THE LAST BEST BARNS: A PICTORIAL HISTORY 
Montana is blessed with an abundance of beautiful historic barns. In every corner of the state, our agricultural legacy is reflected by wood, stone and brick barns from days gone by. As time marches on, many farmers and ranchers struggle to maintain these old handcrafted buildings. Over the past four years, the Montana Preservation Alliance (MPA) has been hard at work collecting information, histories, and photographs of historic Montana barns in an effort to publish a book encompassing the history and beauty of our state’s heritage barns. From the classic red dairy barn to the rough-hewn log horse barn to the humble chicken coop, our goal is to feature in our book the wide array of Montana barns and outbuildings that represent our state’s diverse agricultural development.
In support of our efforts, we received a $5,000 grant in 2005 from the Graham Foundation for the Arts to continue research on barns, and in 2006 we received a $15,000 Federal Preserve America grant in partnership with the Montana Historical Society Press to hire a professional photographer to capture these icons of Montana agriculture in all their glory. Photographer, Tom Ferris will be in the field between Summer 2007 and Summer 2008. When complete, the final product will be a beautiful book featuring color and black-and-white photographs of over 80 of Montana’s most striking historic barns, including historic photos and the fascinating stories behind these farm and ranch buildings.
For a sampling of barn photos and historical information, click on the title above, or if you are interested in supporting the publication of MPA's "Barn Book" please visit our DonateNow page to make a donation. Also, if you are interested in submitting information about your families historic barn, contact Christine Brown at christine@preservemontana.org or call 406-457-2822.
SOUTHWEST MONTANA HERITAGE TOURISM INITIATIVE
Of Sage and Stone: A Guide to Southwest Montana's Rural Treasures
For the past 3 years, Montana Preservation Alliance, in partnership with the NPS and the communities of Butte, Anaconda, Dillon, Lima, Virginia City, Ennis, Philipsburg, Deer Lodge, Boulder and Whitehall, Montana have conducted a series of workshops and meetings, exploring the potential and need for heritage areas, heritage tourism and preservation planning in the region. This project takes those efforts to the next logical phase: expanding the Interpretive Framework of the 1993 Regional Historic Preservation Plan to include rural resources, and producing a Heritage Guidebook to orient visitors to the exceptional historic resources that await visitors along a regional heritage trail network.
The guide will feature a “Loop” map with driving itineraries, descriptions and directions to heritage attractions, artist studios, galleries, craft workshops, historic lodgings & eateries, and annual heritage and culture events. Click here to read more.
The Copperway Guide to Butte-Anaconda History and Culture
Simultaneously, MPA is also working with the cities of Butte and Anaconda on a similar project to guide tourists to the art and culture sites in and between the two copper cities. “The Copperway”-- the name given the nation’s largest National Historic Landmark district that links their communities – will be a visitor “portal” or entrance/exit point to the Rural Treaures Guide. “These two heritage tourism projects dovetail perfectly and are timed to capture the interest of tourists expected to attend the Vernacular Architecture Forum Conference in 2009 and the National Folk Festival to be held in Butte from 2008 to 2010,” says MPA Director, Chere Jiusto.
The historic resources of Butte-Anaconda and southwestern Montana are deeply historic, reflecting a colorful past that ranges from copper barons and labor unions, to mining camps and vigilantes, to ranching and cattle raising, to the ethnic tapestry of young communities on the western frontier. These are the themes to be drawn together in a brochure guide to these great mining cities. The Butte-Anaconda Historic District is the country’s largest NHL in numbers of historic resources; as noted in the 2006 NHL document, the resources reflect the copper mining and smelting industry like none other on the continent. From the 1870s through the mid 1930s, the labor and copper history of Butte and Anaconda shaped the future of Montana and our nation.
PAST PROJECTS
ROSEBUD BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK PROTECTION PLAN
MPA received funding from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) IN 2005 to create a broad and effective preservation plan to protect Rosebud Battlefield, a landscape that is highly significant to the history of our nation and eminently threatened.
Working in close cooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, leaders of tribes who share this history, and other interested parties, MPA produced a preservation plan for Rosebud Battlefield State Park and the surrounding lands that identifies threats, lays out clear strategies for limiting the impacts of development, and plans for the long-term stewardship of the park’s important historic and prehistoric cultural resources. The plan also provides a comprehensive historical summary of the landscape that has not been compiled elsewhere.
Work on this exciting project was complete in July 2007 and will eventually form the core of a comprehensive plan by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for the park. We hope the plan will then guide concerted efforts to reduce threats, to foster understanding of the battlefield and its history, and to promote its preservation.
In 2005 the Montana Preservation Alliance received grant funds from the National Park Service to create a digital archive of the rich cultural landscape that is the Tongue River Valley. The goal of the project was to demonstrate the national, state and local significance of the layers of prehistory and history located in one small corner of southeastern Montana.
MPA Executive Director, Chere Jiusto and Senior Historian, Jim Jenks compiled primary and secondary research, recorded prehistoric and historic sites in the Tongue River drainage, assigned GIS waypoints to new sites, conducted oral interviews with local residents, and supervised film crews in the making of a one-hour documentary on the ranching community of Birney. The colorful and engaging film brings out the closely knit family histories of the town residents, but also tells the story of the land and the water and how it shaped the inhabitants of this small valley. In addition to the documentary, the CD-ROM archive also contains a full report on the history of the Tongue River Valey, an interactive map that includes significant pre-historic and historic sites with clickable links to historical information, site plans and photos.
The Tongue River Digital Archive project builds upon years of inquiry into the area’s people, heritage resources and the land. In the end, the digital archive approach provides a model for comprehensive planning and resource protection. We've shown how cultural landscapes can be documented and preserved by researching broad contexts, incorporating oral traditions of local people, seeking to understand the values that define place on a local level, and compiling it in the most up-to-date digital format. This is a timely project in a landscape where fragile historic resources are imminently at risk by the rush of energy development.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
MPA produces a membership
newsletter, holds public meetings and creates presentations
that increase public awareness of and appreciation for Montana's
fragile cultural heritage, while promoting a broad range of
historic preservation activities.
ADVOCACY
MPA speaks on behalf
of historic preservation at the local, state, and federal levels.
We coordinate a statewide information network, organize rallies
supporting the preservation of threatened historic resources,
and lobby in support of legislation which provides protection
and preservation incentives for historic places.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
MPA's volunteer
historians, architects, city planners and other preservation-related
professionals offer timely, direct assistance in a variety of
locally tailored forms ranging from limited advisory services
for specific historic sites to in-depth weekend workshops focusing
on heritage tourism, downtown revitalization, local historic
preservation planning, and other preservation-related topics.
Several rural communities, such as Virginia City, Malta, Havre,
Lewistown, Winnet, Charlo, Joplin, Big Sky, Superior and Fort
Benton have benefitted from MPA's Technical Assistance Program.
