Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Summer History Camp
2025-07-21 - 2025-07-25 | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
Please contact us for information on History Camp 2025.

And visit Facebook for updates on our monthly youth programs.

Fall Harvest Festival
2025-10-05 11:00 - 15:00 UTC | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2025!
SUGGESTED DONATION $5/PERSON OR $15/FAMILY
Join the crew at HMFM for our annual fall festival!
Enjoy a day of celebration and old-fashioned cider making.

Try your hand at cider making with our old-fashioned apple press.
Tour some of our county’s historic buildings, including the Trolley Barn and Grant Creek Schoolhouse!
Sawmill Demonstrations
Hellgate Mineral Society Rock Sale
Local food trucks

We look forward to celebrating the fall with you!
Attendees are asked to donate to the Friends of the Historical Museum.
For more information or to volunteer contact us.

Holiday Lantern Tours
2025-12-12 - 2025-12-14 | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
2025 Holiday Lantern Tours
Tickets go on sale Monday, November 24th, 2025!
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is pleased to announce the return of our beloved Holiday Lantern Tours on December 12th – 14th. This living history program will have guests stepping back in time to celebrate the Holiday Season in Western Montana through the decades.
This year’s tour will include five vignettes that have guests visiting five of our historic buildings. Visitors will meet a fascinating cast of characters who will share their lives and experiences. The program is interactive, and guests will help celebrate the holidays with the reenactors.
Ten Tours are available over the weekend!

Friday, December 12th – 6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm and 7:30pm
Saturday, December 13th —6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, December 14th – 6:00pm and 6:30pm

This one-of-a-kind event is designed for all ages and will last for 1 to 1.5 hours.
The tour starts at the Museum’s Main Building at 3400 Captain Rawn Way. There is outside walking, and not all buildings are heated, so guests are encouraged to dress for the weather. Immediately following the program, visitors will be welcomed back to the main museum building to enjoy complimentary cookies and cocoa.
Please book early as each tour size is limited to 20 and will sell out.
Cost for the tours:

Free for Historical Museum Members!
$20.00 for All Non-members

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
LANTERN TOURS ARE PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Holiday Open House
2025-12-14 12:00 - 15:00 | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
Holiday Open House at the Historical Museum
Sunday, December 14th
12:00pm – 3:00pm
Get in the holiday spirit with the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, join us for our Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 14th from Noon-3:00 pm!
Participants will meet Santa (from 12:00-3:00), enjoy cookies and cocoa, and participate in games, crafts, and family-friendly activities.
The event is free, and all are welcome!

Forestry Day
2026-04-25 09:00 - 16:00 | Montana Historic Equipment Area, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804, United States
Annual Forestry Day at Historic Fort Missoula
Held in the Montana Historic Equipment Area and the Garrett Grothen Memorial Arena at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
The Society of American Foresters and UM Woodsmen’s Team are bringing to the Missoula Valley of Western Montana a timber sports event that you won’t want to miss! Join us to watch and celebrate the skill of those who work in the time-honored tradition of logging with the only Pro/Amateur event in the Nation!
This fun and family-oriented event draws thousands of enthusiastic onlookers and expert competitors. From the very young to the very old, there’s something for everyone!
Saturday’s event includes: Cross-cut sawing, Wood chopping, Pole climbing, Axe throwing, Hot Saws.
Beer Garden and food trucks will be onsite.
Professional Logger Sport Competition
Competitors from all over North America will be present for this one-day event!
Come see the competitors you’ve watched on TV.
See Restored Antique Logging Equipment Demonstrations!
Horse-Drawn High Wheel Log hauler and antique equipment
Live Antique Lumber Mill Demonstration
The Historical Museum’s outdoor exhibits will be opening for the season and docents will be available to help interpret the timber industry history of the region.
Entry by Donation

Missoula Gives for History
2026-04-30 17:00 - 2026-05-01 19:00
Keep Missoula County history alive for the education and enjoyment of the public.
What is Missoula Gives?
Now in its eleventh year, it is a day of giving back to the local nonprofits that make our community special, through the power of our collaborative generosity!
Visit our giving page to support the Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Thank you!
How Your Gift Makes an Impact:

In November 2020, The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula established an endowment fund set up through the Missoula Community Foundation. The endowment is a crucial seed for growing a financially stable, strong and resilient organization. The purpose of an endowment is to create a long-term financial asset that supports the Historical Museum’s mission and allows us to accomplish our goals.

A healthy endowment fund has the capacity to produce a substantial annual revenue stream, that can be used to fund historic preservation, education, maintenance, repairs and improvements that are vital to the Museum’s mission and longevity.
A contribution to the endowment fund is one of the best ways to leave a legacy-and consistently outlasts memorial benches, trees and plaques, as a way to honor loved ones. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula’s endowment fund is in the growth stage but is quickly becoming a popular way for donors to support the museum and ensure we preserve Missoula County’s History for generations to come.

Your generosity during Missoula Gives will allow us to reach this goal and interpret this important story in a new way!
Thank you so much for your support!

4th at the Fort
2026-07-04 10:00 | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
50th Annual 4th of July Celebration
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is pleased to announce our annual 4th at the Fort Celebration. On Saturday, July 4th, the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History will partner to celebrate 250 years of INDEPENDENCE.
Admission is by donation and supports the activities of the Friends of the Historical Museum, the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History, and Future Farmers of America.
Festivities begin at 10am and include:
Live Music
Wagon Rides
Old-fashioned children’s games
Food trucks
Scavenger hunt (for adults, too)
Tours of the lookout, schoolhouse, Drummond Depot, Trolley Barn, & locomotive
Historic sawmill demos
Antique engine displays
Historical surveying and MT genealogy
Craft vendors
Activity Booths hosted by various groups
Miniature ponies
Cold beer
Model Railroad Displays
And much more!
The party goes on rain or shine. Follow the signs and remember all roads lead to fun here at the Historical Museum!

Cheese Curd Booth
2026-07-31 - 2026-08-08 | Western Montana Fairgrounds, 1101 South Ave W, Missoula, MT, 59801, United States
Swing by our booth for Cheesy Gooey Gobs of Goodness during this year’s Western Montana Fair!

Friday, July 31st, through Saturday, August 8th.
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If it’s August at the Historical Museum, our volunteers and staff inevitably take on a special scent. The cause of this…. the Western Montana Fair, and the Annual Cheese Curd Booth operated by the Friends of the Historical Museum.
For well over a decade now, the Friends have been serving up REAL Wisconsin fried cheese curds to the public at the Fair. So stop by our Cheese Curd Booth at this year’s Western Montana Fair!

Annual Used Book Sale
2026-11-05 - 2026-11-08 | At the Fort, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT, 59804
::::FRIENDS OF THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM AT FORT MISSOULA’S ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE::::
ACCEPTING DONATIONS STARTING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH!

Book donation days are the 1st Saturday and 3rd Tuesday of every month.

Big books, little books, kids books and everything in-between.
Join us November 5-8, 2026 at Heritage Hall (20 Fort Missoula Rd) for the BIGGEST little book sale around!
Questions can be directed to Carolyn Thompson, Assistant Director, at cthompson@missoulacounty.us and 406-258-3478.
Questions can be directed to Carolyn Thompson, Assistant Director, at cthompson@missoulacounty.us and 406-258-3478.
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE FRIENDS OF THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM AT FORT MISSOULA.
Your purchase helps us keep Missoula County history alive for the education and enjoyment of the public, and helps fund free field trips, no cost education programs, by donation events and historic preservation.
VIEW OUR TIME LAPSE HERE! The sale starts at 2:07 of the video, find yourself!
