Helena hosts hurrah for history

The Montana Historical Society opened Helena's Montana Heritage Center during a December snowstorm, but it threw the party in late June, calling it the Montana History Fest.  

The blocks around the Capitol teemed with history buffs and fun seekers through days of tours, workshops, live music, an Indigenous arts festival and more.

I got to go underground on a group tour by historical society staff to see the remodeled basement of the oldest, original part of the building, and the archives. 

This is the mother lode of Montana history, founded in 1865, according to photo archivist Dave Colamaria. Co-leading the tour, reference historian Dylan Yonce talked about the many roles of the society, including to “digitize for access and preservation” and handling research requests.  

She said, “We get a lot of calls to verify AI-generated stories,” such as a recently circulating tale of John Wayne in the state.

“It’s going to get worse,” Colamaria said, as we headed into the stacks. 

First, they showed the current issues of about 60 Montana newspapers. The society has digitized 13 million pages of past issues, or about 70 percent of that collection. Accounts in these papers of record help researchers confirm facts and lead to more sources. How will future researchers confirm events of the past without print news and private correspondence?

The library is the oldest part of the society and contains the oldest item in the collection: a book about metallurgy published in 1683 London. Opened for our viewing, it included an illustration of a “separating oven” and “Infructions [sic] for driving Lead and Copper from Silver.” 

Closer to home and about 200 years further along, we looked at special collections item No. 104, an 1870 signed letter from Mark Twain to the society inquiring about an acquaintance, Jack Slade.  

Another request came from someone wanting information about a relative who used to work at the prison in Deer Lodge. Turns out the person had indeed spent time behind bars, just not as a member of the paid staff. 

Yonce showed a 1915 Descriptive List of the Convict, one of thousands of an oddly charming prison intake form with photos and remarks on inmates, many of which could serve as plot points for countless Montana tales.  

After viewing a few historic photos of the society’s 1.25 million images, we arrived at the reference room. This is where the public can explore records, resolve questions and tap a deep state-specific resource.  

“We have a diverse group of researchers who come in,” Yonce said, “academics, lawyers, people researching the family ranch ...” 

The clean well-lighted place features carts loaded with materials, microfilm readers and staff who monitor the room. Appointments are encouraged. Remote reference services also are available (free for first 30 minutes, then $25 per two hours). 

Yonce said society staff still are working with the FBI to recover dozens of documents and items that author Brian D’Ambrosio pilfered in 2022 and 2023 to sell on eBay. 

“When he’s stealing from us, he’s stealing from all of you,” she said. Stricter rules are in place now, as staff balance trust, access and protection. 

D’Ambrosio, too, went to “work” in prison. 

Margaret E. Davis, executive director of the Northwest Montana History Museum, can be reached at [email protected].