Preserve Montana

This is Historic. Take action and save Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and protect Montana’s shared heritage.

📆 Save the Dates

Get ready to go behind the scenes of Montana's historic places! This year, Preserve Montana is offering two Hidden Montana tours, giving participants exclusive access to some of the state's most fascinating and lesser-known historic properties.

September 26 - Explore Montana: Hidden Billings
October 17 - Explore Montana: Hidden Helena

Tickets go on sale on the Preserve Montana website in mid-August. 🎟

📷 St. Peter's Cathedral - 2025 Hidden Helena Tour

Set on rolling land above the Jocko Valley, the Lower Valley Creek School remains largely intact despite decades of vacancy.

The school, built on an acre set aside by the Morin family, began operation in 1925-26. Like most rural schools, the school construction was a community effort and was led by area neighbors such as Virgil Pitts, the Hanson brothers, Charlie Buell, and the Morins.

As a reservation school, Lower Valley had both tribal and white settler students in attendance for parts of its service. Life at the school follows many that of other rural schools: seasonal programs were put on, students brought supplies to support the school, and community events, including a 1932 wedding, were held inside.

Unfortunately, the original school burned down in October 1936, shortly after it had reopened for the year. The Morin family stepped in once again to support the school, hosting classes at their ranch in return for monthly payment of $5. The school was reopened the next year.

By 1945-46, attendance had dwindled to just 10 students and the decision was made to bus students to Arlee School the next year. Community use of the building continued for some time after closure. It is now privately owned.

Historic photo from 1935 in 1979 issue of Flathead Courier.

📣 Meet Office Coordinator Beth McLaughlin! 📣

Beth is the newest addition to the Preserve Montana team, bringing a wealth of experience and energy to one of our most important roles: office coordinator. 🎉

A Butte native who's called Helena home for many years, Beth recently retired as court administrator for Montana's judicial branch. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Public Administration, both from the University of Montana. When she's not in the office, you'll likely find her out running or hiking the trails — she recently completed the Missoula Half Marathon. 🏃🏻‍♀️

After her state career, Beth was looking for meaningful work that gives back to the community. We're glad she found us, and we found her.

Today at 11:00am MT, join a webinar on the threat to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and learn how you can act to protect it.

On Friday, July 24, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) approved damaging revisions to the regulations for Section 106. If implemented, these new rules would dramatically diminish the effectiveness of the NHPA and the current legal protections for historic and cultural places in Montana and across the United States.

The webinar will outline some of the more serious aspects and potential impacts of the proposed changes, provide information about next steps and the timeline for the process, and what you can do to push back against this threat to the work of historic preservation in our state.

Click the image to register.

Section 106 Under Threat | National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation activates the power of place to serve the public good, improve people’s lives, and enable a shared future.

🛣️ Registration is officially OPEN for the 2026 Mullan Road Conference! 🛣️

Preserve Montana is proud to serve as fiscal sponsor for this year's conference, happening September 4-6 in Helena, Montana!

📅 The Schedule:
🥂 Friday — Evening reception, 6-8pm at the Lewis and Clark County History Center
🎙️ Saturday — Full day of conference programming at the Montana Heritage Center (doors open 8am), followed by an evening reception and banquet
🚌 Sunday — Mullan Road field trip! Buses depart the Montana Heritage Center at 9am, with stops including the historic Sieben Ranch, returning around 4pm

👉 Register now: https://pci.jotform.com/form/261898058116062

See you on the Mullan Road! 🏞️

Schoolhouse Spotlight: Houskin #2 in Cascade County

A beautiful little craftsman structure, the Houskin #2 schoolhouse is a great example of a repurposed rural school. Built in 1929, it served as the teacherage for the first Houskin school which was located west of Riceville. It was moved south of Three Forks in 1951, and used as a school until 1954. Later, it was repurposed as a ranch hand house.

This is the last week to claim a Preserve Montana bandana! 🎁

During the month of July, any donors making gifts of $50 or more will receive one of our fashionable and functional bandanas.

Wear it like our shop dog Eida, or whatever style strikes your fancy.

You can make your gift online or mail a check made out to Preserve Montana at PO Box 101, Helena, MT 59624.

Give online: https://bit.ly/4esjWom.

🪟 Window Restoration Demo at Red Ants Pants Festival! 🪟

Preserve Montana's Trades Corps will be on-site at the Red Ants Pants Festival this Saturday, July 25th at 6:00 PM for a live window restoration demonstration.

Watch our skilled team walk through the techniques used to bring historic windows back to life and learn why preservation (not replacement!) keeps Montana's historic buildings standing strong.

Stop by, ask questions, and see these time-honored trades skills firsthand. Whether you're a preservation nerd, a DIY enthusiast, or just curious, this is for you! 🔨🏠

📍 Red Ants Pants Festival
🕕 Saturday, July 25 | 6:00 PM

See you there!

📷 Photos from the 2025 Red Ants Pants demo.