GREAT FALLS — Montana's newest state park has received funding to help tell its story.
The Montana State Parks Foundation recently received a $186,000 grant to support research and interpretive planning at Judith Landing State Park along the Missouri River.
From December 2024 - watch:
The money comes from the Leona and Harry Helmsley Charitable Trust.
The park — which was established last year — sits within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and preserves centuries of history, including indigenous presence, the fur trade, steamboat travel, and paleontological discovery.
The grant will fund ethnographic research with indigenous partners, oral history collection with ranching families, and a biological inventory of the surrounding landscape.
The goal is to build an interpretive plan that guides exhibits and visitor experiences for generations to come.
While its official designation is recent, the site's roots stretch deep into the past.
“Judith Landing State Park has six historic buildings,” said Cannon Colegrove, Recreation Manager for FWP. “There's a significant ranch house from the early 1900s, but also structures from the late 1880s still standing—like a stone warehouse once used for steamboat cargo, a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, a post office, and a root cellar. We want to preserve these for future generations to learn from.”
The old warehouse, now a stone ruin, once served as the storehouse for goods brought upriver by steamboat—when Judith Landing was a bustling river stop.
The area’s historical significance begins even earlier. In 1805, Lewis and Clark passed through the region, and William Clark named the confluence of the Judith and Missouri Rivers after his sweetheart and future wife, Julia Hancock.
Later, the site became home to Camp Cooke, Montana’s first military post, established in 1866 to protect steamboat travel and settlers. It was also a hub for the cattle industry, where herds crossed the Missouri en route to the Judith Basin. In another remarkable chapter, Judith Landing is where the first dinosaur remains in North America were discovered in 1855 by geologist Ferdinand Hayden.
Currently, FWP manages a small, rural campsite across the river, but the newly designated state park on the townsite side will receive substantial upgrades.
“We just built a small parking lot this spring for five vehicles,” Colegrove said. “Looking ahead, we’re planning to add day-use parking, bathrooms, and a small campground so people can enjoy the river corridor overnight.”
Another major goal is creating an interpretation plan—educational signage and resources to help visitors understand the site’s significance.
“We want to be able to share that story,” Colegrove emphasized. “From steamboats to dinosaurs to military outposts—Judith Landing tells an incredible story of Montana’s past.”
