About the C.M. Russell Museum

After Charles M. Russell’s death in 1926, wife Nancy and son Jack moved to Pasadena, California, where they had previously spent their winters as a family. In 1928, the City of Great Falls purchased the Russell Home and Log Cabin Studio from Nancy, and started the Russell Memorial in 1930.

When longtime Russell family friend Josephine Trigg died in 1951, she left behind a number of Russell pictures, models, sketches, illustrated letters, and other works of art. The collection was to be held in perpetual trust “for the purpose of perpetuating the name of Charles M. Russell and in commemoration of my father and mother [Albert and Margaret Trigg].”

Later that year, Articles of Incorporation were prepared for the Trigg-C.M. Russell Foundation, Inc., a Montana non-profit corporation designed not only to acquire and house The Trigg Collection, but also other works of art.

It was determined that the logical plan would be to acquire the lot where the Trigg’s home was located, and erect a museum building there. This location adjoined the Russell Memorial, comprised of Russell’s Home and Log Cabin Studio, operated by the City. Fred Birch, first president of the corporation, advanced the funds to acquire the Trigg corner log and residence for $7,500. A campaign to raise the funds for the museum building was successful, and it was constructed for $58,175.

On September 26, 1953, the Trigg-Russell Memorial Gallery was opened to the public. The original Gallery was small, spanning only the rooms where the Hearse and Gallery 9 are presently located. When the Gallery opened in 1953, the only collection was The Trigg Collection. Shortly thereafter, acquisitions and exhibitions were added. By 1958, five years after its opening, over 80,000 people had visited the Gallery. It was later referred to as the C.M. Russell Gallery before being renamed as the C.M. Russell Museum in 1972.

In 1965, the Foundation received permission to expand, and a fundraising campaign was launched. The first expansion took place in 1969, with additional expansions in 1985, and 1998-99. The Trails to the Future expansion campaign (announced in March 1998 and completed in March 2001) added 30,000 square feet to the Museum.

Since that time, the Museum has continued to grow and expand in many ways, including its collections, exhibitions, staff, and supporters. The Museum now includes sixteen galleries and a large gift store, spanning a total of 76,000 square feet. The Museum Complex also includes the original Russell Home and Log Cabin Studio, which occupy a full city block. The C.M. Russell Museum has an average of 50,000 visitors a year from every state and several foreign countries. Our Permanent Collection exceeds 12,000 works of art and objects.