OLLI
Belgrade Community Library & Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Belgrade Community Library is once again to host a season of free community events with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU.
These programs are made free and open to the public thanks to generous sponsorship by Belgrade Community Library Foundation.
Registration is optional but encouraged for these events. There are links below for registration for each event, but once you’ve created an account you can register for all three at the same time. You will be asked to create an account if you do not have one already, but there is no charge for this event and it is open to the general community. While you’re there, please browse through the other great OLLI @ MSU offerings and consider joining them for more events as a member (a cost of $45 per year).
If you have questions about these events please call the library at (406)388-4346 and ask for Liz or email [email protected]. If you have questions about OLLI @ MSU in general or need help registering for these free events, please call them directly at (406) 994-6550.
Event Information and Descriptions
Sept 8 from 6:00-7:30PM Jon Axline presenting “Welcome to Montana: Automobile Tourism in the 1930’s.”
Register for this event.
Jon Axline, the historian and interpretive marker coordinator at the Montana Department of Transportation, will discuss how during the Great Depression, the Montana Highway Department improved over 5,000 miles of primary, secondary, and urban roads. The state’s highways transformed from the nation’s worst to one of the most modern systems in the US. The highway department developed automobile tourism programs to draw visitors to the state during the turbulent decade.
Oct 13 from 6:00-7:30PM Lance Craighead presenting “How Highways and Wildlife Intersect: History of Wildlife Crossing in Montana”
Register for this event.
In this talk, Lance Craighead of the Craighead Institute, will talk about the reasons highways are harmful to wildlife, the types of solutions that are available, and the history of safe wildlife crossings in Montana. He will then discuss current attempts to provide safe crossings in Montana and other western states.
Nov 10 from 6:00-7:30PM Craig Ehlert presenting “Recreating & Experiencing the History of Gallatin Valley through Ferroequinology”
Register for this event.
The railroad system in Montana has ties to every major industry in its history – from early tourism of Yellowstone, to mining, agriculture, coal, and logging – trains have been integral in the operation and success of the various ways organizations have tapped into Montana’s rich resources. Craig Ehlert, former professor of MSU and railroad historian, will explore how to the history of Gallatin Valley has ben shaped by the railway system and discuss how history can be recreated and experienced through the multifaceted hobby of model railroading.