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Montana Military Museum
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DescriptionLocated at Fort Harrison, Helena, Montana, The Montana Military Museum is a non-profit, all volunteer effort to honor brave Montanans who served State and Nation. This effort to tell Montana’s rich military history is a joint effort by the Montana Department of Military Affairs, the Montana National Guard Museum Activity, the non-profit Fort William Henry Harrison Museum Foundation, and the volunteer staff who devote their time and creative energies to share these often remarkable true stories.
Fort Harrison was first established in 1892 and garrisoned by troops from Fort Assiniboine in 1895. It was also used to assemble volunteers for the Spanish American War in 1898. It remained an active army post until 1913. Its subsequent history included acting as a mustering site for Montana troops bound for the Mexican Border Campaign of 1916 and France in 1917. It served as a training site for National Guardsmen between the two world wars and continues today.
The Fort is probably best known outside Montana as the home of WW II’s First Special Service Force (FSSF). Nicknamed by German forces, “The Black Devils or Devil’s Brigade” at Anzio during the Italian Campaign, the exploits of those soldiers are considered the lineage for today’s Special Forces who continue to train here. (The Montana Historical Society Museum located near the State Capitol also has displays on its third floor regarding the role of the FSSF and Montana’s 163rd Regiment during WWII.)
Primary centers for the Montana National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, and U.S. Navy Reserve are located at Fort Harrison, which is also the home of the Veterans Administration hospital where thousands of ill and injured veterans have been treated for the past eight decades.
The driving force for the creation of this museum came in the mid-1980’s from veterans from two of the World War II units highlighted in our museum: the 163rd Regiment of the Montana National Guard who fought in New Guinea and the Philippines and the Canadian-American First Special Service Force who were formed and trained at Fort Harrison and fought in Italy and France. In addition to those units, the museum also recognizes the sacrifice and service of Montanans in the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.
The museum’s displays, created under the direction of the late Helena artist and museum curator Robert Morgan, cover more than two centuries of military experiences related to Montana: from the arduous journeys of the Lewis and Clark Army expedition through Montana in 1805 – 1806, the Indian conflicts of the 1860’s and ‘70’s, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Exhibits, including uniforms, firearms, and equipment worn and used by fighting men for more than a century dramatize these events.
Home Pagehttps://montanamilitarymuseum.org/Contact UsCityHelenaContributor TypeMuseumMontana National Guard Newsletters
Fort Harrison was first established in 1892 and garrisoned by troops from Fort Assiniboine in 1895. It was also used to assemble volunteers for the Spanish American War in 1898. It remained an active army post until 1913. Its subsequent history included acting as a mustering site for Montana troops bound for the Mexican Border Campaign of 1916 and France in 1917. It served as a training site for National Guardsmen between the two world wars and continues today.
The Fort is probably best known outside Montana as the home of WW II’s First Special Service Force (FSSF). Nicknamed by German forces, “The Black Devils or Devil’s Brigade” at Anzio during the Italian Campaign, the exploits of those soldiers are considered the lineage for today’s Special Forces who continue to train here. (The Montana Historical Society Museum located near the State Capitol also has displays on its third floor regarding the role of the FSSF and Montana’s 163rd Regiment during WWII.)
Primary centers for the Montana National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, and U.S. Navy Reserve are located at Fort Harrison, which is also the home of the Veterans Administration hospital where thousands of ill and injured veterans have been treated for the past eight decades.
The driving force for the creation of this museum came in the mid-1980’s from veterans from two of the World War II units highlighted in our museum: the 163rd Regiment of the Montana National Guard who fought in New Guinea and the Philippines and the Canadian-American First Special Service Force who were formed and trained at Fort Harrison and fought in Italy and France. In addition to those units, the museum also recognizes the sacrifice and service of Montanans in the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.
The museum’s displays, created under the direction of the late Helena artist and museum curator Robert Morgan, cover more than two centuries of military experiences related to Montana: from the arduous journeys of the Lewis and Clark Army expedition through Montana in 1805 – 1806, the Indian conflicts of the 1860’s and ‘70’s, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Exhibits, including uniforms, firearms, and equipment worn and used by fighting men for more than a century dramatize these events.
Home Pagehttps://montanamilitarymuseum.org/Contact UsLocated at Fort Harrison complex, Helena, MT
406-324-3550
CityHelenaContributor TypeMuseumMontana National Guard NewslettersImage
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Montana Military Museum. Montana History Portal, accessed 18/07/2025, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/95503
