Exhibitions
Museum of the Rockies offers a captivating array of exhibit areas that showcase the wonders of our world. In the Siebel Dinosaur Complex, visitors can explore the Landforms/Lifeforms exhibit and immerse themselves in the awe-inspiring Dinosaurs Under The Big Sky. Journeying further, you'll discover Welcome to Yellowstone Country, Paugh History Hall, and the Taylor Planetarium. Additionally, the museum features over 6,000 square feet of exhibit space dedicated to changing exhibits, ensuring there's always something new and exciting to discover.
On the second floor, the Martin Children's Discovery Center awaits with its interactive Explore Yellowstone exhibit, specially designed for young visitors up to eight years old. Outside, you'll encounter remarkable sculptures and living exhibits, including the majestic horse statue Rusty, the iconic bronze T. rex known as Big Mike, and the immersive Living History Farm, an authentic 1890s Montana homestead complete with costumed interpreters, heirloom gardens, and flower beds.
The changing exhibits program at Museum of the Rockies plays a vital role in fulfilling our mission of bringing the world to Montana. With a focus on diversity and complementing our primary exhibits, this program entices visitors to return throughout the year. It has grown in both scope and scale, now featuring internationally renowned exhibits that embark on nationwide tours. To support these exhibits, the museum established the Changing Exhibits Fund, which allows us to raise funds and offset the associated costs.
Since 2000, over 60 captivating changing exhibits have been showcased at the museum, captivating audiences with their fascinating themes. Some of the most beloved exhibitions include Tutankhamun: Wonderful Things from the Pharaoh's Tomb (2007), Leonardo Da Vinci: Machines in Motion (2010), Frogs! A Chorus of Color (2011), Treasures of Napoleon (2012), Geckos: Tails to Toepads (2014), Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero: The Villas of Oplontis Near Pompeii (2016), CROCS: Ancient Predators in a Modern World (2017), Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World (2018), The Real Genghis Khan (2019), Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly (2020), The Vikings Begin (2021), Apsaalooke Women and Warriors (2022), Da Vinci The Exhibition (2023), Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids: Mythic Creatures (2024), and SUE: The T. rex Experience (2025).
MOR Exhibitions, the traveling exhibitions division of Museum of the Rockies, is renowned for its expertise in creating, designing, and producing exceptional traveling exhibits. For over 30 years, we have worked closely with museums worldwide, delivering original and high-quality exhibits that captivate millions of visitors. Our technical proficiency ensures seamless installation, allowing exhibition halls to be up and running quickly with minimal effort.
Every exhibit produced by MOR Exhibitions is meticulously researched and developed by our dedicated curators and exhibition teams, resulting in a truly unique catalog of traveling exhibits that cannot be found elsewhere. For inquiries about our remarkable lineup of traveling exhibits, please contact Scott A. Williams to explore their availability and bring a touch of MOR's excellence to your museum.
MOR Exhibitions
Developed from the museum's extensive railroad photographic collection by Ron V. Nixon, the exhibit presents a selection of 55 historic images of three important American railroads; the Northern Pacific Railway, The Milwaukee Road, and the Great Northern Railway.
The photographs of Ron Nixon provide critical documentation of the events and landscapes of American railroad history. His knowledge of railroads and skill as a photographer combined to create a significant view of railroads and the scenic beauty of the lands they traversed. Recognized as one of America's best railroad photographers, this exhibition features photographs that chronicle the evolution of steam, electric, and diesel-electric locomotives across the varied landscape of the eastern prairies and the western mountains.
What's great about it?
The exhibition “The Railroads of Ron V. Nixon” presents the steam, electric, and diesel eras of three railroads by one of the best railroad photographers of our time. His dramatic views offer a unique experience with the historic world of railroading.
What's in it?
- 55 images framed in 20" x 24" metal frames
- 175 linear feet
- 5 text panels
This is a collection of 75 black and white photographs produced from the Photo Archive at Museum of the Rockies and documents the operation of one of the largest sheep ranches in southwest Montana. From spring lambing, shearing, high-mountain grazing, and cross-country herding, the exhibition chronicles sheep ranching in the Paradise Valley of the Yellowstone River through the beautiful photographs of John C. Haberstroh.
John Haberstroh began making photographs in 1915, using a folding Kodak model 3A, a camera he used exclusively for over thirty years. His growing talent and knowledge of photography led to his becoming manager of the photography department for Sax and Fryers in Livingston, Montana, in the early twenties. Through store displays, John began to market his photographs successfully. It was also during this time that John began photographing the operations of the Harvat sheep ranch in Livingston and the Paradise Valley, a project that he would eventually devote over thirty years to.
What's great about it?
The exhibition combines the aesthetic fine art photography of John Haberstroh and a documentary view of sheep ranching in Montana. The exhibit presents life on a sheep ranch from spring lambing, early summer shearing, summer high mountain grazing, fall shipping, and the daily lives of the sheepherder and his dog.
What's in it?
- 75 images in 20" x 24" wooden frames
- 250-300 linear feet
- 6 text panels: 1 Intro panel and 5 descriptive panels
Little Shadow Catcher: The Life and Work of David F. Barry, is a photographic exhibition about one of the most significant photographic artists of the American West. The exhibition consists of 45 archival photographic prints of Barry’s work taken directly from original plate-glass negatives held in the collections of the Denver Public Library.
David F. Barry worked out of his studio in Bismarck, ND from 1878 to 1890, traveling to military outposts and Indian reservations to photograph soldiers and Lakota people who participated in the Sioux War of 1876. Included here are photographs made by Barry's partner Orlando S. Goff whose images of Lt. Col. George Custer and his officers were highly sought after following the battle on the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory.
The exhibit explores Barry’s life, work, and legacy during his years in Dakota Territory and features images of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation where Sitting Bull, Gall, Rain-in-the-Face, and their people were settled in the 1880s.
Museum of the Rockies Curator of History, Michael Fox examines Barry as an artist, salesman, entrepreneur, adventurer, small-town studio photographer, and ultimately, a participant in and purveyor of the myth of the American West.
What's great about it?
- The first traveling exhibition devoted to the photographic works and life of D. F. Barry.
- Iconic photographs of the early American west featuring Sitting Bull, George Armstrong Custer, Red Cloud, Chief Gail, and many more!
- The only photographer invited to document the 10-year reunion of survivors (US Cavalry and Lakota) at the battlefield of the Little Bighorn.
- Discover how a young photographer went from apprentice to master in the rough and ready town of Bismarck, Dakota Territory and whose iconic images of the 19th Century west illuminate our vision of the events of the 1870s and '80s.
What's in it?
- 45 framed photographic archival images, 45 16”x 20” and 3 large canvas prints (44 ¼” x 55 ½” and 41 ¼” x 51 ¼”)
- Six text panels that examine Barry’s work from a historical perspective.
- Optional large format camera.
