YGM hosts historical summer walking tours in Livingston
Three weekly historic walking tours are offered through September by the Yellowstone Gateway Museum in Livingston. The “Ghosts & Ghost Signs” tour is held on Monday evenings at 5:30pm, “A Gateway City’s Ties to Yellowstone: A Walking Tour” is on Tuesdays at 5:30pm, and “Stroll & Sip: Livingston Bar Tour” on Thursdays at 4pm. Historic research is augmented by stories and historic photographs from the museum’s collections.
A Gateway City’s Ties to Yellowstone: A Walking Tour is new this summer and begins outside the Livingston Depot, facing Park Street. Participants will learn about the significant and symbiotic relationship between the world’s first national park, as well as businesses and individuals in Livingston. Stories about the Northern Pacific Railway, camping companies, farmers and ranchers, a dairy, manufacturers and more, and how locals help create the Yellowstone experience are relayed. A museum exhibit exploring Park County connections to Yellowstone National Park is slated to open later this summer.
The Stroll & Sip: Livingston Bar Tour begins at the shady, southwest corner of Park and Main, across from the Livingston Bar & Grille. This summer, the guide shares stories and photographs inside five to six bars while participants taste local Montana beers. A different beer will be featured at each stop. The tour features the history of several downtown bars and their owners, how bars reinvented themselves during Prohibition, the 1985 Livingston “Riot,” and madams and working girls who worked on South B Street’s Red Light District and beyond.
Offered for the second summer, the popular Ghosts & Ghost Signs tour begins outside the Livingston Depot, facing Park Street. Tour-goers discover ghost signs on historic buildings in Livingston’s downtown, revealing interesting stories associated with businesses and entrepreneurs of the past. This journey through time weaves through main streets and alleyways, and includes a few ghost stories.
Tours are led by museum staff and volunteers. Tours are approximately an hour and a half with multiple stops along the way. The Bars tour is two-hours long and includes five to six stops. Please arrive 10 minutes early, if possible. Sturdy shoes, water, sunscreen and a light jacket are recommended.
Tour tickets for Ghosts & Ghosts Signs and A Gateway City’s Ties to Yellowstone are $12 for adults and seniors, ages 12 and under are free. Tickets for Stroll & Sip are $25. Must be 21 years or older to participate in this tour. Purchase online tickets at www.eventbrite.com or pay cash at tour meeting place, prior to departure. Visit www.yellowstonegatewaymuseum.org or follow the YGM on social media for additional information. •
