Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Another one-in-a-million bar in Great Falls is the
Montana Cowboys Association Mu-
seum & Bar
(311 3rd St. NW, 406/453-0651, 10:30am-2am daily). Whether this is a bar in
a museum or a museum in a bar is open to debate, but either way there is no shortage of cool
old stuff to look at while you sip something frosty. An authentic log cabin built in 1941,
it boasts two fireplaces and hundreds of artifacts from the Old West, including a sizable
gun collection, Charlie Russell's well-worn boots, a rare photo of Jeremiah “Liver-Eating”
Johnson, and a handsome collection of saddles. An evening spent bellied up to the bar is
bound to be unforgettable. Bring some friends; the bar closes earlier when the number of
guests drops below five.
The Arts
GREAT FALLS SYMPHONY
The
Great Falls Symphony
(Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts, 2 Park Dr. S., 406/
453-4102,
www.gfsymphony.org
) is a dynamic organization that has been in existence for
more than half a century, offering marvelous year-round entertainment in the form of clas-
sical symphonic masterpieces and contemporary compositions, chamber music, a youth or-
chestra, a symphonic choir, and ballet. For an evening of refined culture in the heart of cow-
boy country, the symphony is a rare treat. All performances are held at the Mansfield Center
and family discounts are offered.
THE HISTORY OF BUFFALO JUMPS
Used by Native Americans for more than 5,000 years, buffalo jumps are rocky cliff
formations that entire herds of bison were driven over, causing mortal injury to the
animals and providing the hunters with ample meat, fur, and bones to make into tools.
Throughout Montana, the jumps have become significant archaeological sites, with
discoveries of bones and tools guiding scientists to a better understanding of the vari-
ous cultures of the people who hunted in this way.
What is surmised about the process is that the hunters first would spot herds of
bison within a reasonable distance of the jump. Using rock cairns, they would care-
fully construct an ever-narrowing pathway from the base of the jump, up the gradual
slope to the cliff's edge. Several warriors would dress in animal hides and intersperse
themselves undetected among the herd. At a specific moment, the warriors would
throw off their hides and stand up to startle the bison into a stampede, hopefully in the
