by John Dowd
The Victor Heritage Museum, located at the corner of Main and Blake in Victor, has been a staple in the Victor community for over 35 years. According to volunteers, it showcases and cherishes the flavored history of the Victor area. However, according to Suzanne Tout, museum board member and volunteer, “I’m always amazed people don’t even know there is a museum in Victor.”
The museum is a nonprofit that runs solely on donations, with no one involved taking any kind of payment, and there being no museum visitation fee. The main source of funding comes from a single large fundraiser the museum hosts every year: The Victor Museum Chocolate Tasting. This will be the 26th year the chocolate tasting event has been held since it was founded in 1997, with the museum having skipped a couple years around Covid.
The fundraiser always falls on the first Monday of December, and volunteers say for many people, the event is a big deal. According to Angie Dobberstein, a volunteer with the museum, “Many people visit and make it a kickoff for the Christmas season.”
The chocolate tasting is $5 for any participants five years and older. That gets a person a bag of home-made sweets, all of which were handcrafted by select members of the Victor community.
That Monday morning, the volunteers parcel out the sweets into the sacks and set them out in the library for people to stop by and purchase.
The sweets will be accompanied by coffee, hot cocoa and a silent auction. This year, the auction will display over 150 items. These items include numerous gift certificates, jewelry, puzzles, antiques, pottery, blankets and much more. During the museum event, Out West Wagons will be there at 4 p.m. to drive people around town. At 6 p.m. the Bitterroot Community Band will play at the gazebo near the museum.
The event usually draws over 250 people and people there as early as 3 p.m. on the dot, so volunteers say not to be late.
The Victor Museum Chocolate Tasting is sponsored by Farmers State Bank, which helps keep the event costs down. The Museum will also be taking donations. Volunteers ask that visitors remember this event is the lone event that keeps the museum alive for the next year. Fortunately, volunteers also say the museum has always been well supported by the community of Victor. As stated by Brian Langton, another volunteer, “It really blesses us greatly.”
The museum, itself, is actually one of the old Victor railroad stations, and was moved from Eastside Highway in 1990. Items displayed were originally Victor area only, but over the years they have opened up to things from all over the area, related to Victor. The volunteers change out displays each summer to try to feature new things from their collection. Items donated for display are considered by importance, available space and information available.
With all the work that goes into the museum, and the many years several volunteers have put into the place, according to Tout, “We could always use more volunteers.” Phyllis Riedman, another volunteer, was excited to speak on her experience working with the museum, stating, “It is so much fun meeting the people that come to visit the museum and to learn more about the area.” For volunteer Maggie Marie Nordenstrom, it is always fun to see people’s reactions “when they come in and they don’t realize they have all these relatives!”
As for the displays, long-time volunteer Liz Ingraham, who has lived in the area for many years, stated, “We are so happy to have them.” Dobberstein added that these displays, “help tell the history of the community.” The volunteers spoke about a written log they have about the cemetery in Victor, which goes back to the early 1870s. Anyone who visits and is from the area can look up relatives. Volunteers also say they are always learning about people of the area. “If somebody comes in and they know who it is, please tell us!” said Dobberstein, when speaking about their old photographs.
Joann Hosko, a long-term volunteer who is on the board and who has been with the museum since the beginning, said that for her the museum is more than just a pastime. “It has just become part of me,” she said. Hosko is also on the board for the Ravalli County Museum, among others. For her, it is just about remembering the community that has been so important in so many lives. Some could say that is what museums are really about.
The museum is open Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day. The museum can be contacted by calling (406) 642-3997. The address is 125 S. Blake Street, Victor.