Fort Peck Interpretive Center

Introduction

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Situated near the base of the Fort Peck Dam, the Fort Peck Interpretive Center is a museum that explores the natural history of the region as well as the construction history of the dam. The museum also houses the Fort Peck Dam archives, which contains a variety of materials related to the dam and its construction including photographs, work items, personnel lists, and written accounts. Visitors will also see wildlife exhibits featuring a number of animals, as well as the two largest freshwater aquariums in Montana.

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Opened in 2005, the Fort Peck Interpretive Center features natural history exhibits and exhibits that tell the story of the Fort Peck Dam construction.

Backstory and Context

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The museum features many exhibits about dinosaurs featuring dinosaur models and skeletal molds. These include a life-size model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex (named "Peck's Rex) that was found 20 miles away; a cast of another T-Rex skull; and, suspended from the ceiling, aquatic dinosaurs including the 40-foot long skeleton cast of Tylosaur. The exhibits about the dam explore history the Native Americans and homesteaders who lived in the area before the dam was built, and the residents of boomtowns who lived here during its construction in the 1930s. There is also a life-size mural of tunnel construction and a 3-D model of the dam.

The Fort Peck Interpretive Center opened in 2005, seven years after "Peck's Rex" was found. It was the second-most complete fossil (75%) found up to that point. The idea for the museum originated from its discovery. The museum was developed by a partnership of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which manages it, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also offers educational interpretive programs, theater presentations, amphitheater programs, and even nature hikes. The museum offers tours of the dam's powerhouse as well.

Sources

"Fort Peck Interpretive Center." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed July 22, 2020. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Charles_M_Russell/visit/visitor_activities/FPIC.html.

Kordenbrock, Mike. "Fort Peck Interpretive Center offers prehistoric glimpse of Montana." Billings Gazette. May 14, 2017. https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/fort-peck-interpretive-center-offers-prehistoric-glimpse-of-montana/article_7be53a3c-ed15-5aa3-b0a9-f995cca1df68.html.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Additional Information