Bearcreek was named for the many bears that came to the area for berries. The town was founded in 1905-1906 on the wealth of the coal it produced. The post office was established in November of 1905. Built in 1906, the Montana, Wyoming, and Southern Railroads, carried a hundred carloads of coal a day from the valley. By the 1930s and early 1940s coal production had declined, replaced by diesel and gasoline as the primary fuel. On February 27, 1943, a devastating explosion at the Smith Mine, killed 74 men in the first blast. Others died from the exposure to poisonous gas during rescue work. Bearcreek was then left almost a ghost town.
40th Annual Kyi-Yo (Missoula)
(April 18 - 20, 2008)
Artists and Craftsmen of the Flathead Spring Show - (Kalispell)
(April 19 - 20, 2008)
Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale: Cello Passion - (Billings)
(April 19, 2008)
Annual Helena Railroad Fair (Helena)
(April 27, 2008)
2008 Ice Breaker Road Race (Great Falls)
(April 27, 2008)
Taste the Best of Bigfork (Bigfork)
(April 28, 2008)
For more information on events in Montana visit our Events page.