range riders museum

The Museum is a collection of varied items from the region. One great room has photos of the members of the Society dating back to the early ranchers. Larger items are in a barn-like structure. Included are wagons, a 1940 Chevrolet, and, most unusually, an iron lung. It is the only one I have ever seen. Before the Salk vaccine, polio was a dreaded childhood disease. When the patient's lungs failed, they were placed in this device which took over the lung function.

This museum has an extensive collection of western history items, with an emphasis on Southeastern Montana. This area is known for it's ranching and farming and that is reflected in the museum's attractions. A must see for those who are interested in area history in the heart of Powder River country.

I grew up in Miles City and still love to visit this museum each time I go back. There are new items each time I go and it is a great place to show my children and husband how life was in the "Old West". There is a gun room, some many old pictures, wagons, saddles and so, so much more. If you are stopping in Miles City, this is a must see place.

Filled with treasures from the past. A great place to share with family of all ages. Of course the guys love the awesome gun room.

This little known museum, seventy-five years old, has everything under the sun, and is still accepting contributions. You will find extensive gun, arrowhead, and hand tool collections, a pioneer home, a country school, and medical artifacts. There's a parlor, living room, dining room, and kitchen, the "hattery", a wedding apparel display, a fashion shop, a cowboy hall of fame,, and even a Scottish heritage room. There are fossils, horseshoes, and rope collections, There's a beautifully crafted scale model of the huge Fort Keogh. There are dinosaur bones. There's the boardwalk of Old Miles Town. There's a diorama showing how the Battle of Lame Deer played out. I could go on and on, and so can you. Just be sure to allow at least half a day here if you want to see (almost) everything. There will be a volunteer available to answer questions, provide insight, and tell stories of local history if you are interested. A handy map of the grounds will be provided. Take your time. It's all fascinating!

This museum has something for everyone. The museum contains a wide range of artifacts of and information about the history of Miles City. What a wonderful tribute to the pioneers of the area. I found the hall, filled with photos of local settlers, most interesting.

I haven't been to Range Riders since I was a Girl Scout. It was fun to revisit! It does need a bit of sprucing up, Miles City needs to push a little money twords keeping this gem up!

Went to a one man show Saturday evening. Great T Roosevelt imitator. He really knew his stuff and played TR to a tee. Museum has lots of local history.

This museum showcases established collections of pioneer artifacts contributed by area settlers Even though it is primarily a static display of collections it is well done and enjoyable. We particularly enjoyed the audio 3-D narrated re-enactment of significant local events. This is one of the very best pioneer museums we have encountered in our travels. We expected to spend only a short time - and found ourselves enjoying a several hour visit. This is well worth your time for any history buff!

This is a great little museum with emphasis on this area, but also representative of Montana in general. There's a lot of local color, but most of it is of interest to anyone interested in the West. There's a lot of stuff, but it's well-displayed and well-labeled. I've been in a lot of "high-class" museums that weren't this well done. We think it's a gem of its kind.

The Range Riders Museum tells the story of Miles City in artifacts, pictures, and buildings. And Miles City was one of the first areas to be settled in this section of the country. There are nice gun and arrowhead collections plus many, many items donated by area residents. Buildings include a jail, country school and Ft. Keogh officer quarters. Go prepared to be there awhile, there is quite a bit to see. The grounds are kid friendly... ask to ring the bell.

A large variety of items of a days past, clothing, hats, guns, transportation, and buildings with the history of the local people of all ethnic backgrounds. Dioramas of the Milwaukee shops, Fort Keogh, and a large ranching operation. A Main Street of past businesses the are furnished with period items. A local Log House, School House and one of the Officers Quarters from Ft Keogh. The original museum building is a large log building. The museum has a great selection of History books for sale also.

If you have time to see only one museum in Montana, this is the one to see because with 12 buildings full of photos, artifacts, antiques, artwork, interactive exhibits and a gun collection with over 400 weapons, there is something to interest everyone. The museum is only open April through October and there is a fee to enter. The curator and her husband both have families that go back generations in tithe area and they are really knowledgeable and helpful. Allow plenty of time so you do not have to rush. There are exhibits both inside and outside-this is not a museum that you can see everything in an hour.To help you plan your visit, look carefully at the map you get showing the path to take so you do not miss something. There are six areas that have a button that you can push for interesting information. The buttons are in the Fort Keogh exhibit, the L O Ranch, Lame Deer Camp, Milwaukee Railroad House, Main Street Old Miles Town and Memorial Hall and are all worth seeing.Memorial Hall was my favorite. The Museum raises money by charging a family $300 to honor a loved one who was born before 1915, lived within 150 miles of Miles City and who is deceased. The family provides a 8" x 10" photo to hang along with a biography to put in the time capsule underneath the photo. Copies of the biographies are then placed in the huge books on the desk in the right rear of the hall. When you see a picture or name that looks interesting you go to the books were are arranged alphabetically and read the story. The stories I read were so interesting I could have spent hours just reading. It isn't just the quantity of the exhibits that makes this museum stand out, but the quality. Items are in good condition, carefully grouped, arranged and labelled.

A very interesting museum to visit. This large museum is a great example of the history of the area.

We didn't expect much but went in anyway. What we found was lots of memories: guns, gowns, arrowheads, photos, cars, ladies hats, knives, dishes, saddles and tack, jewelry, flags, and tools. ...and more! All is nicely displayed, but it would take days to see it all. If you are researching some aspect of western life, you could see many items all here in one place or spend hours evaluating one collection. An iron lung, spinning wheels, and branding irons - it's all here! A friendly docent, too.