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Charles M. Bair came to Montana in 1883 as a conductor on the Northern Pacific.  He married Mary Jacobs in 1886. They lived in Helena, and daughter Marguerite was born there in 1889.  Bair began to invest in land and sheep; and in 1891, quit the railroad and moved his family to a ranch in Lavina.

In 1893, the Bairs moved to Billings where they lived in a brick home, situated where the Alberta Bair Theater is today.  Alberta was born in that house in 1895. 

Bair sold his sheep in 1898 and joined the Klondike gold rush.  He brought with him thawing machines that hastened the thawing of the permafrost thereby facilitating mining operations.  He also owned prosperous claims and came home a wealthier man.

At a later date, once more in the sheep business, Bair soon became one of the largest sheep owners in the States, with a herd of over 300,000.  Over the years he obtained land in the Hardin area, was active in oil and coal exploration, served as a director of a Billings bank, helped build the Two Leggins canal, and took an active part in state politics.j

In 1910, the Bair family moved to Portland because of Mary's health.  They spent winters in California and summers in Montana.  The family moved to Montana permanently in 1934 to the Martinsdale ranch.Marguerite married Dave Lamb in 1938.  After the deaths of Charlie Bair in 1943 and Mary Bair in 1952, Marguerite, Dave, and Alberta continued to run the ranch and other family interests.  Dave died in 1973 with Marguerite following in 1976.  Alberta was the last of the family when she passed in 1976.

The Bair family was on of the most philanthropic in the state, supporting scholarships, hospitals, museums, libraries, mental health and youth organizations, the arts and music.  It was the wish of the Bair sisters that their home be left as a museum for the people of Montana to enjoy.  It is a beautiful drive east of Great Falls, and the ranch and museum is well worth the trip.

Information from "Forteen Cents & Seven Green Apples-The Live and Times of Charles Bair"

by author Lee Rostad

hand colored etching by Barbara Coppock           Return to Map...

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framed size:  10x18  framed price: $175

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