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Welcome to the heart of Montana! Lewistown lies right in the center of Montana surrounded by the scenic beauty of the Judith, Moccasin and Snowy Mountains. While you’re in town, there are plenty of opportunities to relax and have fun in this picturesque setting. The local museum offers a peek into the area’s rich and exciting history with a variety of photos and artifacts from years gone by. If that sparks your interest in our local past, check out the public library which houses a variety of books, magazines and newspaper articles featuring regional information. The library also houses the Lewistown Genealogical Society where those interested in digging into their own past may find detailed records and family links. The Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce has maps outlining walking tours where visitors may view the many historic buildings in our area. And for those with a passion for art, there’s the Lewistown Art Center featuring the work of Montana artists and craftspeople. Also available is a gift shop where guests may purchase a piece of Montana talent to take home with them. While in town, be sure to take a break along Big Spring Creek which winds its way through town. The creek is the source of some of the best tasting water around and, thanks to Big Spring Water Company, you can grab a bottle of our water at most grocery and convenience stores and sample it for yourself! The entire family is sure to enjoy a day at the city park featuring great waterslides, an Olympic sized pool, picnic areas, a beautiful flower garden and lots of playground equipment. Or try to catch a baseball game or other sporting event. There’s almost always something going on somewhere in town! And your family will love spending an evening at our drive-in theater ... one of the few left in the state. While here, be sure to spend an afternoon strolling the wide variety of shops and stores lining Lewistown’s Main Street and the other areas of town. You can find something for everyone, whether it’s a souvenir to help you remember your visit or a gift to share Lewistown with someone back home. And we can’t forget the taste buds! Lewistown offers many restaurants and lots of down home country cooking as well as speciality restaurants. If nothing else, just sit back and enjoy the relaxed, rural atmosphere and friendly conversation of the local community. Have you read any good books lately? You have if you’ve visited the Lewistown Public Library. Lewistown Public Library offers both an outstanding selection of books and a taste of Lewistown history as well. The original Carnegie Library was built in 1905, and is reflective of the stone masonry for which the town is known. The Busch Addition was built in 1960, and the most recent addition built in 1990 was made possible by a community coupon drive. Located on the corner across from the Fergus County Courthouse on Main Street and Seventh Avenue, the library is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m, and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Library patrons will find a selection of books in every subject area, including a collection of Montana and local history books. All books are indexed on computer to make looking up that title, subject or author a breeze. In 1996, the internet came to Lewistown via the library, as well. Of particular importance during tax season, most federal and state tax forms and publications are available at the library. And for those who would like to trace their family roots, the Lewistown Geneological Society is headquartered upstairs in the library. The library also has a collection of books available in large print for those with visual problems. Biographies, westerns, mysteries and non-fiction materials are available, as well as books on cassette. A large children’s book section is also available for the younger generation in Lewistown, and a story hour for pre-schoolers offered weekly by the children’s librarian is a big hit. (Please check with the library at (406) 538-5212 for time and day). The Lewistown Public Library thrives on community support. The Friends of the Library, formed in 1969, has been a valuable source of financial support for the library and is the sponsor of noon-hour book reviews. Residents of Fergus County may obtain a library card at no charge. Those who are visiting the area and would like to check out books can do so by purchasing a $25 visitor’s card. Visitor’s cards are good for one year from purchase. Library director Bridgett Johnson said the library staff is very public-service oriented. Well worth the trip off of Lewistown’s busy Main Street is a visit to the Lewistown Art Center. Through the years, members of the Lewistown Art Center and volunteers have gathered and restored bits and pieces of old buildings and other items from throughout Central Montana. From the stained glass windows of the old hospital to the lovely stone walls of the center itself, these treasures have combined to make the center such a special spot. The center has 12 exhibits annually in its Gallery Area. The gallery exhibits primarily feature local, state and regional artists who work in differing mediums and styles. Also featured in the Art Center is the Signature Gift Shop, offering the finest in original Montana art, pottery, prints, paintings, jewelry, weaving, books and other gift items from a wide array of Montana artists. The Lewistown Art Center also serves Central Montana by providing workshops, art classes, performing arts and outreach for the enrichment and enjoyment of all. With the continued support of the Central Montana communities, the Lewistown Art Center looks forward to bringing the arts to our beautiful corner of the world. The Lewistown Art Center is located at 801 West Broadway and open to the public free of charge. Central Montana Historical Museum is located adjacent to the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce, 408 E. Main St., Lewistown, (406) 538-5436, FAX (406) 538-5437. The museum is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and during the winter when Chamber of Commerce staff is present. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Spend the day in a local park Whether you’re looking for a nice picnic spot, a game of tennis, swimming or just a place to let the kids roam, you’ll find plenty of parks in Lewistown for your enjoyment. Frank Day City Park: End of Fifth Avenue South. Picnic tables, barbecues, playground equipment, outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool and double-plumed waterslide, volleyball pit, winter ice skating rink and warming house. Symmes Park: East Main Street between Ridgelawn and Prospect streets. Tennis court, playground equipment, picnic tables, baseball and horseshoes. Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce and museum are also located at the edge of the park. School Park: At 4th Ave. S. and Cook St., adjacent to Frank Day City Park. Baseball diamond and basketball court. Triangle Park: Along the railroad tracks at the corner of 10th Ave. N. and Washington St. Wooden playground apparatus and swingset, picnic tables. Also known as Railroad Park or Sunken Garden Park. Hawthorne Park: 204 W. Evelyn. Playground equipment, baseball diamond, basketball courts and children’s play area. Kiwanis Park: 1103 Seventh Avenue N. Skate park, basketball courts, baseball diamond, playground equipment, picnicking. Robinson Park: Off the Airport Road, unmaintained, with some picnic tables. Opportunities for bird watching and nature observation. d’Autremont Softball Complex: Near the airport on Airport Road. Softball fields, walking trail nearby. Home of Montana Softball Hall of Fame. Reed’s Fort Post Office: On Casino Creek Drive between Brassey and Shields Streets. Site of historic Reed’s Fort Post Office, a small log structure which once served as a military post office. Picnic table. Soroptimist Park: At the Mill Ditch next to the Yogo Inn. Picnic table, flower bed. The site of a flour mill that burned down in the 1960s. Jaycees Park: At the corner of Park Ave. and Cottonwood St. Baseball diamond, basketball courts, children’s play area. Judith Park: One quarter mile north on US Hwy. 191. Children’s play area, rest undeveloped. The Lewistown City Pool is the place to beat the heat during the Central Montana summer. The 50 meter pool features three diving boards and two waterslides. The pool is open to the public and offers swimming and diving lessons, a swim team and a variety of special events throughout the summer. The pool may also be rented for private use. The city pool is located in Frank Day Park at 1401 Sixth Ave. South. The Lewistown Civic Center is the area’s hub of indoor recreational activities. The civic center offers a gymnasium, weight room, indoor archery and rifle ranges, meeting rooms, locker rooms, indoor golf driving range and roller skating arena. The civic center hosts a variety of recreational leagues and programs throughout the year, including volleyball, basketball, archery and rifle leagues. A number of other outdoor programs are also run out of the civic center. In addition, roller skates and cross-country skis are available for rent. The civic center is located at 309 5th Ave. South. It is open from Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. - 10 p.m; Saturday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 7 p.m. For more information, call (406) 538-3045. How
about dinner and a movie? The Westernaire Drive-In theater, located west of town, is among only a handful of its kind throughout the state and is open only during the summer months. Main Street’s Judith Theater invites audiences to recline in the old-fashioned plush velvet seats five nights a week as it plays new releases on its screen. For
more information about the Judith Theater or movies call (406) 538-9509.
Everything imaginable to tempt your taste buds Central Montana is popular for variety. There is the variety offered by the surrounding landscape including five mountain ranges and rolling fields. And then there is the variety of all the restaurants in the area. The following restaurants may be found in Lewistown:
For information about restaurants in the outlying communities, contact the local Chamber of Commerce at (406) 538-5436 or inquire in the individual towns.
There’s more to Big Spring Creek than excellent fishing Big Spring Creek is Lewistown’s pride and joy. The springs are the source of Lewistown’s world famous pure water, and the creek itself draws fly fishermen from all over the country. Lewistown residents plan to keep their stream in top form. A watershed partnership is continually improving stream quality in cooperation with landowners. The Brewery Flats Project is also in the works to restore the stream to a meandering pattern just south of town along Upper Spring Creek. The stream was straightened years ago, and project organizers are actively working to improve stream dynamics by restoring it back to a meander pattern. The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks owns the land and is working closely with other agencies and community leaders on the project. A committee is also working to raise funds to put in hiking and education trails in the area. These trails could eventually be expanded into an entire trails system covering much of Lewistown. Big Spring Creek is popular with fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy swimming and tubing. The water temperature of the main stream at the hatchery is a constant 52 degrees with a flow rate of 130 cubic feet per minute – factors that are integral to the stream’s thriving trout fishery. From the headwaters, Big Spring Creek flows in a northwesterly direction and includes a flood-control bypass channel that skirts eastern Lewistown before rejoining the main stem just north of town. The creek flows through town, including a section that flows under the downtown area. The Montana Tavern on Main Street even has a Plexiglas covered opening where patrons can peer into the creek. Downstream from Lewistown, Big Spring Creek covers another 16 miles or so before its confluence with the Judith River. The creek is 30 feet wide in many places and has a good mix of pool and riffle characteristics. Lots of weed beds cover gravel bars and brush-covered banks are common along many stretches. There are a couple of upstream public access sites off Upper Spring Creek Road including the hatchery and at bridges, and a FWP access on Lower Spring Creek about four miles out of town. Fish populations include large numbers of good-sized rainbow and brown trout. Staff at several local sporting goods stores have the scoop when it comes to hatches and just the right bait. Time spent in Lewistown just isn’t complete without taking a few minutes to enjoy our beautiful Big Spring Creek. Local chamber offers several walking tours With so much to see so close to Lewistown, it’s easy to forget that there’s another way to see the town. Lewistown has walking tours, an enchanting way to see the historic side of Lewistown. There are two historical walking tours provided by the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce. The tours consist of four districts: Silk Stocking, Courthouse Square, Central Business and Judith Place. Each takes the walker on a historical stroll into the past. The Silk Stocking District, named because those residents could afford them, illustrates the success of Central Montana pioneer entrepreneurs. Silk Stocking consists of seven large residences that were owned and occupied by prominent people between 1905-1919. The Courthouse Square and Central Business district tours are combined. Courthouse Square includes the Fergus County Courthouse, the Lewistown Art Center, and Carnegie Library, now known as the Lewistown Public Library. The Central Business District focuses on the architecture of downtown Lewistown. The sandstone was quarried south of town, and was cut, blasted and laid without modern machinery, using simple hand tools. Although a tour map has not been completed yet, the Judith Place District is located on the eastern edge of Lewistown near Symmes Park. The majority of these homes were built from 1912 to the 1920s for middle-class families. Information about the districts, as well as tour maps, can be obtained from the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce.
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