The most grand of the homes is the Conrad Mansion … a 26 room Norman style Victorian built by one of Kalispell’s founders. It is thought to be the most authentic turn of the century home in the Pacific Northwest.

The 1903 Carnegie library, with its domed octagonal entry ,is the most beautiful Carnegie library that we have encountered.  Originally built to serve the local logging camps, it now houses the Hockaday Center for the Arts. It was our luck that our visit coincided  with an exhibit of original works by Winold Reiss. We are big fans … especially the vibrant and stylistic calendar art he did for the Great Northern Railroad.

A lagoon filled with swans, geese and ducks runs through the heart of Woodland Park … it is not wondrous but is a pleasant municipal park. Interestingly it was created from a "mosquito bog" as a 1937 WPA project. Thousands of native trees and shrubs were transplanted from surrounding areas.

This 1894 Richardsonian Romanesque building functioned as a school for almost a century. Today it houses the Northwest Montana Historical Museum. Here we saw a photograph of Chief Two Guns White Calf ... a Blackfeet Chief whose portrait was reportedly used on the buffalo nickel.

A bit of whimsy … this life size bear dangles a paw over the edge of a downtown building as if considering a swipe at the painted fish.

It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this Art Deco building!

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