The History Museum in Great Falls will soon be home to a new research facility thanks to a big donation from Owen and Gayle Robinson.
The Robinsons recently donated $500,000 to the Cascade County Historical Society. Paired with grant funds, the donation will be used to renovate the second floor of the museum to include a climate-controlled archive, artifact collection storage, visible vault, and ADA accessibility.
Museum director Kristi Scott said the new additions and the arrival of new collections like the Ursuline and Great Falls Tribune archives will make Great Falls one of the top research destinations in the state.
“We have researchers already calling from across the nation and even out of country to come and see the Ursuline archives,” Scott said. “We know that we have a great service ahead of us, and the new research center is truly going to make that possible at a high caliber.”
Robinson has been involved with the Historical Society since the 1970s and wanted to help the museum take the next step toward becoming world-class facility.
“My wife Gayle and I just decided we wanted to do something special for the community to last and be a place for people to come and do research,” Robinson said. “And that's what it's here for is the research."
Construction will begin in February, with a goal of being completed and open to the public in time for the Montana History Conference in Great Falls in September 2024.
The History Museum is at 422 Second Street South. For more information, call 406-452-3462, or click here to visit the website.
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