Celebrating Montana Preservation

2021 Award Recipients

Northwest Montana Lookout Association
The Northwest Montana Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association (NWMCFFLA) has advocated for lookouts since their chapter formation in 2013. One of the greatest contributions of the FFLA and the Montana chapter is the extensive volunteer work they contribute to restore historic forest fire lookouts.

The Monarch Depot Restoration Project and the Monarch-Neihart Historical Group
Constructed in 1901 to replace an earlier depot consumed by fire, the Monarch Depot operated until its 1945 closure by the Great Northern Railroad when the run proved financially unviable. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) acquired the depot within two years of its closure converting the building into a garage/machine shed. In 2013, Cascade County acquired the Monarch Depot and bestowed it to the Monarch-Neihart Historical Group, Inc. (MNHG), who immediately began their drive toward the depot’s preservation. The Monarch-Neihart Historical Group consulted with SHPO nearly every step of the way of this long process.

2019 Legislature and the Montana Museum's Act of 2020
The 2019 Montana State Legislature passed Senate Bill 338, known as the Montana Museums Act of 2020, an historic bill that will prove transformational for Montana and those who treasure its history. The Act benefits the creation of a new Heritage Center and historical sites and museums statewide through the creation of a grant program.

The Veterans Administration and the Freedom's Path Project (Governor's Award)
The 2021 Governor’s award goes to the Veterans Affairs staff who facilitated the Freedom’s Path project at Fort Harrison and preserved 11 of the fort’s National Register properties while providing housing for those without.

Montana Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places 2019-2020