Handle Montana's Cultural History With Care

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State Parks showcase Montana’s rich cultural history at sites such as Madison Buffalo Jump near Three Forks and Pictograph Cave State Parks near Billings. Important fossils and cultural artifacts may be found at these sites and on private and public lands across the state.

  The Montana Antiquities Act and the federal National Historic Preservation Act forbid the destruction or removal of fossils and artifacts from public lands in Montana.

Under antiquities protection laws, cultural resources such as tools formed of natural materials and modified by early people cannot be removed from public lands without a permit issued to an authorized researcher.

To help ensure that evidence of Montana’s unique unwritten history remains for future generations to appreciate and enjoy, fossil and artifact discoverers should leave a find in place and notify the appropriate land-management agency.

These cultural resources can then be protected and documented in ways that yield the most knowledge about the state’s unique prehistoric heritage.

To learn more about the state’s cultural resources, contact the Montana Archaeological Society or visit the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and other local museums.