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 parlor, 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.
After touring the museum one might decide that it's time for ice cream and head down to the museum's ice cream parlour. It's there that one will encounter this guy, a smaller cousin to the well known T-Rex. Don't offer him ice cream, though, as he'd much prefer to eat you, not ice cream.
Albertosaurus; meaning "Alberta lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 70 million years ago. The type species, A. sarcophagus, was apparently restricted in range to the modern-day Canadian province of Alberta, after which the genus is named. Scientists disagree on the content of the genus, with some recognizing Gorgosaurus libratus as a second species.
As a tyrannosaurid, Albertosaurus was a bipedal predator with tiny, two-fingered hands and a massive head that had dozens of large, sharp teeth. It may have been at the top of the food chain in its local ecosystem. While Albertosaurus was large for a theropod, it was much smaller than its larger and more famous relative Tyrannosaurus rex, growing nine to ten meters long and possibly weighing less than 2 metric tons.
Since the first discovery in 1884, fossils of more than 30 individuals have been recovered, providing scientists with a more detailed knowledge of Albertosaurus anatomy than is available for most other tyrannosaurids. The discovery of 26 individuals at one site provides evidence of pack behaviour and allows studies of ontogeny and population biology, which are impossible with lesser-known dinosaurs.
From Wiki
Old Trail Museum
The museum complex consists of the main museum building which houses a gift shop, a dinosaur gallery, area artifacts and exhibits. A wooden boardwalk accesses several other buildings including the Grizzly Cabin, the Jesse Gleason Art Studio, the Metis House, the Schoolhouse, the Ice Cream Parlor, a Blackfoot tepee or lodge and the Carriage House gift shop that has Montana-made and locally-made items.
The museum is one of 14 stops on the Montana Dinosaur Trail. The Dinosaurs of the Two Medicine Paleontology Gallery in the main building contains a life-size Maiasaura (the Montana State Fossil) along with a mural of the natural environment by local artist Jim Utsler.
Other paleontology exhibits in the gallery include a dinosaur skull cast of Einiosaurus, a cast of a meat-eating dinosaur, dinosaur footprints, dinosaur eggs, nests, and babies; and tools of the trade. Also included are exhibits of Maiasaura babies, Egg Mountain, dinosaur claws, Cretaceous marine fossils, geology of the Rocky Mountain Front and the Willow Creek anticline and a dino dig display.
Included is a “touch” bone where children and adults alike will get the opportunity to see (and touch) a real fossilized duck-billed dinosaur thigh bone.
In addition to the paleontology the museum contains more exhibits such as, Old Agency on the Teton, Jesse Gleason’s art studio, the Old North Trail, a Metis Red River Cart and Choteau’s last hanging.
After touring the museum enjoy an ice cream from the ice cream parlor located in the museum complex. There are shaded picnic tables for your convenience and plenty of room to park your RV.
From the Old Trail Museum