Education

School Tour Onsite Programs

A Mouse Christmas

A free Holiday program for 3 - 6 year olds. Please find more information here.

It's a Homesteader's Life for Me

The Homestead Era brought settlers of many nationalities to this region. Encouraged by railroad advertisements and popular magazine articles of the times, homesteaders were encouraged to stake a claim in the vast valleys and forests of western Montana. The Hayes Cabin, a 1920's era cabin originally built to house loggers in the Potomac Valley, sets the stage for students to learn all about homesteading life. Students will handle everyday objects and guess their uses, discover the skills needed to survive on the rugged and harsh frontier, and gain a deeper understanding of how the Homestead Acts of the late 1800's and early 1900's shaped the Montana we know today.

Grades: 4 – 8
Length: 45 minutes
Size: 1 class

Missoula History Exhibit Tour - indoors & outdoors

Take an imaginery covered wagon trip back in time to discover Missoula history, from the time the Salish and other Native American tribes fished, hunted, and gathered, through the 1940s when Fort Missoula was a World War II internment camp for Italians, Japanese-Americans, and Germans. Handle and discuss various objects that the homesteaders would bring with them on the journey and explore 250 years of Missoula's history in this exhibit.

Grades 3-12
Length: 45 minutes
Group size max: 1 class

Fort Missoula Grounds Tour - outdoors

Put on your sneakers and sample a taste of local history with a guided walking tour of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula's 13 historic buildings, 7 with exhibits. A good tour choice for first time visitors with energy and an abundance of interests. Request grounds brochure maps and worksheet for classroom preparation.

Grades 3-12
Length: 45 minutes
Group size max: 1 class

Fire Lookout Tour - outdoors

Fire Lookout Tour

Climb from Miller Creek Guard Cabin up to 1934 Sliderock Lookout. Learn the daily life of trained Forest Service lookouts who lived alone in the small building atop the mountain each season and watched for fires. Learn how to sight fires with the alidade and communicate the navigational coordinates. See tools used for nearly the past 100 years of firefighting including the Pulaski and shovel

Grades 3-12
Length: will be split into 2 rotations for 45 minutes
Group size max: Groups larger than 15 (max 30)

Logging Railroad Tour -outdoors

Step inside the cab of Big Blackfoot Railway Willamette #7 Shay-type logging locomotive for a unique tour. Discover the daily duties of its engineer and the basic aspects of controlling the gear-driven locomotive. Learn the main parts of this 1923 locomotive, one of 30 built worldwide. Identify how energy is converted from the burning of fuel to the mechanical transfer of energy which moved the 150,000 pound locomotive.

Grades 4-8
Length: 45 minutes
Group size max: 1 class
Limited availability.

WW II Alien Detention Center Barracks Tour - indoors

Tour the internment camp barracks where over 2,000 Italians, Japanese-Americans, and Germans were detained from 1941-1944. Hear about their experiences and see photographs taken by U.S. Border Patrol officers. Hear interviews of former Fort Missoula Italian interns in the 45 minute documentary "Bella Vista". Another option is to focus on the history of discrimination in America. After a brief introduction to discrimination in Missoula history, students reflect on what life was like for the Italian, Japanese, and German detainees, as well as the American government who made decisions and Missoula citizens reacting to these new folks at the Fort. The question is asked, "Has and can this happen again?"

Grades 6-12
Length: 45 - 90 minutes, depending on program choice
Group size max: 1 class

"Scavenger Hunts"

(All 45 - 60 minutes) Independent or docent-led.

• Missoula History
• All-Around-the-Grounds
• WW II Alien Detention Center Barracks
• Post Cemetery

Spring Program - One Room Schoolhouse Experience

Docent Angie with School Group in Grant Creek One Room Schoolhouse

For over 20 years this popular program has intrigued 3rd graders. The 100 year old Grant Creek Schoolhouse was used from 1907 - 1937, then it was moved onto the Fort Missoula grounds in 1976 for renovation and use. Seated at inkwell desks and recitation benches, children embark on a school day adventure from long ago, complete with the Palmer method of writing, 1930s Weekly Readers, abacus math and stereoscopes.

Call early for your reservation; spaces fill up quickly.
Length: choice of 45 minute or 90 minute experience
Group size max: 1 class

Fall Program - Apple Days

Children operate the apple press during apple days

What is autumn without apples? Reserve a time to visit us and learn about apple cider presses and of course - apples! Children are able to try their skills at squishing apples (with the press), then drink the sweet cider from their labors. While you're here, tour some of our above exhibits as well. Call early for your reservation; spaces fill up quickly.

Length: 45 minutes
Group size max: 1 class