s streetcar!

Butte, Montana: The Mining City