The Northwest Montana History Museum is one of 32 recipients of grants from the Montana 250 Commission to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

As stated in the museum's application for the $23,300 grant, submitted in fall 2025, which detailed plans to renovate the longstanding On a Passing Frontier exhibit, one of seven permanent galleries in the museum:

The purpose of this project is to update the Northwest Montana History Museum’s earliest Northwest Montana history exhibit with recent research and modern design to further enhance visitor experience.

The topics covered will include Flathead Valley ecology and native land management, lithic tools, Salish and Upper Pend d’Oreille People, Kootenai/Ksanka People, Blackfoot/Niitsitapi, and modern Indigenous history.

Museum staff, including project lead Elle Eberts-Robocker, are excited to get started with not only updates to existing displays in On a Passing Frontier, but additions as well as programming to mark the reopening of the exhibit later this year.

This project follows on the successful, wholesale renovation of the museum's oldest exhibit, Lumberjacks, Tie Hacks & River Pigs, which reopened in late 2024.

The Northwest Montana History Museum is the premier regional history museum for Northwest Montana, drawing more than 10,000 visitors annually to Kalispell's cultural core. Along with seven permanent exhibits, including On a Passing Frontier, the museum showcases two changing exhibits and hosts approximately 150 events per year.

The Northwest Montana History Museum is located at 124 Second Ave. East, Kalispell. For more information, call 406-756-8381 or visit nwmthistory.org.