Upper Swan Valley Historical Museum
The Swan Valley retains many signs of its varied history. Old Indian trails crisscross the mountains. Remnants of trapper cabins, notched trees for marten trapping, and old phone wires strung between trees by the U.S. Forest Service to improve communication, especially during wildfire, can still be found.
Early Forest Service ranger station buildings are still present, Scattered around the valley are spring-board notched trees and old mill sites from the early logging days. Homestead cabins, barns and other outbuildings still stand.
The Swan Valley Museum and Heritage Site, which opened in 2013, offers a look into our rich heritage. In the museum, visitors are greeted with a painting on the museum floor showing the Upper Swan River and its tributaries. This painting acknowledges how the natural landscape influenced the valley’s early uses and development.
Artifacts and exhibits depict homesteader life, the early Forest Service, logging, log home building, lodging, outfitting, recreation, military, and more. A series of family trees honoring longtime Swan Valley families and homestead records are on display.
Books about the area history, including three published by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society. Inc., are available for sale. A fourth book, “The Gathering Place, Swan Valley’s Gordon Ranch,” will be available in summer 2017.
On the Museum grounds are the original Swan River Tavern, Grandma Whalen’s Homestead Cabin, a replica of the one-room Smith Creek School, an early sawmill, the Swan Valley’s first fire engine and ranch and farm implements. A Trapper cabin will be ready for viewing in summer 2017.
The Upper Swan Valley Historical Society, Inc. offers programs throughout the year. In the spring two First Friday events at the Museum invite people to share stories about the Swan Valley’s history. On July 4, exhibits are displayed at the Condon Community Hall as well as at the Museum. An August celebration draws attention to the area’s history and culture, and a December Frostbite Festival brings the community together for an arts and crafts fair.
The Swan Valley Museum and Heritage Site is open Thursday – Sunday, noon-4:00 p.m., Memorial Day – Labor Day, and throughout the year by appointment.
Upper Swan Valley Historical Society, Inc., Montana Highway 83, milepost 41, P.O. Box 1128, Condon, MT 59826, 406-754-2745. www.SwanValleyHistoricalSociety.org.
