Although the Livingston Depot Center serves today as a railroad history museum and community cultural center, the beautifully restored, century-old Northern Pacific Railroad station is almost an exhibit by itself.

The museum’s feature exhibit is “Rails Across the Rockies: A Century of People and Places.” Railroads were central to the opening of the American West, and the exhibit introduces visitors to regional and Northwest history through objects and photos. Video displays, a small train cabin mock-up and a live telegraph line bring alive the Yellowstone Park travel culture that first began in the 1880s and has been going strong ever since.

The main exhibit is rounded out by the additional displays: “The Livingston Depot in History and Architecture” and “Film in Montana,” which is a look at moviemaking under the “Big Sky.”

Making its debut in 2011 is “Six Shooters of the American West.” The exhibit will feature the photography of six photographers — “shooters” — of the American West.

The Livingston Depot Museum has brought in Allen Russell to curate the exhibit, and he is also one of the six photographers. Allen, from Livingston, specializes in photographing life in the American West, and he has brought together a notable group he has come to know while traveling and shooting the West.

“Because the American West offers such a vast array of iconic subjects, many photographers from around the world come here to attempt to capture its visual offerings,” Allen said. “But those I sought out for ‘Six Shooters of the American West’ all make the West their full-time home and know its locations, people and animals intimately.”

As you walk through the grand venue provided by the Livingston Depot, amid the images you begin to become aware that the American West is much more than just a place — it’s a feeling, an attitude, a mood, a way of being.

The shooters are Barbara Van Cleve, Jim Bechtel, Thomas Lee, Will Brewster, Allen Russell and Diana Volk.

“I was thrilled to be invited to be one of the ‘Six Shooters’ by Allen Russell,” photographer Volk said. “Allen is a fellow photographer that shares my passion in photographing the West. It is always a dream to have your work displayed in a wonderful setting like the Livingston Depot.

“Growing up on a ranch in Wyoming sparked my interest in barrel racing and team roping. My grandfather traded horses with the Native Americans, so as a young girl I was enthralled with their culture. The camera lets me capture the West as I see it.”

Photo courtesy of Warren McGee

“Yellowstone-bound Train at the Livingston Depot,” taken about 1904, is one of hundreds of railroad photos on display in the museum exhibit.

The museum plans to continue its “Third Thursday” summer program series, held at 7 p.m., beginning June 16, with an evening reception for the “Six Shooters” exhibit and all of the artists, and guest curator Russell.

The “Third Thursday” program scheduled for July 21 will feature “Movies at the Museum,” a collection of vintage railroad films of the 1920s and ’30s. The final “Third Thursday” will honor Livingston’s railroad heritage with railroad historian Warren McGee and friends on Aug. 18.

Photographer Diana Volk’s image, “Leader of a Nation,” top, and “The Lead Mare,” above, by Allen Russell, are two of the photographs on display this summer at the Depot.

The Depot Festival of the Arts takes place the weekend of July 4. Close to 100 artists and craftspeople will present their handiwork in Depot Rotary Park, directly adjacent to the Depot. Their works range from fused glass to oils, photography, fine jewelry, woodwork, furniture, fiber works, ceramics and more.

Also featured at the festival will be nonprofit-sponsored food kiosks and the highly popular Depot Foundation pie booth. This year marks the 24th festival since its inception. The event will run Saturday, July 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Monday, July 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Depot is an exceptional piece of architecture. Designed by Reed and Stem, the original architects for New York City’s Grand Central Station, it integrates the classic Northern Pacific yin-yang monad with lively terra cotta detail in an Italianate style.

The Depot served as the Northern Pacific’s central division headquarters and its showcase station between St. Paul and Seattle.

The Depot Museum exhibits in 2011 will run from May 28 through Sept. 5. Depot Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Admission for the 2011 summer season will be free.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Depot office at (406) 222-2300 or by visiting www.livingstondepot.org.

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The Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County houses an array of nationally and locally significant artifacts in the former Northside School at 118 W. Chinook St. The 1907 school is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

This summer the museum is undergoing a major makeover, including installing a heating and cooling system, to provide a controlled environment for its valuable collections and a year-round visiting experience.

To do the work, the museum’s collections have been moved to a storage facility. When the work inside the main building is completed, displays will be returned and redesigned, and new exhibits will be added.

The Yellowstone Gateway Museum houses more than 75,000 collection and archival items related to Park County and Yellowstone National Park history. These collections represent a cross section of the county’s residents, businesses, towns and industries. With more 11,000 years of occupancy, Park County provides a range of stories for everyone — residents and visitors alike.

When the museum re-opens, visitors will be able to experience the county’s history in new and exciting surroundings.

In the meantime, the museum has made arrangements for summertime visitors to enjoy some of its collections at off-site locations: The exhibits, with free admission, will be located at:

• Livingston Chamber of Commerce, 303 East Park Street: The railroad’s arrival in Livingston, and the coming of the Yellowstone Route — both rail and road — to Yellowstone National Park.
• Livingston-Park County Public Library, 228 West Callender Street: The story of agriculture development in the Shields River Valley.
• County-City Complex, 414 East Callender Street: A display of a wide arrangement of historic photos about Park County.

Look for the Yellowstone Gateway Museum’s grand re-opening at is Northside School location in September of this year.

For more information, call the museum at (406) 222-4184, or visit www.livingstonmuseums.org and click on “Yellowstone Gateway Museum.”

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