Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road Membership

Visitor Center and Museum in Cooke City, Montana on the Beartooth Highway

Current FBAAR Projects

Cooke City, Montana Project Overview

On Saturday, August 14, 2010, Cooke City, Montana held the Grand Opening for the new Visitor Information Center and Mining Museum. The Center now serves as a fantastic orientation site for visitors arriving on the Beartooth All-American Road. FBAAR assisted with the construction project by providing funds for a portion of the landscaping, a thermoplastic covered ADA accessible picnic table, and for a weathered, metal sculpture of a prospector that stands just at the Visitor Center's front door. Visitor center staffer Dee Smith reports, "The miner sculpture has been titled " Panning the Dream in Cooke City Montana Panning the Dream". He has become quite the tourist photo op! He is just the best rusty crusty fellow and perfect for Cooke!"

FBAAR also secured a National Scenic Byways grant that was used to contract for services with a professional interpretive design firm to:

Provide a complete inventory of currently available history, memorabilia, and historical documents that will be used to create interpretive media.
Identify final themes goals and objectives for the interpretive media that will be installed in the Center.
Provide the interpretive and functional design of the interior spaces of the building, as well as the exterior spaces immediately adjacent to and associated with the Mining Museum.
Provide estimated costs for fabrication of interpretive media.

In 2011 FBAAR will continue to work with the Cooke City Visitor & Information Center to develop an on-site interpretive panel that will tell the story of mining history in and around Cooke City.

With future funding FBAAR hopes to continue supporting community efforts to complete the Cooke City Mining Museum. Plans for the museum include an interpretive trail that will connect outdoor displays of large mining artifacts, an authentic old miner's cabin and a very amusing "moon door" outhouse! Inside displays will include historical information of Silver Gate, Cooke City, The New World Mining District, John Colter and the early beaver trading years, and local family histories.

Red Lodge, Montana & Cody Wyoming Project Overviews

FBAAR currently has National Scenic Byways grant money set aside to develop interpretive panels for both Red Lodge, Montana and Cody, Wyoming. There panels will serve as orientation points for visitors traveling to the Beartooth All-American Road.

Preliminary plans have interpretive panels located at community visitor centers with a focus on younger visitors to the Road and introductions to outdoor recreation and activities.

Shoshone National Forest Project Overview

In January, 2009 the Shoshone National Forest completed the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway & Beartooth Al-American Road Interpretive Plan. The interpretive plan provides a framework for implementing a coordinated, unified interpretive approach This framework sets the direction for high quality visitor experiences and community involvement. With this plan in place work has started on fabrication and installation of interpretive panels along the Shoshone National Forest section of the Beartooth All-American Road.

Through on-going fund raising efforts FBAAR hopes to provide the Shoshone Forest with matching dollar support as the interpretive plan continues to become reality.

Highway Web Cam project

Weather plays an important role on the Beartooth Highway, and knowing road conditions at high elevations during the summer travel season is crucial to visitors in the area. Road conditions vary greatly along the Highway and while one end of the road is open, the other may be closed due to a sudden storm. FBAAR hopes to work with both the Montana and Wyoming Departments of Transportation to identify possible locations for web cams that can be used to provide immediate weather related information to Highway visitors.

Supporting FBAAR Projects

FBAAR needs the continued support of all who value the uniqueness of the Beartooth All-American Road. It will take care, planning, and funding to continue FBAAR's mission.

"The Beartooth All-American Road will be managed in a manner that protects corridor resources; enhances visitor appreciation of the scenic, natural, recreational, cultural, historical and archaeological qualities of the corridor; and integrates the primary transportation role of the highway with other tourism attractions in the Northeast Yellowstone Scenic Corridors"

Please consider becoming and FBAAR Member, or making a donation today!