Though this is a small museum it has a lot to offer, with all manner of interesting items crammed onto the grounds and into the buildings. Outside, the first thing one notices on approaching the museum are the dinosaurs, three of which stand outside. Less noticeable are a series of vintage buildings, most of which hold further displays of local paraphernalia. At the end of the row of buildings is an ice cream parlour, open through the season whenever the museum is open.
Inside the main building are paleontology displays as well as items of more recent vintage relating to the local history of Choteau.
Begun as a private museum named the Teton Trail Museum, in May of 1985 the museum registered itself as a non profit entity, changing the name to the Old Trail Museum. In 1978, when this was still the Teton Trail Museum, an old farmhouse was added to the collection and an ice cream parlor and museum set up inside.
On June 24, 1978, just in time for the start of hot weather, the Ice Cream Parlor was officially opened at the museum. The parlor set up shop in a recently renovated 1903 farmhouse moved onto the property from a nearby farm. Offering 16 flavors and several other delectable ice cream delights, the parlor opened with freebies, ice cream specials and balloons for the kids. The news article below provides a bit more detail concerning the grand opening.
This is the half page the newly opened ice cream parlor ran in the same issue of the Choteau Acantha in which the article below was published, apprising the world of the upcoming Grand Opening of the parlor.
We passed through Choteau just two days shy of the parlor's 39th anniversary, stopped in at the museum and simply couldn't resist partaking of the wares in the ice cream parlor. Nothing seems to have changed in the parlor since its opening 39 years prior, as they still offered 16 flavors and an assortment of other ice cream treats, including banana splits and sundaes. We no longer remember what flavors we chose, but we do remember that we had a hard time making a decision. We also remember that the ice cream was REALLY GOOD! They also serve drinks, sandwiches and wraps.
Ice Cream Parlor Grand Opening Set
June 22, 1978 | Choteau Acantha
An open house to formally introduce the Ice Cream Parlor as the latest addition to the Teton Trail Village, has been scheduled by owners Dave and Bev Crowell, for this Saturday, June 24, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with specials on ice cream slated to top the activities.
The ice cream parlor is located in the big house recently moved to the property from the Ray Anderson ranch at Farmington. The house was built in 1903 and features architecture characteristic of that era. It has been restored and remodeled into an attractive addition to Teton Trail Village.
The ice cream parlor itself captures the spirit of the gay nineties with its décor, and features 16 different kinds of real ice cream, specializing in cones and sundaes of various kinds. Hours for the ice cream parlor are 11 am. to 10 p.m except Sundays when it opens at noon.
The ice cream parlor open house will feature grand opening specials, free balloons for the kids and registration for free gifts to be awarded all day. Dave and Bev Crowell have also announced that 50 cents from each Teton Trail Special, a particularly delectable ice cream dessert, will he donated to the fireworks fund. See the ad elsewhere in this edition of the Acantha for details of the specials being offered.
Upstairs in the building housing the ice cream parlor is a museum furnished by Mr. and Mrs. Jess Malone from items they have collected throughout their years in Teton County. Two rooms, a parlor and a country kitchen, have been furnished upstairs for viewing, and they both feature living, old and new, throughout the century. All the items in the upstairs museum have been donated by the Malones, and some items are family heirlooms. The Teton Trail Gift Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
From the Choteau Acantha