(Helena) — The Montana Historical Society has submitted Montana’s contribution to the America 250 Semiquincentennial Time Capsule: a beaded artwork by Apsáalooke/Arikara/Hidatsa artist Karis Jackson of Browning, Montana. The piece will be sealed in a stainless steel time capsule and buried at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, alongside objects from all 50 states, five territories, and Washington D.C. The capsule is scheduled to be opened 250 years from that date, on July 4, 2275.
Jackson’s work depicts the state of Montana in beadwork, incorporating the colors of the state flag, the mountains and prairies that define Montana’s landscapes, the state flower — the bitterroot — and the state bird, the western meadowlark. At the center of the design is the bison, an animal of enduring significance to the Indigenous peoples who have called this land home since time immemorial.
