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Wild & Wacky

Wild & Wacky

Travel is all about F. U. N. Out here, we don’t have to work hard to find it—it just happens. It’s truly part of our charm. Call it weird. Or just wacky. Either way, we have plenty to share.

Glendive

Dinosaurs certainly qualify as wild, with a few in Glendive being wilder than others—like the T rex that “explodes” out of the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum. In this town, dinos have evolved into pop culture icons. Play “I Spy” with the dinos or cast your vote for the wackiest. Selfies encouraged.

Prairie Rose Museum

Elvis has NOT left the building at Prairie Rose Classics in Baker. Find the King of Rock ‘n Roll amongst an incredible collection of pristine classic cars and 50s memorabilia. The private museum’s Diesel- and Ethyl-labeled restrooms continue the vintage vibe.

Pompeys Pillar National Monument

Which way do we go? While technically correct, this sign makes us laugh. Turn left for Pompeys Pillar National Monument, where Captain William Clark of “William & Clark” fame, carved his name on the rock pillar in 1806. If you go right, you will drive through the unincorporated rail community with the same name. We suggest you turn left.

O’Fallon County Museum

Recorded as the largest steer in the world at 3,980 pounds, Steer Montana was born in the Fertile Prairie community (yes, you read that right). He “toured” the country, both alive and taxidermized, as an early 1900s fair attraction with the O’Fallon County Museum in Baker as his final resting place. Rumor has it that whiskey mash contributed to his Prohibition-era girth. Gup…

While touring the museum, ask to see the “secret” opening where the jail-keeper’s wife served food to the prisoners who were imprisoned upstairs, when the main floor served as the jail office and the jail-keeper’s residence.

Yellowstone County Museum

The weird cattle theme continues at Yellowstone County Museum with a two-headed calf – named Charlie & Russell (more creative Montana humor, as per artist, Charles M Russell). While adults might be weirded-out by this anomaly, children are naturally drawn to the faux version in the gift store, where you can get literally get two for the price of one.

Strangely enough, this is not the only location for a two-headed calf. We’ve spotted similar twinsies at Carter County Museum in Ekalaka and Powder River Historical Museum in Broadus.

Speaking of Broadus…

Visit this town along Highway 212, and you’ll likely see signs and banners claiming: “Powder River! Let’er Buck!” More than 100 years ago, this was the rallying cry of WWI infantrymen from the Powder River Basin who boasted their home river was “a mile wide, an inch deep, and runs uphill.” Fellow soldiers, while bewildered by the quirky Westerners, appreciated the humor and “Let’er Buck” is still heard—and proudly proclaimed on signs across the community—more than a century later.

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