A Note on Links: When reading back posts, please be aware that links have a short half-life. You can find working links to all of the MHS resources on our Educator Resources Page.

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Have a Great Summer

This is my last Teaching Montana History Post for the season (unless something great comes up that I feel the need to share.) I hope you have a great summer. And if you are traveling through Helena, please stop by and say hi. Remember: Admission to the Montana Heritage Center is always free (and we're open Saturdays and Sundays, though you won't see me).

Summer Recommendations 

Last week I shared listening recommendations--enough to keep you busy all summer. Here are some other recommendations of things to do and to think about. 

Learn more about multiple perspectives. When I first moved to Montana 31 years ago, I was a typically uninformed Midwesterner, especially about Indigenous history and culture. "Army Allies or Tribal Survival? The 'Other Indians' in the 1876 Campaign" by Colin Calloway, which focuses on the Crow and Arikara scouts who fought with the Custer was the first article that really helped me internalize Essential Understanding #1 (There is great diversity among the twelve sovereign tribes of Montana...)

The Montana Historical Society Press published the essay in Legacy: New Perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn, which I just learned you can access for free through Internet Archives. What brought this article to mind was a symposium Little Bighorn College held recently to mark the 150th anniversary of the Great Sioux War. One thing that jumped out at me from the Bighorn County News article about the symposium is Professor Emeritus Dale Old Horn's determination to set the record straight that the Crow who fought with the U.S. government were not "race traitors." Instead, "they were determined to survive an ongoing invasion of tribes from the east." This short article could be a great bell-ringer or an addition to a DBQ that brings in another perspective on the war besides those typically talked about: The US government and the Lakota and Cheyenne. 

Visit Montana State Parks. In partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana 250 Commission created an exhibit describing what life was like in specific places of Montana in 1776. Individual banners from this exhibit will be displayed at nine state parks: Montana Wild in Helena, Flathead Lake State Park, Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Bannack State Park, Travelers’ Rest State Park, Chief Plenty Coups State Park, First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, Makoshika State Park, and Pictograph Cave State Park. Go check them out.

Join in History and Culture Celebrations. Here are just a few!

Share best practices. Yes, this is another plea for you to take time to answer my survey. I learn so much from your responses, and other teachers do too! (And I still have prizes available.) 

However you spend your summer, I hope it is restorative, energizing and loads of fun! See you next fall. 

P.S. If you are changing schools, make sure to re-subscribe using your new address. 

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