National Museum Of Machinery: So Much More Than A Typical Museum
The National Museum of Machinery is a testament to the spirit of Montana. Despite the name, it has little in common with other museums. There is no gate and no admissions. There is no staff, no collectors, no committees, and no government involvement. Instead, this site was created entirely through the passion and pioneer spirit of one man, Lloyd Harkin.
Harkin, a former miner and mechanic, assembled the thousands of artifacts in his Museum entirely with his own money and effort. For more than 50 years, he has been buying up derelict mining and farming machinery and restoring it. Even before his retirement, he spent years restoring mining shearwheels, crushers, hoists, and even a 12-car train back to working condition.
Over time, Harkin’s hobby turned a several acre plot of land into an enduring monument to human ingenuity and the pioneer spirit. On his land and in his warehouses sit the images of Montana’s history: the trains that brought settlers, the huge steam-driven hoists that lowered the earliest brave miners underground, the early threshing equipment that beat the grain of some of Montana’s earliest harvests.
But it does not stop there. The National Museum of Machinery also tells the story of Montana, moving through time. A collection of old gas station pumps shows the history of auto culture in Montana. The collection moves from the earliest pumps, through the rise and fall of leaded gasoline, and into the bright jukebox-colored pumps of the 1950s. A collection of dozens of antique cars and trucks shows the emergence of the modern car, from the 1914 Model-T to hot rods, dump trucks and fire engines. Particularly rare in the collection are older industrial vehicles and tow trucks, which blend functionality with the forms of classic automobiles.
Though most people do not know it, Lloyd Harkin’s work is now world famous. His restored artifacts can be found in Disneyland on the Indiana Jones ride, and in EuroDisney scattered around the park. Disney and other movie studios have often borrowed his machinery for their live action movies. If you see a mining shearwheel, crusher, old gas pump, or narrow gauge train in a movie from the last 25 years, there is a good chance that it was originally restored by Lloyd Harkin in Montana.
This site is perhaps the most underrated historical site in the world. The size of the collection on display dwarf’s the Montana Museum of Mining. Even more importantly, the collection is still a work in progress. It is a reminder of the power of individual passion and the ingenuity of the human species as a whole.
The National Museum of Machinery is located close to Silver Star Mountain, Montana. From Butte, take interstate 90 east. Take exit 249 onto Whitehall street. Take a right onto West Legion Avenue, then a left on Montana Highway 55. Head south until you reach Silver Star Mountain. The museum is adjacent to the highway and is marked by 25-foot-high metal wheels. You can not miss it.