Join us for another series of our ‘A Taste of History’ events. This year we are going to Butte, Virginia City, Elkhorn and for the first time to Helena! Step into the past with A Taste of History, a unique Extreme History series of immersive, day-long events that bring fresh perspectives to the stories of the American West. Through guided experiences, historical interpretation, and engaging storytelling, you’ll explore how the settlement of the American West can be understood as both a triumph and a tragedy, depending on perspective.

Butte

Spend a day immersed in the rich cultural and spiritual history of Butte with our A Taste of History program on Friday, May 29, 2026. This special program, Food for the Soul, explores the role of food in sacred rites and religious traditions, offering a unique lens into the lives and beliefs of the communities that shaped the Mining City. The day begins at the Butte Archives and includes an excursion to a local church. 

These stand-alone, day-long programs run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature bite-sized tastes of historic foods including dishes that people living in these places would have eaten. This program will bring history to life in a tangible and delicious way. Register here! Admission is $75 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation to each location. Come for the stories—stay for the flavors of the historic West.

Virginia City

Join us in Virginia City on Saturday, June 13, 2026, for our A Taste of History program, From Virginia to Versailles, a day-long exploration of the culinary traditions of the African diaspora. This special program will focus on Virginia City’s historic Black community and the important role Black cooks and entrepreneurs played in shaping local food culture. Through stories of labor, hospitality, and resilience, participants will discover how African diasporic food traditions found expression in one of Montana’s most iconic frontier towns and in the meals served in local eating establishments.

These stand-alone, day-long programs run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature bite-sized tastes of historic foods—dishes that people living in these places would have eaten—bringing history to life in a tangible and delicious way. Register here! Admission is $75 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation to each location. Come for the stories—stay for the flavors of the historic West.

Elkhorn

Join us in Elkhorn Ghost Town on Saturday, July 18, 2026, for our A Taste of History program, Go West, Go Hungry, a day-long exploration of food and the immigrant experience in a Montana mining town. Set against the backdrop of this once-bustling mining community, the program will examine how immigrants adapted their culinary traditions to new environments, limited resources, and unfamiliar ingredients. Through stories of resilience, ingenuity, and cultural exchange, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how food shaped identity and survival in Montana.

These stand-alone, day-long programs run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature bite-sized tastes of historic foods—dishes that people living in these places would have eaten—bringing history to life in a tangible and delicious way. Register here! Admission is $75 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation to each location. Come for the stories—stay for the flavors of the historic West.

Helena

Join us in Helena on Saturday, August 8, 2026, for our A Taste of History program, Fine Dining and Hard Labor, a day-long exploration of how food reflected and reinforced class status in the historic West. Set at the elegant Original Governor’s Mansion Carriage House, this program examines the contrast between refinement and labor. The program will highlight the meals that signaled wealth and prestige alongside the work required to produce and serve them. Through stories of domestic labor and hospitality, participants will gain insight into the roles food played in shaping identity and hierarchy in Helena’s past.

These stand-alone, day-long programs run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature bite-sized tastes of historic foods—dishes that people living in these places would have eaten—bringing history to life in a tangible and delicious way. Register here! Admission is $75 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation to each location. Come for the stories—stay for the flavors of the historic West.