Welcome to the Baker, Montana Picture Tour

fifty years ago, before Interstate 94 was completed, Highway 12 was the eastern gateway into Montana for the folks driving from the Midwest.  After driving for hours through the arid landscape of the Dakotas without automobile air-conditioning, the town of Baker and Baker Lake was always a welcomed sight. Let’s get out of the car and stretch our legs by exploring Baker, Montana.

Eastern Montana “oasis”

Baker Lake was formed by railroad crews in 1908.  They built a dam to trap the water from local springs for the steam engines of the Milwaukee Railroad.  The annual average rainfall in Baker is 13.9 inches.  So it’s no surprise to learn one hundred years after the railroad’s zenith,  Baker Lake’s cool water has become a recreation magnet for the families of visitors, farmers, ranchers and folks working in the natural gas and oil industry.

O’Fallon Historical Museum

No visit to Baker is complete without stopping at one the best small town museums in Montana. The Craftsman Style Fallon County Jail building was converted from a jail and reopened as the O’Fallon Historical Museum in 1980. The old jail is part of a group of six buildings of various size that house everything from Baker historical artifacts, Military antiques, classic cars, the biggest steer on record, old appliances, firearms, dolls and historical photos. Check out Tripadvisor for a peek at the huge number of things there is to see. It’s worth the stop.