MTHS Announces September Programs

• August 26 2024

The Montana Historical Society’s popular Fall Lecture Series is back with a wide range of topics for September.

The programs begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, with author Ian Wilson giving a book talk on “Catastrophe at Custer Creek," chronicling the most devastating train accident in Montana History. The wreck killed 49 passengers and crew members and injured another 75 making it the worst train accident in Montana history. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. at Touchmark (915 Saddle Dr., Helena), Historic Architecture Specialist Lindsay Tran will share the story of "Lee Steen and the Tree People," a sprawling roadside assembly of sculptures in Roundup. Steen fashioned the Tree People from cottonwood branches into human-like characters. Tran will highlight how Lee Steen remains a case study in the power of imagination.

The focus is on children and the Mann Gulch Fire on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Library. Many lessons can be learned from the fire's history. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest staff will lead a hands-on children's workshop to explore improvements in fire fighting equipment, how fire spreads, fire ecology, and what it's like to be a smokejumper. 

Registration is open to ages 8 and up and is limited to 12 youths. Parents are encouraged to attend. Please fill out the form to register children at https://forms.gle/nwW432wfTcyt5XGUA

Finally, on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Library, Martha Kohl, the MTHS Outreach and Education program manager, will speak about "Women's Activism in Montana: The Progressive Era." This lecture will explore the women organizers like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who worked to improve their communities and shape Montana politics and history. The lecture is offered to match the themes of the 2024 Big Read "The Cold Millions," by Jess Walter.

All the programs are free and open to the public. Programs at the library will be recorded and available at the Montana Historical Society’s YouTube page. For more information, contact Lau Marsh at laura.marsh@mt.gov