KALISPELL — There’s a new exhibit at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell that focuses on the importance of the timber industry to the region.
The exhibit called “Lumberjacks, Tie Hacks and River Pigs” took months to construct and displays historic tools, clothing and even a model train layout featuring the Somers tie plant and other past and present Flathead Valley landmarks.
Museum Executive Director Margaret Davis said more than 70 volunteers including Kalispell School District students helped set up the Timber display.
The exhibit features a photographic archive showing the various methods of logging over the last 150 years.
“Timber is the reason why many people came to this area and it’s also the reason why the trains were able to stretch across America because we were producing ties from our immense forests to make those trains run the distance, so it wasn’t just an industry important for northwest Montana, it was an industry important to the whole country,” said Davis.
The Exhibit is open to the public during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
