Scope of Collections
The Yellowstone County Museum cares for over 30,000 objects that document the history of the greater Montana region. The focus of the collection is objects from or materials that have the ability to tell a story about Montana’s Yellowstone River Basin. Collections include archaeological materials, Montana Tribal Nations artifacts, firearms and other weaponry, objects highlighting rural and urban Montana life in late 19th to early 20th, historic photographs, archives, and works of art.
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Click the box above to view a portion of the YCM collection online.
The video features Lynne Turner Fitzgerald talking with Zach Garhart about the Museum’s high-quality collections storage facility. Video was made by Community 7 Television as part of the Your County series.
Do you have an object that fits within our scope of collections? Would like to donate items to the YCM collection? If so, start the process today by printing out the Deed of Gift Form by clicking the black box above or reach out to Museum staff.
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Featured Artifacts
Bighorn Sheep Clock hand-carved clock made by Fred Inabnit in 1902.
Frederick “Fred” Inabnit was born in 1866 in Brienz, Switzerland. At the age of three, his family immigrated to the United States. The Inabnit family began their new life in Indiana and then moved to Wisconsin, where Fred spent most of his youth and began working as a school teacher. Inabnit moved to Ubet, Montana in 1890.
In 1893, he moved to Billings and worked in a store owned by the Yegen Brothers. Two years later, Fred married Nellie Keating with whom he had two daughters, Margaret and Doris. Fred worked for the Yegens until 1911, first working at the store and later in their bank. In 1912, Inabnit ran for and was elected County Treasurer. He then ran for Clerk of District Court in 1916 and was re-elected three times. During his tenure as court clerk, Inabnit was remembered as an organized and efficient records keeper. Being a naturalized citizen, Inabnit was empathetic and especially helpful to immigrants seeking citizenship.
Outside of his public service, Fred had a love of the mountains. Beginning in 1907, Fred spent several weeks each summer exploring the Beartooth Mountains before there were any trails or maps. Each summer, Inabnit would assemble a team of outdoorsmen to hike and explore the Beartooths; one of his teams is credited as the first to summit Granite Peak.
Inabnit fell ill in 1927 and passed away in November of 1928. Following his death, a mountain peak in the Beartooths was renamed “Mount Inabnit” in Fred’s honor.
Double Wheel Coffee Grinder
Manufactured by the Elgin National Coffee Mill. Model 34
Used in The Vananda Mercantile (1918-1935) owned by Simon “Si” Sigman
Donated by Leo Sigman
Double Wheel Coffee Grinder, Circa 1900
Vananda, Montana is a ghost town located 19 miles northwest of Forsyth. Rosebud County received limited attention from Montana's earliest settlers. This changed as the Milwaukee Road railway was built across Montana in early 1908. The Milwaukee began a townsite development program and advertising campaign designed to attract homesteaders to the region. Vananda was not chosen as a townsite, even though there was a depot. By 1915 approximately 75 to 100 people resided in the immediate area of Vananda. By 1918, Vananda had a post office, school, hotel, bank, mercantile, Catholic and Protestant churches, a rustic movie theater, and a weekly newspaper called the Vananda Sun.
The population never exceeded 200. Most townspeople either worked in local businesses or were employed by the Milwaukee. A prolonged period of draught that began in 1918 and low wheat prices resulted in a substantial exodus from the region. By 1930 nearly all the population and economic activity was gone. For the next two decades, the population was around two dozen. Most of Vananda's buildings disappeared during this period; some burned, others were razed for salvage, and at least two were moved to other communities. Vananda's final demise came in 1953 when the Milwaukee Road ended its local employment and closed the depot. One or two families remained in the town during the 1960's and 1970's, but by the mid-1980's only a single house was occupied.
Wicker Casket used in Billings, MT from 1896 to 1904. Donated by Smith's Funeral Chapels.
During the Victorian Period (1837-1901), wicker caskets were used to lay out the body of the deceased in the parlor of house. They were also used to transport bodies of those who died while away from home as the wicker caskets were lightweight and easier to carry than a wood coffins.
G. Herman Smith founded Smith Funeral Home in Billings in 1896 at the corner of First Avenue North and 27th Street. Pete Smith, Herman’s Uncle, was operating the business out of his livery stable a few years before. As Pete didn’t care for the undertaking part of the business, he encouraged Herman to take it over. In 1904, Herman moved the business again to Second Avenue North and 26th Street with his residence on the corner and the funeral home and livery stable behind. Herman died in 1946 and his son Howard continued the Smith legacy.
In 1975, the funeral home was purchased by William K. Bray, William B. Brown, and Jered H. Scherer. One year later, the three new owners formed Smith Funeral Chapels. The old Smith residence and original funeral home and livery stable were razed, making room for a parking lot. And, in 2005, Smith Funeral Chapel Downtown was moved to its current site at 925 South 27th Street. Today, all Smith Funeral Chapels are owned and operated by Jered Scherer and Ronald Stene.
One of the first electric clocks sold in Billings at the Chapple Drug Store. Brothers Henry, James, and Charles Chapple founded the store in 1893. The brothers were born in Ontario, Canada and immigrated to the United States in the early 1890s. They established their drugstore on the northeast corner of Broadway and Montana Avenue, in what was called the “Belknap Block,” which served as Billing’s first permanent commercial block.
Henry Chapple, the eldest brother, was a physician and served as the mayor of Billings in the mid-1890s. In 1896, with the help of Father Clarence Van Clarenbeck, Henry made an appeal to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, a parochial institution in Leavenworth, Kansas. Dr. Chapple was concerned about the lack of medical services in the Billings area, and requested help from the Sisters of Charity, who had established St. John’s Hospital in Helena in 1869.
Between 1893 and 1898, the Chapple brothers operated a first-aid center in the rooms above the drug store to meet the medical needs of the public. This makeshift operation continued until 1898, when the Sisters of Charity established St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Charles Chapple, the youngest brother, had a sizeable collection of 3,000 photographs of early Billings, part of which is now owned and maintained by the Yellowstone County Museum.
Yellowstone Trail Sign found near Custer, MT.
The first major automobile road across the northern United States was established in 1912. The road stretched from Plymouth, Massachusetts to Puget Sound in Washington state. The road was called the Yellowstone Trail since it dipped south into Yellowstone National Park. The section of the Yellowstone Trail that passed through Billings and most of southern Montana was largely replaced by U.S. Route 10 (later U.S. Highway 10). In 1956, the construction of I-90 and I-94 began and reduced the use of Highway 10.
Late 19th century United States, and especially Montana, suffered from poor, undeveloped roads. The push for hard surface roads began in the 1880s and was spearheaded by bicyclists. After 1900, the growing number of automobile drivers joined what came to be known as the Good Roads Movement. This grassroots movement received little attention from the federal government which was more concerned with financing railroads. Good Roads advocates convinced railroad owners that improved roads would help farmers and ranchers move their goods to the rail faster and more efficiently – this proposition won the support of major railroad companies and, by proxy, the federal government.
This metal sign was originally found wrapped around a fence post near Custer, Montana. It has since been refurbished by Harvey Peterson, who donated the sign to the Museum in 1984.
Montana State Senator's Desk used by Yellowstone County Senators from 1891-1965 in the senate chambers at the Helena Capitol Building. Listed on a brass plaque are the state senators from Yellowstone County and the dates of their terms.
1891-1893, O. F. Goddard
1895-1897, Albert L. Babcock
1899-1901, C. O. Gruwell
1903-1905, Christian Yegen
1907-1909, J. B. Annin
1911-1913, W. B. George
1915-1917, T. S. Hogan
1919-1921, F. B. Connelly
1923-1925, C. W. Demel
1927-1937, Ernest T. Eaton
1939-1949, Tom Burke
1951-1961, Rex Hibbs
1963-1965, Henry B. Hilling
This Dave McNally bronze statue was sculpted by celebrated Billings artist Bill Rains in 2008 and is a miniature version of the life-size sculpture at the entrance to Dehler Park. This statue is marked as #25 of 62 and is signed by both Bill Rains and his son, Dustin Rains.
Dave McNally was born in Billings, Montana on October 21, 1942, as the youngest of four children. McNally was raised by his mother, Beth. His father, James, died in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. McNally attended Billings Central Catholic High School and began playing baseball as a young adult with the Billings Royals, an American Legion team.
Just before his 18th birthday, McNally signed with the Baltimore Orioles, and played for two years with minor-league teams before starting for the Orioles in 1962. With the Orioles, McNally became a three-time All Star and two-time World Series Champion. During the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, McNally earned the distinction of being the first and only pitcher to hit a grand-slam during the World Series.
McNally retired from professional baseball in 1975, citing difficulty with his pitching. He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1978 and was named Montana’s Athlete of the Century in 1999 by Sports Illustrated. McNally owned and operated a car dealership in Billings until his passing in 2002.