Museum of the Rockies invites you to celebrate 60 years of learning, inspiration, and discovery at its fun and festive birthday party. On Saturday, February 11, from 9 am to 5 pm, Museum of the Rockies welcomes everyone, free of charge, to join them for a birthday party including treats with Rocky Rex, shows in the Taylor Planetarium, and fun family activities.
“We are excited to be celebrating the Museum’s first 60 years and proud to honor the vision and dedication of Dr. Caroline McGill,” says Sheldon McKamey, Executive Director. “As we commemorate our history, we are also planning for the future. We welcome all on Saturday, as you have helped us create the museum of today, and you are shaping what it will become tomorrow.”
The first 250 visitors on Saturday will enjoy cookies and craft making with Rocky Rex. All guests will enjoy complimentary admission from 9 am to 5 pm.
Museum of the Rockies History
Dr. Caroline McGill, a doctor from Butte, Montana, founded Museum of the Rockies in 1957. McGill worked in partnership with MSU’s President, Dr. Roland R. Renne, and with Dr. Merrill Burlingame, head of the history department, to establish the Museum. She also served as the Museum’s first curator. Her gifts included an extraordinary collection of Montana historical objects that were first housed in three Quonset huts on the MSU campus. The Museum was originally named the McGill Museum.
A volunteer corps of around 30 townspeople helped organize the collection in these Quonset huts for the first few years. The Museum was officially incorporated in 1965 as the Museum of the Rockies. By 1970, MOR hired its first full-time director, Less Drew. He brought professionalism to MOR and oversaw the design and construction of the first two Museum buildings.
Mick Hager became the director in 1982 and had the vision to expand MOR. He hired Jack Horner as the curator of paleontology. In his nearly 34 year career here, Dr. Horner has established MOR as a world-class paleontology research facility and expanded the focus of the Museum to include one of the most important dinosaur fossil collections in the world.
Sheldon McKamey became the Executive Director in 2003. Presently, MOR continues to focus on Paleontology, Native American History, and Montana History, while also having expanded to include Changing Exhibits from around the world, the Living History Farm, the Taylor Planetarium, the Martin Children’s Discovery Center and educational programs for all ages.
Museum of the Rockies is both a college-level division of Montana State University and an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, MOR is one of just 775 museums to hold this distinction from the more than 17,500 museums nationwide. The Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a repository for federal fossils.
