Lake Elmo State Park - Montana (Episode 11)

Send us Fan MailLake Elmo State Park is one of the best urban parks in Montana — and it has one of the most surprising origin stories of any park in this series.In the 1930s, the land around this Billings reservoir became a swinging hotspot called the Elmo Club: two dance floors, jazz music, gambling, fresh fish from the Chesapeake, and newspapers from Chicago. Then, mysteriously, in 1946, the club burned down. Then the new owners opened two more clubs. Those burned down too.Lake Elmo State Park District Manager Emily Tyler joins The Parks Podcast to share the full history — and why this park is one of the best places in Montana to swim, walk the dog, ice fish, or ski the loop road in winter.In this episode: — The remarkable and mysterious history of the Elmo Club — Why Lake Elmo is the state park for the Billings community — and what that looks like in practice — Swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, biking, and the dog park with its own water entrance — The action track chair and adaptive kayak launch for visitors with accessibility needs — Winter at Lake Elmo — ice fishing, ice skating rinks, and cross-country skiing — Montana state parks 101 — 55 parks, 8 dollars, one day pass good at all of them — Chief Plenty Coups State Park, Cooney State Park, and what else is near Billings — The Lewis and Clark connection — Lieutenant Pryor, 65 horses, and moccasins hanging in a treeLinks mentioned: — Lake Elmo: stateparks.mt.gov/lake-elmo — Western Heritage Center (Elmo Club footage): ywhc.org — Chief Plenty Coups State Park: stateparks.mt.gov/chief-plenty-coupsSupport the show