"Gather up everything we can" seems to be the motto of this museum. The indoor exhibits are very dated with no attempt to explain or otherwise make sense of the motley assortment of stuff. The collection of buildings is interesting but, again, no attempt to give context or explain why they're on site other than that they were available to move there.

There is an excellent video it is worth hanging around for the next showing. You could easily spend a couple of hours at this site. It is well set out with information boards. The staff are friendly and informative.

Despite the blazing hot day, the ranger talk, movie and interesting historical site made for a terrific 2-hour stop on our way to Yellowstone National Park.

The museum is well organized and well operated, mostly by volunteers from the area. They just completed a 1.2 Million Dollar revitalization of the museum buildings. There are many interesting buildings and displays on the 22 acre grounds,including vintage machinery, gas station, church, as well as the cabin used by Will Rogers, who lived in the Hardin area. This museum is a must-see if you are interested in Montana History from the 1800's and 1900's, or frontier history in general.