S.C. Museum

The Mural Portrays the Evolution of Life in Sheridan County

1. The early Indians on foot with dog travois.

2. The Indian on horseback moving camp.

3. The buffalo hunted for food and hides.

4. The trapper in mid-19th century harvesting beaver and other furs.

5. Sitting Bull meeting with the military near the present site of Plentywood. He later surrendered at Fort Buford; it was the beginning of the end of the plains Indians’ way of life.

6. Abundant grass and water made the area ideal for the livestock industry

7. The coming of the railroad to the county in 1910 encouraged the homesteader to make this his home.

8. The land was meant for agriculture and new machinery was continuously being invented.

9. Crops varied with weather conditions; however, harvest time was always exciting in spite of long hours and hard work. Hopes for the good life brought new settlers, and towns grew along the railroads.

10. Roads were built where prairie trails once were; schools became a necessity, and in the second decade of the century the automobile started to replace the horse and buggy.

11. The stock market crash was devastating to the whole nation; however, the year 1929 ushered into Sheridan County a long dry spell which later became known as the “Dirty Thirties.” Soil erosion from wind and drought started an exodus from the farms which continues even today.

12. The 1932 election produced a new administration which introduced various programs to give people a subsistence income. In spite of federal subsidies, the economy remained sluggish. One man said in 1937, “It is more difficult to make .25 today that it was to earn $25 in 1928.”

The PRODUCERS NEWS championed the cause of the hard-pressed and persuaded many that it was time for a more socialistic economic order. The editor’s views were too radical for the majority; in 1937 the PRODUCERS NEWS printed its last publication.

The year 1938 brought an end to the drought and gradually the county started to recuperate from the depression.

The decade of the ‘30’s left an indelible imprint on the county; the need for

soil conservation became evident resulting in strip farming and contouring; the Medicine Lake Refuge came into existence; the main core of the Courthouse was built; Carroll Dam (which washed out in 1946) came into being; federal subsidies increased the domination by Washington of our agriculture.

The Medicine Lake Wildlife Refuge symbolizes the interest in our wildlife –

Ducks, geese, deer, antelope, pheasants and various predators. The county has become noted for its display of exotics: yak, lions, buffalo, elk, ostriches, llamas and others.

15. The last section of the mural illustrates the present. Agriculture is still the

basic industry; oil, although receding in production, is an important factor.

16. Symbolic of our part of a unified nation, a jet flies high overhead while

a small plane surveys the surroundings below; and one wonders what the

future will bring.

During the late 1960’s, a group of Sheridan County residents realized that they had to make an effort to capture some of the historical flavor, fashions and fixtures of our early days – before those items were lost forever.

The Sheridan County Museum was completed in 1968 and formally dedicated on June 29, 1989.

The 40 foot by 70 foot structure was constructed under the direction of the Sheridan County Historical Association, which chose as its symbol a wood-beamed walking plow. Since its organizational meeting on March 27, 1967, the Historical Association has been working hard to capture the artifacts and flavor of the past.

The Sheridan County Agriculture Museum and Civic Center was completed in 1983, 15 years after the original museum was built.

On the wall of the Civic Center is a mural 74’ by 4’ depicting the story of Sheridan County; it was painted by a local artist, Bob Southland; it has the claim of being the longest interior mural in the state of Montana.

A 27 minute video tells the story of the mural and can be purchased for $15.00

With the 1968 museum and the 1983 agricultural museum, county residents have created a splendid “historical attic” to commemorate the past. There are all sorts of early-century items – from the Aultman-Taylor tractors to the original Dooley Post Office boxes; from delicate kerosene lanterns and baby buggies to behemoth steam engines and threshers. Totem poles, depression era typewriters, irons, and radios, and a replica of a 1920’s general store…there are a variety of colorful and intriguing attractions to be found on the Sheridan County Fairgrounds.

Visitors to the Sheridan County Agricultural Museum and Civic Center may notice the rock facing on the building. These rocks were provided by the descendants of early day homesteaders of Sheridan County whose parents and grandparents had gathered them into piles to clear their lands for crops. Over the years, lichen has grown on these rocks, fed by the sun, rain and air, making a colorful, as well as historical exterior.

Recently the Sheridan County Historical Association has been active in collecting the story of various organizations past and present. Presently the composites are on file in the museum.

Courageous homesteaders, rugged cattle-men, determined roughnecks working on towering oil rigs in frigid weather, small-town merchants with stocks of canned goods and crinolines and Christmas toys…they’ve all played roles in building society in this corner of Montana. They are remembered and treasured in our growing county museum.

The Old Tractor Club of Sheridan County was founded in 1967 by a group of dedicated men who wanted to save our farming heritage for future generations. Located south of Plentywood, just past the fairgrounds, they have one of the finest collections of threshing machines and tractors in Montana.

Housed on the fairgrounds are over 30 threshers, 85 tractors and a variety of plows, wagons and other artifacts of early-day farming in Sheridan County.

The tractors come in all sizes and different ages; from a gigantic Rumley to small Fordson's, from early-day models such as Sandusky, Avery and McCormick-Deering to models that date to the Wolf War II era.

A special vehicle on the grounds is a Sunshine combine, one of the earliest self-propelled combines used in the nation. A complicated invention of chains, a wooden body and a rear-wheeled steering mechanism, it is truly a rare find.

Old Tractor Club

SHERIDAN COUNTY MUSEUM

The northeast portion of Montana was the last corner of the state to be settled. Four decades after Fort Benton was established by the American Fur Company (1874), two decades after the world famous U.S. Calvary versus the Indian clash at the Little Big Horn River (1876), the area of Montana that is now Sheridan, Daniels, and Roosevelt Counties was still relatively open land. There were a few intrepid homesteaders, a few communities such as Culbertson, and a few desperados and desperate Indians hiding out in the wilds of northeast Montana and southern Saskatchewan.

We are a young area; a place where buffalo still roamed 110 years ago; where open range was still available to cattle-men and sheep-men 90 years ago; where the arrival of the railroad division was a serious point of contention 75 years ago, and where the discovery of oil some 35 years ago dramatically changed the economy of this region.

We also have an annual “Gas-Up Day” each spring, which we hope all those interested in our past will attend. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to see and hear the old tractors. We also enjoy serving a pancake breakfast during the fair.

We recently installed a stone memorial on our grounds, next to the cook car, and are working to place all our past and present member’s names on it.

The Old Tractor Club worked very hard to design the Civic Center and some of our members went to Billings to find funding. Without the foresight of these founding members we would not have been able to preserve our past for future generations.

We are very proud of our farming heritage and enjoy showing off all that we have collected. We are very thankful for all the people who have made the Old Tractor Club such a success.

The Canvas – A Dream

Bob Southland, the artist a native of northeastern Montana, began work on the mural in May of 1989 and finished in August. The mural (measuring 74’ by 4’) is painted in oils on one piece of stretched canvas; it is purported to be the longest interior painting in Montana.

Southland did his work in the north room of the Civic Center. Fifteen men moved the finished canvas and lifted it to its present position.

The idea of depicting the story of Sheridan County has its roots with those who began recording our history. More precisely the building of the museum deserves credit, publication of DAYBREAK I & II, the formation of the Historical Association, and the encouragement of many. It can be truly said it is a contribution from the whole county, since so many purchased the books, and many dedicated individuals helped with the stories.

At the August 1989 dedication the mural was presented to the Board of County Commissioners as guardians for all of Sheridan County.