Historic presentation examines Charles Lindbergh's Montana connections

Billings author Dennis Gaub will explore Charles Lindbergh's ties to Montana in a presentation Monday, April 17, in Kalispell. Northwest Montana Posse of Westerners, a local history group, presents the talk.

Charles Lindbergh became world famous after his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. But he also made a lasting impact on Montana that went beyond being immortalized in the name of a Swan Valley lake.

Lindbergh first came to the Treasure State in the summer of 1922 as a wing walker and parachute jumper with a barnstorming outfit that performed at fairs and exhibitions in Billings, Lewistown, and neighboring towns. He returned in 1927 during his nationwide tour promoting commercial flight, and he visited the state several more times before his death in 1974.

Gaub became fascinated by accounts of Lindbergh's time in the Treasure State while researching a historical novel set in Montana and decided the story deserved a book of its own. The result was the recently published “Lindbergh in Montana.”

Lindbergh's influence on the state goes beyond airplanes and flight, Gaub notes. The aviator is also credited with influencing the state's efforts to conserve its natural beauty.

Gaub is a Montana native who spent 25 years as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Colorado, Michigan, Wyoming, and Montana, including 20 years at the Billings Gazette.

The presentation will be 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Montana History Museum, at 124 Second Ave. East in Kalispell. Cost is $5 for the general public, with Posse members and youths under 16 admitted free.

The doors open at 6 p.m for a get-acquainted session and book signing by the author.