Museum board off to strong start in 2012

The year 2012 may be the end of history for the Mayans, but in Hill County, history is going strong, as the Hill County Museum Board comes off a strong year and into what looks to be an interesting one already.

The first big news at Monday night's board meetings was when board Chair Judi Dritshulas announced that Toni Hagener, a former Hill County commissioner and local history buff, had recently donated $7,500 to the Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump.

As work continues to update the site, Elaine Morse, Museum Foundation president, recalled Hagener talking about carrying materials down to the jump site to build the original structures, back when the terrain was a bit tougher, explaining her "vested interest in those buildings. "

Speaking of changes to the buffalo jump, Anna Brumley, manager of the site, said that the new interpretive center, built recently by YouthBuild students, was done and the foundation on the site has been laid. They are now waiting on the necessary permissions from the state to move the building to its destination and expect to do so in a matter of weeks.

The new interpretive center will, among its exhibits, be a new home to some of the more bison-specific items currently in the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum.

Though they may hardly notice in the bustle of a move that may be around the corner. The board didn't want to publicly discuss the details, like where the museum would move, until after they had official approval to begin.

If 2011 was the last full year the museum was in its current location, it will at least have been a successful one.

Museum Manager John Bruington told the board that attendance had been down 18 people from 2010, but revenue was up after a recent price bump.

Dritshulas pointed out that 2010 had been a record year, so 2011 was still more than normal. Other board members speculated that the late season at Glacier National Park and its Going-To-The-Sun Road had hurt tourism numbers across the state.

The board also announced that one of its members, new Chamber of Commerce President and Holiday Village Mall Manager Chandra Moomey, would be stepping down.

According to Dritshulas, she would still remain a part of the "inner circle. "