Local History Videos

  Glimpse history through old images of  Helena , Montana, USA. Montana Historical Society 1972 This quick clip from the promotional film “ Helena -City of Gold”, produced by the  Helena  Chamber of Commerce, shows what exhibits visitors could enjoy in 1972 at the Montana Historical Society museum in  Helena . 1972 Clip about the Montana Historical Society,  Helena  MT – lazycowpoke on YouTube Frontier Town 1990 In 1990, Frontier Town near  Helena  welcomed about 75,000 visitors a year. Frontier Town Near  Helena  Montana – 1990 – lazycowpoke on YouTube Hidden History of  Helena In 2019, Ellen Baumler and Jon Axline presented a talk to promote their latest book “Hidden History of  Helena , Montana”. It’s a very good presentation, packed with fascinating stories, and illustrated with a wide range of old and modern photographs to bring those stories to life. The Hanging tree was very close to the business district back in 18...

  Enjoy a glimpse of history through images of  Billings , Montana, USA. Billings  in Montana, known as the Magic City, has several interesting sites which preserve its history. Billings  Union Depot The Union Depot was built in 1909, at a time when the railroads were key to economic development. In one busy month of World War II, the depot sold almost 10,000 passenger tickets. But the Union Depot site also became a popular focal point, drawing in huge crowds when the city was visited by Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Calamity Jane. But in 1979, following falling passenger numbers for more than twenty years, the Union Depot saw its last passenger train depart. Abandoned and falling into disrepair, the Union Depot was going to be demolished. But then the 1992 movie Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, used the Union Depot for several scenes. It restored interest in this historic building, and in 1993 the  Billings  Preservation Society r...