Only an hour from Billings, the historic town of Red Lodge is an easy trip for locals, especially skiers in the winter and those just wanting a relaxing day or two in this quaint town.
For breakfast, we decided to walk two blocks to Café Regis located in the historic Regis Grocery building. Locally owned and operated, most of the food is locally sourced and comes from their own gardens and greenhouses. There is a cute garden patio setting with outdoor seating as well. The service was friendly, and the food was good.
Wandering Town
Late-morning, Paula and I decided to go for a walk and explore the town. We explored cute shops, museums, art galleries, and more as we walked about a mile and a half to reach the tall red brick building that we could see in the distance before turning around to come back.
It appears to be under renovation, but we couldn’t determine exactly what it had been. Google Lens, however, let me know it was the Red Lodge Brewery from 1910 and then became the Red Lodge Canning Company during Prohibition. I found details about it here. I’m really curious though as to how those exterior doors on the second floor were used?
This sign describing the history of the Community Church was interesting to me. The current church was formed from the Methodist and Congregational churches merging to join the United Church of Christ denomination which itself was a merger between the Evangelical and Reformed Church with the Congregational Christian Churches.
Images from Main Street
Red Lodge Main Street 
Red Lodge Carnegie Library 
Red Lodge – Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery 
Red Lodge – Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery 
Red Lodge – Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery 
Red Lodge – Plenty Coups – Chief of the Crows (1848-1932) 
Red Lodge Main Street 
Red Lodge Main Street
Edgar Bar
For dinner we had reservations at Edgar Bar in Edgar, Montana (population 79 – that is not a typo!), about a 45-minute drive from Red Lodge. Edgar is only about 35 minutes from Billings and many people drive from Billings to eat there. Dave’s former boss grew up nearby (and still owns property in the area) and had recommended it as a must-eat place for steak. The Angus beef comes from a farm just a couple of miles down the road. All of our steaks were excellent, so if you are ever in the vicinity – I can vouch that it is worth the drive!
Smith Mine Disaster
On our way to Edgar, we made a brief stop at the site of the Smith Mine Disaster (on the National Register of Historic Places) about 5 miles from Red Lodge. Over 70 miners died from an explosion at the coal mine in February 1943, the worst in Montana history. Two of the miners left a message stating “Good bye wife’s and daughters. We died an easy death. Love from us both. Be good.”. The 2011 book, Goodbye Wifes and Daughters, recounts the incident and the lives of those who died from personal accounts of the victims’ families.
Back at the house, we had one final night of cards. Paula ended up the overall winner for the trip.
Notes By Nancy 
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