BUTTE, HELENA, AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA - Montana and Wyoming - page 355

Montana's state capitol
Self-guided tours are possible 9am-5pm daily. Guided tours (free) are offered on the
hour 9am-2pm Monday-Saturday and noon-3pm Sunday in summer, and on the hour
9am-2pm Saturday only in winter. When the legislature is in session, in odd-numbered
years, tours are offered 9am-2pm Monday-Saturday January-April. The capitol is always
closed on state holidays and on Sunday when the legislature is in session.
Montana Historical Society
With a phenomenal collection spanning 12,000 years of history, the Montana Historical
Society (225 N. Roberts St., 406/444-2964, www.montanahistoricalsociety.org , 8am-5pm
Fri.-Wed., 8am-8pm Thurs. summer, 9am-5pm Mon.-Sat. fall-spring, $5 adults, $1 children,
$12 family) is the best historical resource in the state. There is an impressive art gallery,
photo archives, a Native American collection, and decorative arts—more than 50,000 arti-
facts in all. A wonderful long-term exhibit explores what Montana must have been like at
the time of Lewis and Clark. There are also several special exhibits and traveling exhibits.
The institution was founded in 1865, making it among the oldest of its kind in the western
United States. Admission is free on Thursday 5pm-8pm in summer.