Montana Historical Society offers new virtual tour of Montana’s Capitol

The pandemic threw a curveball to Montana’s 4-H and Future Farmer of America’s annual tour of the Montana Capitol Building, so 4-H and FFA coordinator Andee Baker turned to the Montana Historical Society for help.

The state agency partnered with the non-profit Helena Civic TV’s Jeanie Warner to create a video tour of the capitol building that’s now available online to the public. The 4-H and FFA students used the video as part of their Citizenship Seminar.

“The virtual videos about the Montana Capital and Original Governor’s Mansion provided by the Montana Historical Society were informative and interesting,” Baker said. “When these videos were shown to 4-H and FFA members the students were beyond intrigued by the history, not only enjoying the videos but learning more about Montana History.”

The tour is given by Deb Mitchell, who is with the historical society’s Outreach and Education program. Mitchell said she enjoyed the opportunity to tour the capitol with Warner prior to the 2021 legislative session and share the capitol’s history with students.

“This pandemic threw us all a curveball, so we threw one right back,” Mitchell said. “Now the Capitol tour can come to the classroom or into the home. However, there is nothing better than having students visit the Capitol and feel the energy that is here. We can’t wait for the day when students and other visitors can join us once again.”

The Montana Historical Society also has a video tour of the Original Governor’s Mansion, which the public can watch online at mhs.mt.gov.

“At a time when we can’t always visit the places where we learn about our past, we’re excited at MHS to share those stories and experiences virtually,” said Molly Kruckenberg, MHS director.

For more information, or to view other historic presentations, go online to mhs.mt.gov or contact Eve Byron, public information officer, at eve.byron@mt.gov or 406/444-6843.