Collections & Research

:::We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund:::

 

Did you know that the Historical Museum has over 50,000 artifacts stored within its collection?

 

These items all represent Missoula County in numerous ways; from objects owned by one of the towns’ founding fathers, to everyday objects like teapots and bowling balls that represent the culture and history of Missoula.

 

Did you know that at any given time less than 2% of these items are actually on display? It would be nearly impossible to show all 50,000 objects at once. So the museum’s curator and collection’s department are tasked with the job of caring for all of the objects in the storage areas of the museum.  Everyday we are working towards making our collection more accessible to the public.

 

For more information about researching at the Museum please refer to our Research Policies.

Please note:
The Collections department is excited for the opportunity to upgrade several of our storage facilities in the upcoming few years. As we prepare to move many of our collections into better homes, we are unable to fulfill research or viewing requests regarding objects in our permanent collection. Our Permanent Research Files are still available to researchers by appointment. Thank you for your understanding.

Public Research Files

HMFM offers a selection of research files available to the public. These files include information about Missoula County, Fort Missoula, the Alien Detention Center, and Western Montana history. Find a variety of documents including past exhibit records, newspaper articles, research files, photographs, and more.

Submit a research request

Fill out this form to submit a research request, and HMFM staff will get back to you as soon as possible!

Reproducing Collection Photographs

We have over 7,000 photographs in our collection. If you are interested in reproducing an image for a publication or other purpose, please contact the Curator of Collections (406.258.3472).

Today's Hours
12PM - 5PM

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