Hall of Fame: Distinguished Community Contributors Bud and Laurel Cheff
Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana founders Bud Cheff Jr. and his wife, Laurel, along with Jo Cheff, their daughter and current museum director. (Lake County Leader file photo)
The Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana, located about four miles south of Ronan, was founded in 1997 by Vern (Bud) Cheff Jr. and his wife, Laurel. Even though the Cheffs started out as a small “mom and pop” operation, the museum is now a rich resource of Native and non-Native history on the Flathead Reservation and the state of Montana.
The Cheffs are among the 2023 inductees into the Ronan Hall of Fame, in honor of their contributions to the community.
The Mission Statement of the museum includes the following, “Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana’s purpose is to discover, memorialize, preserve, and protect the history and culture of the Flathead Reservation and early Montana. It is designed for the enrichment, education, and recreation of local residents and visitors to our valley.”
Many of the items found on display at the museum are from their personal collections which they have spent a lifetime collecting and preserving. The 8,000-square-foot facility now is home to over 2,000 items, including 300 photos.
Laurel Cheff, a native of Missoula, has some of her original oil paintings of the Mission Mountains and wildlife scenes on display in the museum.
The Cheff name has long been associated with Ronan and the Mission Valley. Bud Jr. was born in his grandparents’ log house at the foot of the Mission Mountains south of Ronan. The first Cheff ancestors arrived in Montana in the early 1800s with explorer David Thompson. By the 1890s there were dozens of Cheffs in western Montana.
In 2021, Bud received the 2021 Montana Heritage Keeper award from the Montana Historical Society. This award honors those whose efforts have had a significant impact on generating interest in and preserving Montana’s history and heritage and is the highest award made each year by the Board of Trustees of the Montana Historical Society.
Day-to-day operation of the museum has been assumed by Bud and Laurel’s daughter, Josephine, who serves as the museum’s executive director.
The Cheffs will be honored Jan. 13 during the Induction Ceremony at the Ronan Community Center.