News:
Shay #4 Locomotive mural at The Heritage Museum is completed (posted 10/23/2025)
The Heritage Museum
Libby Charter School students have completed the spectacular, 551 square foot, two-story-high color mural of the J. Neils Lumber Company’s 1906 Shay Locomotive. The mural took 12 gallons of colored paint and approximately 1,000 working hours to create. The students have been painting the mural all summer since school closed in June, and weekends and after school since school reopened in August.
The mural is visible from US Hwy 2 and the Pond Road on the Hwy 2 side of the original Shay Shed, which contains the Shay Locomotive parts that are currently under restoration.
The artists are: Charter School students Peyton Zillman, Grace Webber, Olive Holly, Destini Hostetter, Justin Sadewasser; artists Michelle Thiessen and Destini Hostetter; and Museum volunteer Sherry Turner, all under the direction of Charter School Art Instructor Heather Robertson. The mural is based on the 1988 painting by the late Clayton Peterson of Libby (courtesy of Clayton’s son Ken Peterson), showing the Shay #4 Locomotive nicknamed "Ole Four Spot."
Please watch the Museum’s nine-minute video history of the Shay #4 by Libby’s Grady Knight at: youtube.com, search for "Libby Montana Heritage Museum," and scroll down to "Ole Four Spot." Your support for the Shay #4 restoration project is greatly appreciated.
This mural project’s success is thanks to donations and assistance from the following: First Class Painting-Matt Fairchild, Big Sky Lumber Supply-David Brooks, Busy Bee Construction-Buzz Hostetter, Lonny Fosgate-Aerial Man Lift, Rotary International-Libby, Covered Up Tattooing-Anthony Webber, and Heritage Museum member-Sherry Turner.
In 2026, the Shay #4 Locomotive will turn 120 years old. The Museum plans to celebrate Shay #4’s 120th Birthday during the Opening Day Celebration in May or June 2026. The Museum is continuing to apply for grants to help fund the final restoration of the Shay #4 Locomotive to working order with a 1-mile track for it to operate on.
Related Links:
The Heritage Museum 34067 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923, Libby, Montana
Libby
lies in the northwest corner of Montana and is nestled in a valley carved by the
Kootenai River on the flank of the majestic Cabinet Mountain Range and Wilderness
Area. Today
about 2,800 people live within Libby proper. The main industries are lumber and
wood products, mining, tourism and recreation. The movies "The River Wild" and
"Always" were filmed here. Contact the Libby
Chamber of Commerce for brochures, info on lodging and events, general area
information, and contact information for local businesses and services.
SUMMER
When the weather warms and the mountain
snows melt away, the Kootenai National Forest comes alive with over 2.2
million acres of public land as a playground. Mountain trails and lakes
open up, beautiful wildflowers come in bloom, and wildlife have their young.
Libby is the basecamp for the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, 90-mile
long Lake Koocanusa, the Northwest Peaks Scenic Area, and the Ten Lakes
Scenic Area. There is good access to most of the Forest and plenty of room
to get away from it all!
WINTER
Winter in Montana means snow, and lots
of it! For those who love to play in the deep powder, the Libby area offers tremendous
winter fun. Turner Mountain Ski Area, located
just 22 miles from Libby, offers challenging downhill skiing with a beautiful
view. Their slogan is "steep, deep and cheap", and Turner definitely
lives up to that. It's still fairly undiscovered, so you can escape the crowds
and get the cheapest lift tickets around. For those who love snowmobiling,
there are hundreds of miles of backcountry roads to sled on in the Kootenai National
Forest. Cross-country skiers and ice fishermen also can find solitude on a lake
and miles of quiet forest trails to enjoy the outdoors. Those who are a bit on
the wild and crazy side will love the antics of the Libby Polar Bear Club.
Members take winter-time "swims" in frigid Libby Creek every Sunday
from October to April. Plungers have ranged in age from 3 to 61. As long as the
ice can be broken on the creek, if it has formed, the group will take their plunge,
no matter the temperature.
These people must be
craaaazzzzzy!
Libby
Polar Bear Club
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