A free public event celebrating the history of the Montana Territory comes to the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 30, featuring Crow Nation scholar Dr. Lanny Real Bird as a special guest presenter. The event is co-hosted by the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Association and Humanities Montana, two organizations that don't often share a stage — and that pairing alone signals something worth showing up for.
Dr. Real Bird is a widely respected voice on Indigenous history and the cultural legacy of the Northern Plains, and his perspective on the Montana Territory period promises to add depth that standard commemorative events often lack. The Montana Territory was established in 1864, and the decades that followed reshaped the land, its peoples, and its politics in ways that still echo today across the Helena valley and well beyond.
Admission is free and the event is open to the public. The Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds is located at 98 West Custer Avenue. No registration information was listed in the event announcement, but organizers encourage families and history enthusiasts to attend.