Special Events & Exhibits
CARTER COUNTY MUSEUM, EKALAKA, MT
Special Exhibits and Events
Check out this page for changing exhibits and special events at the Carter County Museum.
February 4, 11, & 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Reimagining Rural
Free Admission
Reimagining Rural, a series focused on strengthening rural community vitality, will kick off on Tuesday, February 4. Developed and organized by Montana State University Extension’s Community Vitality Program, Reimagining Rural brings small towns together for three evenings to learn from experts and other small towns.
Ekalaka is one of thirteen communities participating in the 2025 session. Locally, the program is being hosted by Carter County Museum and Carter County Extension and is meeting at Carter County Museum from 6 - 8 p.m. on Feb. 4, 11, and 18. The sessions are free and open to the public. Community members are encouraged to join and Montana teachers can receive up to 2 hours of continuing education credits for each meeting that they attend. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
April 21-28, 2025
International Dark Sky WEek
Free Admission
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As the repository for archaeological and paleontological material for Medicine Rocks State Park, Montana's first International Dark Sky Sanctuary, we are proud to participate in International Dark Sky Week 2025. International Dark Sky Week is a worldwide celebration of the night. From the darkness needed for a good night’s sleep to the activities healthy ecosystems and wildlife biodiversity, enhancing science and exploration, preserving cultural knowledge, and so much more.With artificial light at night increasing, dark skies worldwide are quickly fading—disrupting nocturnal habitats, diminishing our view of the stars, and changing our relationship to the night.We invite you to join us as we discover the night together, exploring its importance and the actions we can take to protect dark skies.
Events will include an Instagram series on dark sky education, and a pop up exhibit about Medicine Rocks State Park and the Dark Sky Association at the museum (open during regular hours).
Monday, May 5 at 5:30 P.m.
Carter County Geological Society Presents: "The Gunfight at Stoneville, Montana Territory: Feb. 14, 1884" with Mike Madler
Free Admission
Join us on Monday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the museum for a special program on the Stoneville fight. In territorial days the Black Hills was home to a band of outlaws known as the Axelbee Gang. Stoneville (now Alzada, Montana) was a lawless frontier settlement and one of their havens. In 1884 the Axelbee Gang and lawmen from Spearfish and Deadwood met at Stoneville in a bloody battle.
This program is presented by Mike Madler. Mike is is a retired land surveyor. He surveyed 47 years in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. Mike has always had an interest in history, especially frontier history and over the years he has researched and gathered historical information in the areas that he has worked. Since retirement he has put that information into exhibits and talks that he presents at area libraries and museums. Mike and his wife Donna live in Spearfish, South Dakota. They have three grown children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great- grandchildren.