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Bair Family Museum Opens May 1st
Teepee Raising Ceremony Friday May 8, 2009
THE PERFECT
MONTANA DAY TRIP!
Bair Family
Museum Open in May Wednesday through Sunday
The grass is
green and the trees are budding and the Bair Family Museum
in Martinsdale opened May 1st for the season!
Everyone is invited to walk the grounds, bring a picnic
lunch, tour the house, enjoy learning about the Bair Family
and area history in the Visitor’s Center, and check out all
the new items in the gift shop. Visitors may also want to
plan on attending some of the exciting events scheduled for
the summer, starting with a celebration of Crow culture on
May 8th. The award-winning Plenty Coups High
School Chapter of FFA students will present a Teepee Raising
and Crow cultural awareness event on the grounds of the
historic Bair family home. Activities start at 11 am on
Friday, May 8, 2009.
Under the
guidance of Laura Moore, agriculture teacher with Plenty
Coups High School and advisor to the Plenty Coups Chapter of
FFA, Plenty Coups students involved in the FFA have won
state and national awards promoting Indian culture
associated with agriculture.
The museum is
honored to have this opportunity to continue the Bair
family’s long-standing support of Crow culture and history.
After coming to Montana in 1883 as a conductor on the
Northern Pacific Railroad, Charles M. Bair became one of the
most successful sheep ranchers in the world. He ranched for
many years on the Crow Reservation and Chief Plenty Coups
was a close friend. Among the Native American artifacts on
display in the museum’s Pine Room is a small beaded vest
given to Alberta Bair when she was about six years old by
Chief Plenty Coups.
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Chief Plenty Coups also presented Alberta a most
unusual gift, one that is returning for display in
the Pine Room after a long absence: a miniature
teepee or lodge that is believed to have been made
in the late 19th century for a young
Cheyenne girl. It is a small model of a lodge of the
Cheyenne’s sacred Quilling Society, and one of the
most unique artifacts in the Bair family’s eclectic
collection. The museum’s Director and Curator
Elizabeth Guheen states that “the return of
Alberta’s teepee for display in the family home
during the week of this year’s annual Crow Teepee
Raising ceremony is an exciting event for the staff
and for the citizens of Martinsdale. Together, the
teepee and the vest Chief Plenty Coups gave Alberta
Bair represent not only the heart of the collection.
For many they represent the family’s legacy and
their amazing generosity towards the state of
Montana.” |
Model Teepee
19th c, Cheyenne, 45 x 17 in.
Bair Collection |
The Plenty Coups
FFA Chapter Teepee raising starts at 11 a.m. and is open to
the public. Tours of the Bair Family Museum are available
for $5 with discounts for seniors and children. Traditional
Indian tacos and beverages will be available at the
Martinsdale community center following the ceremony.
The Bair Family Museum is located on Highway 12 between
Harlowton and White Sulphur Springs and is open May 1
through September 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last museum
tour of the day is scheduled for 4 p.m. In May and most of
September the museum is open Wednesday through Sundays and
closed Monday and Tuesday. From Memorial Day May 25th
through Labor Day September 7th the museum is
open seven days a week. For further information call
406.572.3314 or visit the website at www.bairfamilyhome.org. |
