Museums 101: Montana Auto Museum (Photo Diary)

The Montana Auto Museum is housed in the Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana. The museum displays more than 150 automobiles. In addition, there are old photographs of automobiles in Montana and displays of auto-related artifacts. Shown below are some photographs from this museum.

Shown above is a Thermador Car Cooler mounted in a 1951 Plymouth. Commonly called a swamp cooler, the unit cooled by the process of evaporation. As air moved through the unit (the vehicle had to be moving), water inside the cooler evaporated which pulled heat from the air. The cooler air was then vented into the vehicle.

Shown above is a 1973 Volkswagen Custom Dune Buggy. This was used in the movie Mad Max-The Road Warrior.

Car Camping:

Shown above is a 1933 Kozy Kamp Pop-Up Trailer. It weighed 950 pounds and sold for $295. It provides a 7’ by 10’ living area when open and had 76” of head room.

The car shown pulling the Kozy Kamp is a 1936 Hudson Custom Six Sedan.

Shown above are some photographs of early car camping.