Big Bud
Built by Havre’s Ron Harmon in 1977, the Big Bud 747 remains the world’s largest tractor. The colossal machine weighs more than 100,000 pounds and was designed to deep rip 10,000 acres of California cotton, 32 inches deep. In 1997, it was purchased by Montana’s Williams Brothers, who returned this agricultural treasure to the Treasure State.
The Fairfield Elevators
The elevators along U.S. Highway 89 at Fairfield stand as a testament to the community’s reputation as the “Malting Barley Capital of the World.” These elevators, owned by Busch Agricultural Resources, store malting barley to be used in Anheuser-Busch products.
Utah-Idaho Sugar Factory
Travelers on U.S. Highway 2 will see the stack of the Utah- Idaho Sugar Factory long before they reach Chinook. The community was founded on the production of sugar beets in the early 20th century, and the U&I Sugar plant was installed in 1925. In 1944, hundreds of Mexican nationals traveled to Chinook to work the sugar beet fields, and more famously, 250 German POWs were put to work on the harvest. The factory closed not long after, in 1952, due to a declining interest in sugar beets; however, the community keeps the history alive through its town mascot, the Sugarbeeter.
vRange Riders Museum
If you’re looking for the full eastern Montana experience, the Range Rider Museum at Miles City is near impossible to beat. With thirteen buildings and thousands of artifacts, this museum chronicles the history of the region, from the dawn of the dinosaurs up into the 20th century, with a primary focus on the Old West.