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SOUTHWEST MONTANA

from 2023 Destination Film Guide Magazine

from 2023 Destination Film Guide Magazine, page 64

MISSOURI

Featured Locations

Southwest Montana is a unique film destination that offers a variety of wide-open spaces, historic small towns, ranches, mountains, ghost towns and more. Nestled between two of America's most beautiful parks, Yellowstone and Glacier, Southwest Montana is home to those wide-open spaces for which Big Sky Country is known.

Butte

Established in 1864 as a mining camp in the northern Rocky Mountains on the Continental Divide, Butte was one of the largest copper boomtowns in the American West. The city’s Uptown Historic District is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the U.S., with nearly 6,000 contributing properties. Located on a hillside on the northwestern edge of town this area is noted for its abundance of lavish Victorian homes and Queen Anne-style cottages built in the late 19th century. Throughout Uptown and western

Butte are more than 10 underground mine headframes that are remnants from the town’s mining industry. In 2002, Butte was one of only 12 towns in America named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Helena

Montana’s capital city, Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush. The city became wealthy, with some 50 millionaires inhabiting the area by 1888. The concentration of wealth contributed to the city’s prominent, elaborate Victorian architecture. All across

Helena, you can experience historic roots that reach back hundreds of years—from Carroll College and the Mansion District to the Montana State Capitol building. Surrounding features include the Continental Divide, Mount Helena City Park, Spring Meadow Lake State Park, Lake Helena, Helena National Forest, the Missouri River and Elkhorn Mountains.

Anaconda and Philipsburg Area

Nestled in a mile-high valley in the Deer Lodge National Forest, Anaconda sprang up when the giant Anaconda Copper Mining Company of Butte needed a smelter for its vast amount of copper ore. While smelting operations were suspended in 1980, “The Stack” remains an important landmark and state park. Anaconda is characterized by densely timbered forestlands, lakes, mountains and recreation grounds. The county has common borders with Beaverhead, Butte-Silver Bow, Granite, Jefferson and Powell counties. On the main street is the Washoe Theater, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the last theater constructed in the U.S. in the Nuevo Deco style.

Film Credits

Father Stu, Yellowstone, 1923, Call of the Wild, Heaven's Gate, Mickey and the Bear

Rebates And Incentives

Montana offers a number of competitive incentives to bring productions to Big Sky Country, including a media tax credit and the Big Sky Film Grant. The Montana Film Office works closely with the advertising, film and television industries to bring productions to the state in a partnership that is beneficial to your crew as well as Montana.

Big Sky Film Grant

This grant program builds and supports partnerships with filmmakers and production companies with the intention to create Montana film industry jobs. It enhances the marketing efforts of Montana’s tourism regions and advocates for the state’s people, history and overall quality of life.