Billings Curation Center

The Billings Curation Center is the main repository for archeological and ethnographic collections recovered from the BLM-administered public lands in Montana and the Dakotas.

Montana archaeology spans more than 11,000 years and is represented by numerous bison kills, tipi rings, rock art, cairn monuments, and battle sites.  Each yields a variety of cultural materials and information about the past.

Items in the collections represent a variety of artifacts and time periods:

• Early Paleo-Indian Goshen
• Late Prehistoric side-notched points
• Bison bones
• Complete bone tools
• Early pottery
• Rock art
• European trade beads
• Homesteaders' material

The Billings Curation Center invites professional researchers, archaeologists, and university students to utilize the available resources.

Billings Curation Center Mission Statement: The mission of the Billings Curation Center, within the Branch of Land Resources, Montana State Office is: To catalog, curate, preserve and protect the cultural materials, historic and prehistoric, originating from Bureau of Land Management properties in Montana and the Dakotas, in accordance to the standards established in the National Park Service's Museum Property Handbook (411 DM). To encourage the scholarly use of the collections held at the Billings Curation Center, by way of educational programs and exhibits, student internships, and promoting their availability to researchers. 

Collections

Curated Material
The main collection consists of the artifacts, maps, samples, and associated documentation from the numerous public land surveys and excavations from Montana and the Dakotas. 

Comparative Collection

The BCC keeps raw lithic material from the region and faunal remains from the Northern Plains available for type and comparative studies.

Library Resources
Excavation and survey report, archaeology periodicals, professional journals, and reference books are available to further research.

Photographic Records
The BCC collection contains slides, prints, and negatives pertaining to the archaeology and history of the Northern Plains.