The Montana Club

I have been in the Montana Club dining room a total of three times in my life.  The first time, I was a sophomore in high school.  I applied for a job in the kitchen.

They didn’t hire me.

I managed entrance again some forty years later as a guest at a Rotary Club luncheon. 

Last night, that girl and I went to dinner at the Montana Club. 

The club is located on the corner of 6^th Avenue and Fuller in downtown Helena.  Until only a few months ago, the Montana Club was private and a strict dress code was in place.  At the end of last year, due to a dwindling membership, the Montana Club opened its private spaces to the public.

The Montana Club was the oldest continuously-operating private club west of the Mississippi.  The club originated in 1885 and was highly exclusive for next 132 years.

The dining room is beautiful and offers an expansive view of downtown Helena.

We both enjoyed our dinner and plan on return visits.

After dinner, we stepped downstairs and had a drink in the Rathskeller, a small lounge in the basement of the club.  A pair of guitarist were playing live music in one corner.

The name “Rathskeller” is of German origins and is a combination of “rat council” and “cellar.” A rathskeller is typically a bar or restaurant located below street level.

All in all, that girl and I had a great time.  I am posting some photographs I captured with my smarter-than-me-phone.

-- Mitchell Hegman