bair family museum

If you happen to be in Southwest Montana, you will not be disappointed if you make the drive up 89 North to Martinsdale, home to the incomparable Bair Family Museum. Charles Bair became enormously wealthy in the Alaska Gold Rush; was head of one of the largest sheep farming operations in the country; good friends with both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Will Rogers, artist Charles Russell and numerous other luminaries of the time. The family home and adjacent museum is a singular and fascinating collection of art, furniture, family memorabilia, decorative objects and many other treasures. I have never seen anything quite like it, especially not in such a remote location.

We read reviews about the Bair Family Museum so we decided to travel out and have a look. We were so glad that we did. The young gentleman who gave us the guided tour was excellent (I am only sorry that his name escapes me) He was very informative about the family and kept things light harted and fun, we did not have any children with us or in our group, but if there had been I am sure it would have kept them entertained.The only drawback was that we could not get a drink when we had completed our tour, but maybe the cafe facility is on their to do list! Well worth going to see would highly recommend it to all ages, and excellent value for money.

We had never heard of this recently opened museum, but our son suggested we detour to see it when driving between Bozeman and Helena. Although it was out of the way, we are happy that we stopped. We have seen many Native American artifacts in museums and the ones displayed here are terrific. Obviously Mr. Bair had excellent taste in native American artifacts and obviously had the opportunity to acquire many of them when he worked with the Indian Agency. The new museum itself is lovely and light filled.We decided to stay for the docent led house tour. As other reviewers have said, it is not a "Montana" type house like in the movie, "Legends of the Fall." It reminded me of any house lived in by generations of "old money" in Greenwich, CT or Princeton, NJ. Paneling, lots of chintz, blue satin bedrooms. My favorite room in the house was the 1960 era citrus colored kitchen. In many houses this kitchen would have been updated sometime in the '80's and the fact that this one wasn't, makes it quite special.

This museum is literally located out in the middle of nowhere - a very beautiful nowhere! It is hard to describe because it is such a special place. The ranch house and museum portray the lives and adventures of the Bair family - an amazing legacy. The new museum is an elegant state-of- the -art building truly second to none. One walks away in amazement after the 45 minute docent-led tour of the Bair home and self-directed visit in the museum. I would highly recommend the Bair Museum to anyone who enjoys history, art, and Native American artifacts. In fact, I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't fall in love with this lovely place! The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.

The museum has three buildings--the original house, a historical barn and new exhibition hall. The house is a rambling place showcasing the sisters' taste--better in antiques than architecture. There are numerous special pieces, including a wall of autographed presidential photos. The barn gives a picture of how Charles Bair amassed his fortune and has a collection of ranching artifacts and photos. The new exhibition hall displays the original paintings and native artifacts that must have swamped the house. It's a lovely place worth a visit to this remote central Montana location.

We liked just everything. Couldn't imagine such an art museum and home so close to the Ranch. Unique and definitely worth the time!

This museum is similar to any that you'd find in a large city. New building, a nice collection of European and American Western art and Indian artifacts.Then there's the house. Over 11,000 sq filled with beautiful American and European antiques. Beautiful décor too. We were amazed at how all of these gorgeous things got to the middle of nowhere in MT.Out of the way but definitely worth the effort to see and experience.

Gorgeous gowns and hats, beautiful silver and china, wonderful decorative pieces and history. This is a sampling of the wonders you'll see in this gorgeous home. The decorative pieces that grace this home are from all over the world . The daughters of Mr. Bair had wonderful taste and brought home many beautiful items from their many trips in Europe. Wonderful stories accompany the treasures in each and every room. It's definitely worth the trip to see specially designed bathrooms and artwork from artists of the time like Charlie Russell. They were close friends with many artists, actors, actresses and presidents. And the family photographs show how close they were to everyone they knew.The artwork in the museum is from France, England, Germany, Japan and some are from the many artists they knew personally. The grounds are well kept and the view around the estate, majestic. If you enjoy touring old homes and looking at items from another time, the Bair Museum is a must see.

Indian Ledger Art Exhibit at the Bair Museum This summer, the Bair Museum is showing an exhibition of selected work from the Charles H. Barstow Collection of Crow and Gros Ventre Indian Ledger Art from Montana State University Billings Library of works on paper. The 20 drawings from this remarkable collection are an intriguing look at the tribal history and traditions of the last decade of the nineteenth century. The American Indian tribes of the Northern Plains were confined to reservations in the last part of the nineteenth century. Many turned to creating pictorial art as a means to preserve and pass on their history and heritage. They used manufactured materials on hand, including pencils and ink, and paper torn from ledger books, school notebooks and office forms. Major Charles Barstow was chief clerk for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Crow Agency from 1879 to 1897. Barstow provided Indian warriors materials and encouraged them paint and draw. The ledger drawings mimic the function of traditional buffalo hide painting – narrative of social status, youthful adventure from capturing horses and “counting coups” to dancing and courtship.Barstow’s collection of ledger drawings was rediscovered in 1930 in Roundup, Montana, and came to MSU-through the efforts of Ruthann Wilbur Hines. The Bair Art Museum also provides a unique close-up look at the Bair family’s Native American collection and a user-friendly touch screen allows everyone to explore the collection’s objects. The Bair Museum is open 7 days a week through Labor Day.

This place is off the beaten path, but it is definitely worth the drive. This is the actual home of a wealthy sheep ranching family. It has a large collection of Western art, Indian artifacts, and antiques from all over the world. The collections of sterling silver serving pieces, fine china and porcelain are amazing. Crystal chandeliers hang in almost every room, and there are many French and English antique furniture pieces. If you are interested in beautiful antiques and fine art, this is a place to see.

Who would have thought to find this place out here in the middle of nowehre? The house is very interesting, and our guide was good about pointing everything out. Great gift shop (check out the Bliss Peppermint Passion Hand Cream....AWESOME!) and lots of pictures and Indian artifacts in the Museum. A worthwhile stop if you like real history.