Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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St. Ignatius Mission
The beloved redbrick chapel standing today on the
St. Ignatius Mission
(300 Bear Track
Ave., 406/745-2768, 9am-7pm daily summer, 9am-5pm daily winter, mass 9:15am Sun.,
free, donations accepted) was built in the 1890s, but the mission itself was settled as early
as 1854 by Jesuit priest Adrian Hoecken and hundreds of Native Americans who set up
camp near him. In 1864, a group of nuns from Montreal, the Sisters of Providence, came
to the mission to open a boarding school for girls, a hospital, and eventually, with the
help of Ursuline nuns, an orphanage, a kindergarten, and a school for boys. At its peak in
the mid-1890s, some 320 children attended school at the mission. Sadly, the schools were
burned down by one of the students, and when the federal government ceased federal aid,
they were unable to be rebuilt, and shut down altogether.
The handsome brick chapel was completed in 1894 with 58 original murals painted by
Joseph Carignano, who worked in the kitchen and as a handyman for the mission. Carig-
nano taught himself to paint and managed to complete the frescoes in only 14 months des-
pite working on them only when he wasn't doing his primary job. The paintings tell the life
story of St. Ignatius Loyola and have been well preserved.
In addition to the chapel, there is a small museum and gift shop located in the log house
that was the original residence of the Sisters of Providence.
National Bison Range
Established in 1908 when the population of bison across North America had dropped from
upwards of 30 million animals down to just a few hundred, the
National Bison Range
(58355 Bison Range Rd., 406/644-2211,
www.fws.gov
, hours vary by season, year-round,
$5/vehicle May-Oct.) is one of the oldest animal refuges in the country and well worth a
visit. Located off Highway 212 in Moiese, the refuge comprises 18,500 acres and is home
to around 400 bison, not to mention white-tailed and mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn
antelope, and elk.
There are two driving routes: The year-round West Loop and Prairie Drive is a short
5-mile tour that takes about 30 minutes, and the other is a 19-mile one-way loop, Red Sleep
Mountain Drive, that climbs about 2,000 feet and takes close to two hours. The longer route,
open in summer, is incredibly scenic and definitely worth the time. The roads through the
refuge are gravel; no bicycles or motorcycles are permitted on them, but parking is avail-
able at the
visitors center
(9am-5pm daily). There are also several short hiking trails leav-
ing from the day-use area as well as the Red Sleep Mountain Drive.
