We’re glad you’re here! Our mission is “to tell the stories of the peoples of the Yellowstone River Valley and the Northern Plains.” Our mission recognizes that there are many diverse groups who have lived in our region: Native Americans; French fur trappers and traders; European, Russian, Asian and African immigrants and settlers; U.S. military men and many others.
Each person, family or group brought with them their own culture, own stories and own perspectives. The job of the Western Heritage Center is to collect those stories and perspectives, preserve them for future generations and share them with you today. Our hope is that by learning about the experiences of others, we’ll broaden our minds and be able to place our own experiences within a richer, deeper historical context.
We do this in a number of ways:
•Our historic building houses changing museum exhibits as well as displays our permanent collections of western artist J. K. Ralston and his original studio cabin.
•Special projects, such as the American Indian Tribal Histories Project, identify specific groups from whom stories are gathered and shared. Their unique perspectives about historical events and cultural traditions are critical to a truly broad understanding of our region.
•Our archives include more than 16,000 artifacts, including thousands of historic photographs, newspapers, personal correspondence, clothing, textiles and original paintings. We use these items to mount exhibits and deepen our knowledge of the people who’ve lived here.
•Our education programs are perhaps our greatest example of sharing. We welcome thousands of school children to the museum and conduct exhibit tours. We share our resources with area school teachers to help them supplement their personal understanding and share with their students. We have free monthly presentations on a variety of historical topics. We participate in community events, adding our traveling exhibits and speakers. We host many events and allow participants to enjoy the historic architecture of our building.
Our volunteers are an integral part of the Western Heritage Center. They help us in every aspect of what we do. We welcome you as a museum visitor, an archives explorer, an audience member of our special presentations and as, if you wish, a volunteer, where you can experience the vital history of our region by helping others.
Again, we’re glad you’re here!
Julie Dial
Western Heritage Center Executive Director
Billings Cultural Partners Find out about the upcoming events of 19 of Billings' community organizations!
See our great line-up for our High Noon Speaker Series! You're invited to attend our FREE speaker series on the third Thursday of each month.
High Noon Speaker Series Schedule
