Flathead County Library

The coolest people have library cards....so if you don't already have one, come and get one!

Fun fact: Did you know that your FCL library card can be used at any of our 38 partner branches in Montana?

Join audiobook narrator Eve Passeltiner and mystery author Leslie Budewitz, both multiple award winners, for a conversation on how a book moves from print to audio. Library staff will talk about Montana’s Talking Books program and offer help with the Libby audiobooks program.

Bigfork Community Room: Wednesday, September 30, 4 – 5:30pm

Welcome to Montana Mondays, our weekly series dedicated to uncovering the rich and rugged history of Montana!⁠

In 1898, surveyor James Kimball and photographer Anders Wilse visited Grasshopper Glacier in Montana's Beartooth Mountains. The glacier takes its name from the many grasshoppers found both on its surface and preserved within its ice. Researchers have since studied the glacier and the insects embedded with it, which were later identified as Rocky Mountain locusts (Melanoplus spretus), a species that became extinct in the late nineteenth century.

The prevailing theory is that a swarm of Rocky Mountain locusts was caught in a storm and buried under snow that later compacted into glacial ice. Grasshopper Glacier has been studied by researchers for more than a century, and glaciologist Jane G. Ferrigno estimated that it lost about 50% of its area and as much as 90% of its volume since 1898.

Located in the Beartooth Mountains near Cooke City, Grasshopper Glacier sits on Iceberg Peak at an elevation of approximately 11,000 feet. The area is known for several glaciers that contain grasshopper remains, making it one of Montana's most unusual natural features.

Sources: https://www.montananaturalist.org/blog-post/grasshopper-glacier-a-frozen-plague/ , https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/3198 , https://visitmt.com/listing/grasshopper-glacier-18322 ,https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/legacy-media/custergallatin/Ferrigno_1985_grasshopper%20glacier.pdf , https://www.islands.com/1887124/grasshopper-glacier-hidden-south-montana-natural-wonder-mountains/

For more Montana history hikes, please check out the 796 section of the library!

Check out this week's programs for Kids & Teens! Join us for Storytimes, Switch Days and more at all three Flathead County Library locations. For more information go to flatheadcountylibrary.org/events-calendar/

What’s better than storytime? A Dolly storytime!

Join us at the Kalispell Library on September 25 at 11:30 AM for a special storytime inspired by the one and only Dolly Parton! 📚💖

🌟 Snap a photo with our life-sized Dolly cutout and tag Flathead County Library!
📚 Learn how to sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and help your little one build a home library of their very own.
💗 Want to help even more? Learn how you can donate to the Flathead Valley Imagination Library and help put books into the hands of local children.

Bring your little book lovers, bring your cameras, and bring your love of reading! 🌈📖🎶

We’ll see you there!

Hey! It's History Friday!

This week, we're featuring a photo of a group of Blackfeet men on a cliff along the shores of St. Mary Lake near Going-to-the-Sun Point in Glacier National Park, circa 1910. Remarkably, the rock formations remain virtually unchanged today, as you can see in the 2026 photo, where people are still enjoying the view from the cliff.

Before it became Glacier National Park, this area was part of the traditional homeland of the Blackfeet people. If you're interested in learning about the region through an Indigenous perspective, consider taking a tour with Sun Tours. Founded in 1992, Sun Tours is the longest-running Native American-owned tour operator in the United States. Their guides are all members of the Blackfeet Tribe and share the history, culture, and deep relationship the Blackfeet people have with this landscape. Sun Tours guides teach visitors that the Blackfeet, who call themselves the Niitsitapi ("The Real People"), have lived on and cared for this land for generations. It has long served as a place for hunting, ceremonies, prayer, and community life.

According to the Sun Tours website, the Blackfeet people are working to reconnect community members with their heritage while strengthening the local economy through tourism. Their efforts reflect a growing interest among park visitors in learning authentic Indigenous histories and supporting Native-owned businesses. Many Blackfeet leaders view tourism as an important way to preserve cultural traditions, educate future generations, and create economic opportunities within their homeland.

Did you get to see any grizzlies or black bears around the St. Mary Lake area? Share your bear photos in the comments!

Photo: Blackfeet warriors at a Glacier National Park overlook, 1913 (Roland Reed/Getty Images). 2026 photo taken by Library staff member Liz Camarillo.

Source: About Us - Sun Tours https://www.suntours.co/about-us/

For more Montana history, check out the 978.6 section of the library!

📚 The Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale is HERE! 📚

This huge fundraising event wouldn’t happen without the incredible volunteers who make it all possible. A special shout-out to the Friends of the Library, who spend all year collecting, organizing, and sorting thousands of books for this much-anticipated sale. ❤️📖

And a BIG thank-you to the crew from Western Building Center for years of service—and for the serious heavy lifting! 💪 They’ve hauled thousands of pounds of books and helped bring the sale to Kalispell Center Mall year after year.

We’re so grateful to everyone who gives their time and energy to support Flathead County Library. This event truly takes a village!

Now it’s your turn to come browse! 🎉 Find a massive selection of gently used books, CDs, and DVDs at incredible prices.

📍 Kalispell Center Mall
📅 Sept. 18 & 19 | 10 AM–6 PM
📅 Sept. 20 | 11 AM–4 PM

Come find your next great read—and support your library while you’re at it! 📚✨

Start your weekend with a morning spent crafting with friends! Bring your own supplies and projects to work in community or join for a project led by library staff. Free coffee, bring your own mug! Ages 16+

This month, library staff will have supplies for needle felting and watercolor postcards. Bring your own wool sweater or use our provided materials for needle felting.

Bigfork Library Maker Space: Saturday, September 26, 12 - 2pm

🍂 Fall has arrived in Montana, and that means new art is on display at Flathead County Library!

We’re thrilled to welcome the vibrant pastel landscapes of local Bigfork artist Jeanette Rehahn to the Bigfork Library. Jeanette has spent years exploring and painting the landscapes of Montana, including the Swan Valley, Mission Valley, and Glacier National Park. Her work captures the movement, light, color, and beauty of the natural world—from grasses stirring in the wind to mist rising off the water.

Come experience Jeanette’s detailed and colorful paintings at the Bigfork Library through November 2026.

🎨 Meet the Artist!
Join us for an Artist Reception with Jeanette on Thursday, October 1, from 4–6 PM in the Bigfork Library Maker Space. Enjoy refreshments, explore the exhibition, and learn more about Jeanette’s creative process and inspiration.

We hope you’ll stop by and experience Montana’s landscapes through Jeanette’s eyes!