Carter County Museum to Build Planetarium, Multiple MDT Museums Expanding
Over the past twenty years, it has been the pursuit of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and its partners to not only dig up the truth about our prehistoric world, but to make paleontological discoveries accessible and enjoyable to the public. While each museum has its permanent fixtures, each seeks to engage its visitors with fresh and exciting displays, exhibits, and events. In fact, several MDT museums are in the process of expanding to better serve their communities. These include the Old Trail Museum in Choteau, the Montana Dinosaur Center in Bynum,the Depot Museum in Rudyard, and the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka.
“The expansion of the Carter County Museum will add approximately 15,000 square feet, fully utilizing the available land space to better reflect the world-class nature of the museum’s collections,” explains Sabre Moore, Executive Director of the Carter County Museum.
Even with the current 5,800-square-foot building and a limited staff, the Carter County Museum receives over 5,000 in-person visitors per year. Adding the additional 15,000 square feet will allow the public the opportunity to view the full collection of fossils the museum has in their possession, greatly increasing the educational value of each visit. With climate- control added to the building, there will be space on site to receive and preserve new fossils and other historic artifacts to better store and expand the collection. The addition of a children’s area will provide an age-appropriate place for kids to learn, play, and foster an interest in Montana’s past, as well as provide a dedicated location for summertime activities and afterschool programming (a blessing for a community with few public daycare options).The “Ekalaktic Dome” will provide the only public planetarium within a 300-mile radius and will serve as a space for educational programming as well.
“We are still in the fundraising stages for the museum renovation and expansion,” says Moore, who is excited to see the project unfold.
For more information, visit cartercountymuseum.org.