Authors limited selections from thousands of National Register candidates for new Montana places book

Kirby Lambert explained the project's selection process, saying the authors started by limiting candidates to properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and then narrowed that long list to reach the book’s final slate. Lambert noted Montana "boasts almost 1,300 listings on the National Register" and described the team's practical choices, including grouping several related sites into a single numbered place to keep the volume manageable.

Lambert also said the team intentionally included a few places not on the Register to account for contemporary subjects that would otherwise be excluded by the Register’s 50‑year rule. He described specific editorial trade-offs — for example, grouping four railroad depots as one place or combining several Lewis and Clark landmarks — as essential to presenting statewide breadth.

The author acknowledged disagreements among the contributors about particular inclusions and omissions but said the process focused on representing east and west, urban and rural, indigenous and immigrant histories across Montana.