Russ Fox, O-Mok-See, 1952.
​Papke Collection.

Selish-Ql'ispe Place Names Map

Lundberg Ranch, mid 1940's. MacQuarrie Collection.

Seeley Lake Community Foundation’s campaign for community-wide giving, celebrating the people and organizations that make our community great runs from noon on June 3 through 5 pm on June 30.

To donate and support USVHS visit the SLCF website or download the brochure (PDF) for more information.

JUL 4: Celebration at museum and parade float, 9 am - 2 pm

AUG 6: Northern Pacific Checkerboard Era story-telling fundraiser at museum,
​3 - 5 pm

Doris Holmes and horse Roxy.
​Holmes-Krause Collection.

The Gathering Place: Swan Valley’s Gordon Ranch

Highlights from The Gathering Place: Swan Valley’s Gordon Ranch

Read the MT Arts Council's book review!

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Visit Projects

Outfitting & Guiding Celebration Videos

Travelers can take a self-guided tour of the Swan Valley Museum, Swan River Tavern, Whalen Homestead Cabin, Smith Creek School replica and the portable sawmill on the Swan Valley museum grounds by downloading a free Explore MontanaTM app to access photos, audio, video and written descriptions. The self-guided tour is funded by Preserve Montana.

Search for Explore Montana on the App Store or Google Play and download.

Upper Swan Valley Oral History Project audio transcripts online

Homesteader Family Trees

The Selish-Ql'ispe Culture Committee provided a Swan Valley Place Names Map for display in the Swan Valley Museum. The map features the Pend d'Oreille Indian names of the landmarks, as well as photos and descriptions of this region. Highlights from the dedication ceremony

Swan Valley Centre postcard by Larry Dodge.
​MacQuarrie Collection.

Trout caught from Kraft Lake. Ken Wolff, Tommy Nelson, Bud Wolff, ​Linda Nelson, Dick, Lena, and Nancy Wolff, 1955. Wolff Collection.

Wranglers, Dudes and Homesteaders: Stories from Montana's Swan Valley Lodges
​Lindbergh Lake Lodge, Holland Lake Lodge and Gordon Ranch
30 minutes

Items below are available for purchase! See our Projects for details.

The Huck Book: Swan Valley's Berried Stories, History and Recipes

See Museum Updates

The Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS), established in 1988, is dedicated to the discovery, collection, preservation and interpretation of materials that will help establish and illustrate our local history.

The upper Swan Valley area is unique in that it still retains a plethora of evidence of its varied history. There still exist old Indian trails crisscrossing our mountains. Old trapper cabins and marten notched trees are still around on the landscape. This area was homesteaded and settled at a relatively late date, primarily from the mid-1910's and later, with many artifacts and buildings of that particular era still in existence. Early Forest Service ranger station buildings and cabins are still here. Springboard notched trees and sawmill sites from the early logging days are scattered around the valley.

Photo of Swan Peak by Steve Ellis

Preserving and Promoting the Cultural Heritage of the Swan Valley.

Museum

Museum Hours

Open FRI and SAT, 12 Noon to 4 PM
May 28 thru Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3
Year-round by appointment. Contact Us​

Events

Projects