William Wesley Van Orsdel, more commonly referred to as Brother Van, came to Montana on a steamboat in 1872. His main goal was to “to sing, to preach, and to encourage people to be good.”
Brother Van was wildly popular among the whole state of Montana, but never really resided in one specific place since he was often traveling. That is until he moved into the parsonage with the resident pastor and his family in 1910. Brother Van lived in this house whenever he was in town, until he died in 1919.
Members of the Great Falls community wanted to ensure that Brother Van’s story wasn’t getting lost or forgotten.
Suzanne Waring, chair of the Brother Van Committee, shared with me the significance of his story among this community.
“Brother Van is a fantastic representative of the Pioneers of Montana,” said Waring. “He came to Montana up on a steamboat, the far west to Fort Benton, and he started out doing what his goal was, which was to tell people how to be good and to sing.”
A popular story told about Brother Van is how he was so popular that he didn’t need to make an appointment to see any of the governors; he would be able to just walk into their office and chat.
Brother Van became known as the “best loved man in Montana.”
“He did a lot in the state, and he would drop in on people and if they were feeling discouraged [then] when he left they would be feel more positive,” said Waring.
Today, the house Brother Van called “home” right here in Great Falls is the Brother Van Museum. This museum not only adds to Montana being the museum capital, but it also shares the story of Brother Van and helps to shine a light on Great Falls’ history.
There are pieces of furniture that belonged to Brother Van while he lived there, as well as his go-to trench coat and hat. The museum has tried their best to keep the homey feeling that was experienced in the 1910s.
Tours will be available Tuesdays-Fridays starting July 5th until August 1st from 1-4p.m. It is located at 113 Sixth Street North. Admission is free and parking is also free and easily accessible in the First United Methodist Church parking lot.
Click here to learn more about Brother Van.
TRENDING
- Vehicle pulled from Great Falls river
- Stand-off suspect identified and charged
- 2 dead, 3 injured in Flathead County crash
- Pro-2A rally held in Great Falls
- VIDEO: grizzly bears run through Ulm
- Recent Obituaries
FOLLOW KRTV: Instagram | TikTok | Twitter
