When cowboy artist Charles Russell and his wife Nancy built their summer cabin on the southern shores of Lake McDonald in Montana, Glacier National Park hadn’t yet been established. The Russells were some of the area’s earliest Anglo settlers, first visiting in 1904 and purchasing property the following year. From 1906 on, they invited friends to visit and experience the natural beauty of the American West at their forest retreat.
These visits are the subject of Sid Richardson Museum’s latest exhibit, Russell’s Retreat: Summers at Glacier National Park. The show focuses on intimately scaled works, many created as gifts for Russell’s visitors, that immerse viewers in the serene Montana wilderness through the lens of the cowboy artist.
A Glimpse Into Life at Bull Head Lodge
Deer at Lake McDonald, Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), 1908, Oil on canvas, The Petrie Collection. (Courtesy Image | Sid Richardson Museum)
Originally named Kootenai Lodge in honor of one of the area’s indigenous tribes, the Russells’ lodge was accessible only by canoe. A bison skull hung on a birch tree along the lakeshore, signaling the path to the cabin for them and their guests. That marker inspired them to rename it Bull Head Lodge, after their first summer there.
The original cabin was a small structure built of hand-hewn logs with a modest porch overlooking the lake. Even as it was expanded to include guest quarters and a studio, it remained charmingly simple. The Russells’ lodge didn’t need to impress guests—the beauty of Glacier was the focus of every visit.
“Lake McDonald is the best ground in the world and my lodge is open and the pipe lit for you and yours. You know that lake country sings the cradle song to all who lay in her lap,” Russell once wrote to a friend.
The cabin centerpiece was a cement fireplace adorned with nature scenes depicting the wildlife found around Lake McDonald—painted by Russell and his friend Philip Goodwin. Framed
muslin privacy screens, which are on display in Russell’s Retreat, divided the cabin’s interior and eventually became a place for visitors to leave signatures and sketches to commemorate their visit.
Like the structure itself, life at Bull Head Lodge was unpretentious. In the daytime, guests would join Russell on fishing excursions or watch him paint on the deck. Russell was known among his circle as a captivating raconteur—so nights at the cabin were often spent around the fire, recounting tales of travel and adventure across the American West.
Showing the Cowboy Artist’s Evolution
As Russell continued to visit Bull Head Lodge, he evolved as an artist. Lake McDonald and the park’s once-vast glaciers introduced cooler tones to his palette. The park’s diverse wildlife offered a slew of new subjects; its lush, old-growth forests and staggering mountain peaks inspired new textures and backdrops. This evolution is fully on display in Russell’s Retreat, especially in his sketches and early watercolors.
“Russell’s Retreat shows a different side of the cowboy artist” says Scott Winterrowd, Sid Richardson Museum Director. “Where he’s much more attuned to nature… to the waves along the lake… to the atmosphere.”
Mountain Sheep Grazing, Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), 1913, Oil on canvas, C. M. Russell Museum.
(Courtesy Image | Sid Richardson Museum)
The mountain wildlife featured prominently throughout Russell’s Glacier work—grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. From the earliest summers at Glacier, Russell’s fascination with the grizzly bear as a symbol of untamed wilderness and a powerful storytelling device was apparent. In reality, hunting and trapping in the late 19th century had decimated the grizzly bear population—but Russell’s depiction of the grizzly as an ever-present threat can be seen as a form of respect to the park’s apex predator.
While the grizzly bears and high mountain passes brought a dramatic tension to Russell’s paintings, a less imposing animal became the most frequent subject of his Glacier work: the white-tailed deer. The deer lived on Lake McDonald in great numbers, giving Russell ample opportunity to observe them closely from his cabin. By this point, Russell fancied himself a “harmless hunter,” opting to observe and depict the graceful animals that played a fascinating role in Glacier’s ecosystem and represented the elegance and serenity of the park.
“There’s a difference between the narrative action that Russell portrays in a cowboy scene as opposed to a study of deer along the edge of the lake,” says Winterrowd. “It’s a much quieter, more contemplative kind of art.”
Now, by viewing Russell’s Retreat, visitors of Sid Richardson Museum can also admire the serene lakeside scenes, majestic mountain landscapes, and awe-inspiring wildlife that restored Russell’s sense of wonder and renewed his appreciation for the natural beauty of the American West.
Plan Your Visit to Sid Richardson Museum
Russell’s Retreat: Summers at Glacier National Park is on display through April 2027 at the Sid Richardson Museum in downtown Fort Worth’s historic Sundance Square. The museum is open daily, and admission is always free. Visit sidrichardsonmuseum.org to find more information and plan your visit.
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