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This
house museum is a monument to beauty, hard work and
luck. Charles M. Bair came to Montana in 1883 as a
conductor on the Northern Pacific Railroad and went
into the ranching business in 1891. He made his
fortune in the Alaska gold rush and went on to
invest in mining, oil and real estate. Bair was one
of the most successful sheep owners in the world, at
one time running over 300,000 head. Among his
friends were Will Rogers, Chief Plenty Coups and
many U.S. Presidents.
The Bair home
was built around an old homestead house, finished in 1936,
in time for Mr. and Mrs. Bair's Fiftieth Wedding
Anniversary. Bair's daughters, Alberta and Marguerite, who
were the last to live in the house, purchased many of the
antiques and works of art on their frequent trips to Europe.
A few of the Native American artifacts are displayed in the
Pine room, the Bair's favorite, including a small beaded
vest given to Alberta Bair at about age six by Chief Plenty
Coups.
A trip to the
Bair Home would allow the visitor to step into the home of
one of Montana’s most prosperous families. A collection of
Paul Storr Silver fills the formal dining room that also
contains a Duncan Phyfe table along with an 18th century
British sideboard. |
