Greetings from the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society!

The UBVHS has some exciting projects on the horizon for 2024, starting with the continued reconstruc- tion of the historic Matt King House on the UBVHS property adjacent to the school in downtown Lincoln. The King house is a true representation of the pioneer era in the valley.

It may be taking more time than we'd like, but the UBVHS is still working to realize our vision for the historic museum in downtown Lincoln. It will not only add appeal and charm to downtown Lincoln, but also provide an educational museum and interpretive center for use by locals, students and visitors to our community.

After many years of effort, and thanks to some generous donations, fundraising efforts and a bequest from the estate of Ron Lydiard, the UBVHS hired Cambrian Construction in 2023 to finish rebuilding the historic Matt King House. With a new roof added last year, the goal for this year is to complete installa- tion of the window and doors and to hopefully being work on the interior.

The UBVHS Main Street Property

We are also beginning efforts to raise funds to move our other historic buildings from the old interpretive site behind the Hi-Country Trading Post to the new site in town. We plan to have some of the less-perma- nent artifacts moved this summer. While the Hi Country location has served as the home for the histor- ical society since its inception in the 1990's, the UBVHS-owned property on Main Street will provide a permanent home for the Society and serve as a visible heritage tourism attraction.

Additionally, the UBHVS is working with Lincoln American Legion Post 9 to create a Veterans Memorial on our property in town. The historical society is providing the Legion with 25 x 25-foot location along Main street, near the center of the property for the memorial. The Legion is designing and raising funds to build the memorial that will commemorate the veterans, past and present, who have called the Upper Blackfoot Valley home.

The UBVHS Endowment

Thanks again to the Ron Lydiard bequest, the UBVHS has also been able to fund the the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society Endowment through the Montana community Foundation. The endowment provides donors with several advantages by contributing to the historical society, whether though the Montana Endowment Tax Credit, estate planning or a variety of other options.

The UBVHS needs your support

Taking on so many large projects has been a challenge. In the last few years the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society has been faced with dwindling membership. Many of our older members have sadly passed away. Still others have simply moved out of the area. We now find ourselves in need of a revital- ized membership base with an interest in preserving the unique stories of the Upper Blackfoot Valley and its place in the history of Montana and the nation.

From its Native American history as the River of the Road to the Buffalo to Lincoln's unfortunate brush with the burgeoning 24-hour news cycle of the 1990's, Lincoln has often had an overlooked place in history

Whether it's the return trip of Meriwether Lewis, the gold mining history of Lincoln and McClellan Gulches, the ranching stories of the families who carved out an existence up and down the Lincoln Valley following the mining boom, the logging industry that dominated in the mid 20th century or our history of hunting, recreation, and wilderness, there is plenty of history to explore here.

We will also be looking at options for updating Lincoln's popular history book, Gold Pans and Single- trees. There are some stories that weren't included in the original book and we'd like to record the local history from the 1950s through the early 2000s by those who lived it.

But we need help to tell those stories.

The UBVHS would like to ask the community for support in the form of memberships and volunteer hours. Donations are also appreciated, but now more than ever, we need manpower in the form of local volunteers to assist us with completing the new historic center in town, cataloging and preserving artifacts, grant writing and community interaction.

In addition, a renewed, healthy membership will provide support in the form of membership dues. Our dues are affordable for the individual or family, but they do add up over time and play an important part in the Society's continued survival and success.

Moving forward, memberships and participation will be vital to keeping the museum open and available to the public, not only as an attraction, but a gathering place for community events. An infusion of sup- port in the form of volunteer hours and financial support will allow us to create a better museum site for use and enjoyment by the community, a truly worthy cause that we hope folks will support.

Please consider purchasing a membership to the UBVHS and donating a few hours of your time. Ac- knowledgment and preservation of local history is not only our responsibility, but a love letter to the forebears who worked, lived and died here, carving a home out of the wilderness and creating the foundations of the unique community we live in and love today.

Please join us and do your part in ensuring the preservation and celebration of Lincoln's rich and unique heritage!

"The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of vantage, from which alone men see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living." –GK Chesterson