David Thatcher of Montana was one of 80 “Doolittle Raiders” awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for “outstanding heroism, valor, skill and service to the United States in conducting the bombings of Tokyo.”
The date that lives in infamy: December 7, 1941. It was the brilliant, surprise attack by naval air forces of the Empire of Japan on the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet and military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The tragic event brought the United States into World War II. Ultimately, the…
Should Gov. Andrew Cuomo resign or be impeached, Hamburg's Kathy Hochul would become the 57th governor of New York and, as frequently mentioned, the first woman.
Take a look at the history of Billings high schools, from the 1890s to today.
Billings' first indoor shopping mall, West Park Plaza, opened in the spring of 1961. Check out its history, including views of how it was originally supposed to look.
The "World Famous" Miles City Bucking Horse Sale starts Thursday. It was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out these photos from the 1978 sale, when Billings Gazette photographer Larry Mayer covered the event.
Seven groups asked the U.S. Board of Geographic Names on Tuesday to rename three geographic places in Montana now named after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederated States of America during the Civil War, and change them in honor of Indigenous people and Chinese immigrants.
McKinley Elementary's historic significance gained national recognition in March with the announcement that the school is one of 20 new additions to the National Register of Historic Places.
What is known today as Rocky Mountain College traces its roots all the way back to 1878, at the College of Montana in Deer Lodge. Take a look at the history of the Billings college in these historical photographs.
First Interstate Arena, known to many by its original "Metra" name, has hosted some of the best rock acts of all time since its completion in 1975. Here are just a few of the artists who played at Billings' arena near the release of Platinum-certified albums.
The Billings Gazette's website first launched in 1996 as part of the Big Sky Wire, a larger website aimed at providing information for residents and visitors to the Billings and Yellowstone areas. Watch as we show off the original digital version of The Billings Gazette.
Think you know your Billings history? Here are a few questions that a Billings history buff should be able to easily answer.
On Feb. 2, 1989, temperatures plummeted to minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit as 49 runaway train cars barreled down Mullen Pass above Helena, Montana. The runaway cars crashed into another train just outside Carroll College, causing two explosions that forced evacuations of nearby residents and le…
On Feb. 2, 1989, temperatures plummeted to minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit as 49 runaway train cars barreled down Mullen Pass above Helena, Montana. The runaway cars crashed into another train just outside Carroll College, causing two explosions that forced evacuations of nearby residents and le…
Check out photos from some of the concerts that have happened over the history of Yellowstone County's largest event venue.
Here’s what people are uncovering in Billings Gazette newspaper archives. Search our historical issues for obituaries, marriage and birth announcements, social pages and local sports. To see more and subscribe, visit https://billingsgazette.com/archives.
Copper King William A. Clark established the Gardens in 1899 for the miners and city that helped feed his fortune. The park grew to 68 acres and entertained countless people before its closure in the 1970s.
The crew working on the restoration has worked on projects all across the West, including the Charles M. Russell House in Great Falls, the St. Ignatius Mission in St. Ignatius and the Lake Yellowstone Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.
A blizzard blew hard across the Northern Montana prairie Christmas Eve 1920, and the last of the state’s notorious cowboy outlaws struggled to see the road that would take him to his sweetheart’s schoolhouse 30 miles northwest of Havre.
Views of downtown Billings during the 1920. As Christmas approached in Billings in 1920, many residents of the city had plenty to spend on gifts, while many rural farm families in the surrounding county were going hungry.
The holiday season brings out decorations, shoppers, singing and Santa Claus. Take a look at some of the Christmas scenes of years past.
Take a look at how the Alberta Bair Theater, formerly the Fox Theater, has changed since it first opened in the 1930s.
As Billings expanded further into the Heights in the 1970s, new stores opened to accommodate the rapid growth. The Crossroads Center, at Wicks Lane and Main Street, began with a grocery store in 1976 and soon included a movie theater, clothing store and a Walgreen's drug store, among other shops.
