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of storage that such a large acquisition presents can be
imagined. In addition to an offsite storage facility with
plans to expand, many items at the Museum end up in
the History and Textile room, a secure, temperature, and
humidity-controlled area that I begged to be let in to see.
Fox was obliging, showing me some of the room's
secrets. There are sealed cabinets full of guns and swords,
drawers full of Native-American beaded war shirts,
shelves covered by cameras big and small, beautiful
saddles by some of Montana's best early livery men.
Near the back are many pieces of nearly-forgotten field
work done by professors of long ago, in far-off countries.
Carefully moderated cases prevent off-gassing in chemi-
cally unstable artifacts, and mere curtains protect the har-
dier pieces. One of the most beautiful was an ornate 19th
century dress made for a very slight woman, and another
is an original "snow bug", a precursor to the snowmobile
designed by MSU students.
Seeing these items outside of an exhibit reminds me
that they were real objects used by human hands, and
not so long ago. And that the palpable love for history at
the Museum of the Rockies, from the well-informed jani-
tor to the guys preparing the exhibits, from the woman
keeping very good track of the artifacts, to the curator
who tells the narrative of our history through artifacts
that helped to make it happen, the Museum of the Rock-
ies has an eye towards preserving history for the future.
"It's not about our needs now, or tomorrow," Fox says,
"but 100, 150 years from now".
What I wouldn't give to go to come back in a century
and a half and learn the further history of the Museum of
the Rockies, and of course that three-inch rifle.
www.mustardseedweb.com
Original
McGill
Museum
Jeff Holloway
Kevin Hansen with 3-inch rifle ordnance
Travelling exhibit ready
to go around the world
