When Charles M. Bair came to Montana from Ohio, legend has it that he had just 14 cents in his pocket…and seven green apples.* He parlayed that into an immense fortune and, along with his wife and daughters, created a legacy of philanthropy in Montana. The Bairs were one of the state’s most colourful and generous families, funding scholarships, hospitals, museums, libraries, mental health programs, youth organizations, arts, and music. Additionally, the daughters, Marguerite and Alberta, were largely responsible for acquiring a priceless collection of art, Native American artifacts and furniture that remain on display at the Bair Family Home and in the newly constructed Charles M. Bair Family Art Museum in Martinsdale.

Charles Bair came to Montana in 1883 as a conductor on the Northern Pacific Railroad. He made his fortune in the Alaskan Gold Rush - not by working a claim but by investing in a ground thawing device. He poured his earnings into in oil, mining and real estate interests. He also had one of the world's largest sheep ranches, at times running 300,000 head of sheep. In addition, Bair was active in oil and coal exploration, served as a director of a Billings bank, was active in land settlement and played a role in Montana’s political scene. Bair counted among his friends artists like renowned Western painter Charles Russell, Crow Indian leader Chief Plenty Coups and several U.S. presidents.

Bair and his wife, Mary, had two daughters: Marguerite, who was born in Helena in 1889, and Alberta, who born in Billings in 1895 in a brick home situated where the Alberta Bair Theater for the Performing Arts now stands.

The Bair family lived in Portland, Oregon from 1910 to 1934. When Charlie Bair was seventy-seven years old, he moved the family to the ranch along the Musselshell River in Martinsdale where he lived until his death in 1943. The home was designed partially to house the many antiques collected during the Portland years as well as showcase the Native American and Western art. Additions and refurbishments where made throughout the family’s life on the ranch.

The sisters took pride in their family ranch home in Martinsdale and filled it with an eclectic mix of art and antiques, making numerous trips to Europe to hunt and buy new pieces. As the collection grew, they remodeled and added on to the home until there were 26 rooms.

Marguerite married Dave Lamb in 1939. Marguerite, Dave and Alberta continued to live in Martinsdale to oversee the ranch and other family investments after the death of Charles in 1943 and Mary in 1905. Lamb passed away in 1973, with Marguerite following in 1976. Alberta was the last of the family when she died in 1993 at the age of 97. The sisters wanted to share their exquisite collection with the public. Their efforts became a reality in the 1996 opening of the original home as the Bair Family Museum, and will culminate with the opening this summer of the new 7,000 square foot Charles M. Bair Family Art Museum.

A tour of the home and the new museum provide us with a glimpse into the Bair family history and their lifelong interest in fine furniture, Native American work and contemporary western art. Ultimately, it is a loving tribute to a father’s legacy.

* Longtime family friend Lee Rostad’s first book on the Bair family is entitled “Fourteen Cents and Seven Green Apples.”