Preserve Montana and the Western Heritage Center teamed up Saturday to give history enthusiasts a rare look inside some of Billings' most iconic and typically off-limits historic properties.
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The event, called Explore Montana: Hidden Billings, is a self-guided tour that gave participants access to a dozen historic sites across the city, spaces that are not usually open to the public.
"We have a dozen sites across the city that are opening private spaces for participants," Lauren Hunley, community historian at the Western Heritage Center, said.
Featured stops included the Babcock building, the Billings mausoleum, the L and L building, and the Yukon building.
"You can get behind the scenes and really explore them," Preserve Montana executive director Jennifer Buddenborg said.
The Western Heritage Center partnered with Preserve Montana, a Helena-based organization that has hosted similar events in the state capital for years, to bring the tour to Billings for the first time.
"We've partnered with Preserve Montana at Helena. It's an incredible organization," Hunley said.
"It looks great to be able to bring this to additional communities across the state," Buddenborg said.
The event took roughly 10 months to organize, involved nearly 40 volunteers, and drew approximately 225 ticket holders, with more purchasing at the door.
"It really has taken a lot of people. It takes a lot of effort. But it's really cool to be a part of something like this with them," Buddenborg said.
The Western Heritage Center also opened its own collection space, archive, and tower to the public for the first time in years.
"Having the tower open today for anybody hasn't happened in a really long time," Hunley said.
The event coincided with the 53rd Annual Montana History Conference, drawing an overlap of attendees passionate about the state's past. Among them were Graham Hughes and his son, David Hughes, who traveled to Billings for the conference from Florence and joined the Hidden Billings tour.
"Montana is full of fascinating history and legacies that we should continue to learn and continue to pass on for younger generations," Graham Hughes said.
"I think it's fascinating and interesting," David Hughes said.
For organizers, the event is about more than just opening doors; it is about strengthening the connection between a community and its history.
"It really creates the community. It creates the sense of identity...that we all have to a place or a community," Buddenborg said.
"If we want to understand who we are, we've got to know who we were," Hunley said.
