2822 Montana Avenue Billings, MT 59101 http://www.ywhc.org/ The       Western       Heritage Center       is       a       regional museum     located     in     the Historic           District           in downtown                 Billings, Montana.      This      museum used     to     be     the     Parmly Billings     Memorial     Library. Built   in   1901,   the   library   turned   museum   houses   a   collection   of artifacts about the history of the Yellowstone River Valley. The   Western   Heritage   Center   is   affiliated   with   the   Smithsonian Institutionand   is   accredited   by   the   American   Alliance   of   Museums. The    museum    opened    in    1971    after    a    organized    group    of concerned    citizens    prevented    the    building    from    meeting    the wrecking ball and being turned into a parking lot. The   museum   is   housed   in   the   Parmly   Billings   Memorial   Library building,   a   Richardsonian   Romanesque   building   built   in   1901   and listed    on    the    National    Register    of    Historic    Places.    The    WHC's mission   is   to   promote   an   appreciation   of   the   history   of   the   Northern High    Plains    by    collecting,    sharing,    and    preserving    stories    and artifacts of Yellowstone River Valley life. In   2001,   the   WHC   received   the   Montana   Governor's   Humanities Award,   being   only   the second   organization   to receive       the       honor reserved   for   individual contributions      to      the Humanities.      In   2002, the   WHC   became   the first            Smithsonian Institution           affiliate museum         in         the Northern             Plains. Beginning      in      2004, and   presently   running through     2008,     WHC received             federal appropriations   from   the   United   States   Department   of   the   Interior for    the    American    Indian    Tribal    Histories    Project,    a    program contributing   to   the   preservation   of   Crow   and   Northern   Cheyenne tribal histories. The    Western    Heritage    Center    is    committed    to    providing    public programs   at   minimal   or   no   cost.   Programs   include   the   monthly High   Noon   lecture   and   video   series,   teacher   workshops,   school traveling   trunks,   eight   traveling   exhibits,   partnerships   with   regional museums,    and    active    participation    in    local    events.    The    WHC coordinates five to seven changing exhibits each year. The    Western    Heritage    publishes    books,    video    materials,    and education   kits   relating   to   regional   history.   The   museum   cares   for 17,000    artifacts    that    illustrate    and    document   Yellowstone    River Valley history.

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  Western Heritage Center