Montana Historical Society honors Ellen Baumler as Heritage Keeper

Ellen Baumler has been presented with the Montana Heritage Keeper Award during a ceremony in perhaps the most fitting of places: Helena’s historic Reeder’s Alley.

Baumler was honored Tuesday by the Montana Historical Society in the Pioneer Cabin Garden. She was presented the honor by Molly Kruckenberg, Montana Historical Society director.

Baumler has an office on Reeder’s Alley and the Pioneer Cabin often was the subject of her research.

“Ellen’s contributions to the field of Montana history have been nothing short of remarkable,” Kruckenberg said. “With a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in English, classics, and history, Ellen was already a well-qualified historian when she first joined the Montana Historical Society’s staff in 1991. Her accomplishments in writing more than 1,600 interpretive signs during her tenure at MTHS is a remarkable feat in and of itself.”

Baumler spent 26 years as a historian for the Montana Historical Society. She moved to the state in 1991 and became the first person to oversee the society’s then-new National Register sign program.

Kruckenberg called Baumler “a champion advocate for the preservation of Montana’s historic places.”

“Building the MTHS National Register Sign program from the ground up, she wrote or supervised the creation of signs in 54 of Montana’s 56 counties,” she said. “Each sign required detailed research into community history, thoughtful negotiation with the property owner, and the ability to tell a meaningful story in a short amount of space. Ellen’s skills in all these areas created a sign program that reaches every corner of Montana, is virtually accessible, and that provides community engagement with history at the most local level.”

Baumler is an award-winning author of books and articles on diverse Montana topics. She has written blogs and often serves as an expert resource for journalists and others seeking reliable information on Montana’s past. Baumler has 22 books on Goodreads. Her first book was “Montana Moments,” her most popular book is “Montana Chillers: 13 True Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings” and her most recent book is “The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State: A History of Montana’s Cemeteries.”

She is a popular member of the Humanities Montana Speaker’s Bureau and developed tours of historic districts, successfully submitting numerous National Register nominations.

In 2011 she received the Montana Governor’s Humanities Award and in 2017 the Peter Yegen Jr., Award from the Montana Association of Museums for excellence and distinction in fostering the advancement of Montana’s museums.

Since her retirement in 2018, she continues to educate the public through her ability to share stories of Montana’s past.

Each year, the Montana Historical Society’s board of trustees Heritage Keeper and Heritage Guardian awards honor an individual or organization for their exemplary commitment, effort, and impact in identifying, preserving, and presenting Montana’s historical and cultural heritage.

Kruckenberg said Baumler’s work embodies what it means to be a Heritage Keeper “and Montanans are richer in their cultural heritage because of her. Ellen’s nearly three decades of work with the Montana Historical Society … and we would like to thank her husband, Mark, and her daughter, Katie, for sharing her time with us.”

“Congratulations, Ellen, your contributions to Montana are as big and wide as our skies!” she said. “Thank you for the work you have done and that you continue to do on behalf of Montana history.”

The story contains information provided by the Montana Historical Society.