On Saturday, April 9 at 1pm, The History Museum will hold its annual Legacy Awards event to honor businesses, organizations and individuals that have helped shape, promote and preserve the rich history of Cascade County and North Central Montana. This year Legacy will be an afternoon event with a light brunch, a no-host mimosa and bloody mary bar by Enbär, and a unique silent auction & art sale. The Annual Membership Meeting will also be held during the free event.
Calumet Montana Refinery LLC is located in the heart of our city on the banks of the Missouri River. The Refinery employs close to 600 people and has called Great Falls home since 1922. Though they have operated for a century now as part of the petroleum and coal products industry, they continue to grow and engage in new technology. In 2021 Calumet launched their Montana Renewables project that seeks to create renewable fuel for Montana and continues to invest millions of dollars into our local economy. With its Centennial Anniversary coming up in November, the Refinery was chosen to receive our 100 Years in Business Award.
Showdown Montana has been serving the Great Falls community since 1937 and is among the oldest ski areas in Montana. George Willet and the late Ted Cogswell purchased the hill in the 1970s. Originally named Kings Hill Ski Area, offering a tow rope to the top of Porphyry Peak for $1, George and Margie Willett have since brought this local gem into the modern age without sacrificing character. Last year it was announced that operations of the ski hill were being passed on to daughter Katie Boedecker, who continues the legacy. Showdown is this year’s Commercial/Local Business Award.
The Monarch-Neihart Historical Group (MNHG) is this year’s Non-Profit Legacy Award winner. The historic train depot built in 1902 had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition by the MDOT. It was saved by a group of dedicated volunteers who formed a non-profit organization in 2012 and continues under the leadership of Monarch residents Hugh and Janet Enloe. Today, the Depot is the only remaining railroad structure of the Great Northern Railroad that once extended from Great Falls to Monarch, Barker, and Neihart, Montana. The work done through this non-profit strengthens small communities by offering a communal space where history is preserved and a yearly festival: Montana Rocks.
Our 2022 Person of the Year award is going to Mary Sheehy Moe, educator, and active community member. Moe retired from a career in education in 2010. She began her career as a high school English teacher, continued as an English teacher at a two-year college in Montana, and concluded as Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education in Montana. Since retirement she has been a school board chair, a state senator, and a city commissioner representing the citizens of Great Falls, MT.
Thank you to our sponsors for Legacy Awards 2022:
