HYSHAM — In the small town of Hysham, Montana with a population of 273, lies something out of the ordinary — the Yucca Theatre.
The white, southwestern-style building cannot be missed: it stands two stories tall with eight dome pillars in the front. Outside of it, Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea statues are being watched by a saber-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth.
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“It’s like a special highlight for the town of Hysham and our county,” said Treasure County 89ers club member Dana Cunningham. “The mission-style architecture is so unique that you just never forget it after you’ve seen it.”
On the front of the building, the old marquee sign is not advertising the latest movie, but instead reads, “Many good things happening around here,” and if you ask the ladies of the Treasure County 89ers club, they would have to agree.
“It’s more than just our town. I mean, it’s a landmark in Eastern Montana,” said Cunningham.
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Built in 1931 by longtime Montana state senator David Manning and his brother Jim, the Manning family lived in the back of the theater. The living space now acts as a museum, stuck in a 1970s style.
Colorful carpets line the floors and pink fixture bathroom, dresses from Governor’s balls are on display, and the walls are filled with old photographs of the family. When you first walk into the theater itself, you are greeted with orange and green walls and a yellow car that used to be owned by David Manning’s son.
Right across the street sits the Treasure County 89ers Museum which holds even more relics from the area’s past, from bones and toys to the trophies of an astronaut and cowboys.
There was no shortage of stories to be told about every relic the building holds, even a photo of who the town is named after, Charlie Hysham.
The town did not know what the man looked like until five years ago when someone who distantly knew Hysham visited the museum and brought them a photo they had.
“We’ve been seeking [information] about Charlie Hysham for decades. We didn’t find a cowboy, but we found Charlie Hysham, said club president Karen Van Haele. “There’s lots of hidden history that is in books and in people’s memories that are going fast.”
It also used to be an old soda fountain, something Van Haele has fond memories of while growing up in Hysham.
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“Well, I can remember coming down here and sitting on the stools and having ice cream sodas, and cherry sodas were the best,” said Van Haele. “You come down here on Saturday night, and the stores would stay open until 8 o’clock, as all the people would come in from out of county and buy their groceries and go to the movie across the street in the Yucca Theater. We’d buy our treats here first and had a little bit for candy and a ticket, a 10-cent ticket, to go to the movie.”
The club has taken care of the buildings since 1991, and even a few of their members have history ties themselves.
“My grandpa helped build the theater,” said Van Haele. “Dana’s family is related to the Manning family.”
Since the pandemic, the theater and museum have not been open regular hours but are still a special place in the community.
“People like having somewhere to put some of their treasures from their grandparents and family memories, so it’s nice that they support us to be able to do that,” said Cunningham.
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A $10,000 grant was recently awarded to the theater from the Foundation for Montana History, which will go towards repairing the building’s pillars.
Other recent renovations have slowed down the number of events and movies shown, but the club members hope that they can open more frequently once the building is back in good shape and continue in the community for years to come.
“We hope to have movies again and various community functions to continue to be a landmark in Eastern Montana and kind of gives identity to Hysham, Montana,” said Cunningham.
