During your visit to the Gallatin Pioneer Museum step back in time and learn about Gallatin County’s heritage through permanent and special exhibits. In the Museum Bookstore items unique to Gallatin County including historical photographs are available to purchase.
Exhibits at the Gallatin Pioneer Museum
Exhibits at the Gallatin Pioneer Museum explore Gallatin County as it used to be. Take a look back at Gallatin County history as you watch a video featuring a series of history vignettes. Learn about the area’s aviation history or explore the Museum’s original jail cells and gallows to learn about the city’s law enforcement. An 1870s log cabin depicts early pioneer life, while original tools offer a glimpse at agriculture and ranch history. Additional exhibits include an American Indian craft display, exhibits on military history including a vintage gun collection and model of Fort Ellis and an exhibit that offers a look back at a historic block on Main Street destroyed in a gas explosion in 2009.
Silsby Fire Engine
The Silsby Fire Engine, loaned to the Gallatin Pioneer Museum by the Bozeman Fire Fighters Local #613, is of great significance. Manufactured in the 19th century by the Silsby Manufacturing Company of Seneca Falls, New York, the Silsby Fire Engine was the most advanced fire-fighting tool of its time. The 20th century and the subsequent development of improved equipment brought the working days of the Silsby Fire Engine to an end, however, it continued to be used in various parades over the years, including the 19th anniversary celebration of Bozeman in 1954.
Shopping in the Museum Bookstore
Be sure to explore the Museum Bookstore. Books about Gallatin County and Southwest Montana are available to purchase including: Images of America by Jeff Strickler and Anne Marie Mistretta, Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley by Tom Mulvaney, The Flying D Ranch Lands of Montana; A History by Phyllis Smith and Railroad Stations in the Gallatin Area, Montana by William Hoy as well as The Pioneer Museum Quarterly and Montana, the Magazine of Western History. Reproductions of the Gallatin Pioneer Museum’s photograph collection of more than 18,000 photographs are available to purchase. Photographs are unique to the history of Gallatin County and Southwest Montana and range from Oats, a photo of a Gallatin Valley oat field with the Spanish Peaks in the background from around 1915 to Bozeman, a photo of Bozeman’s Main Street from 1873.
- The Gallatin Pioneer Museum is ADA complaint.
- In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Gallatin Pioneer Museum offers a variety of changing exhibits that support the Museum’s mission to preserve and promote the history of Gallatin County and Southwest Montana.