Born in 1864 in St. Louis, Charles M. Russell grew up fascinated by tales of the Wild West. He traveled to Montana in 1880 and made a life on the frontier, working first as a cowboy and then a night wrangler, leaving his days free to observe and sketch working cowboys. Once a full-time artist, Russell moved with his wife the short distance from Cascade to Great Falls, where he built his home and studio. Over the course of his life he created around 4,000 works of art that reside in both public and private collections throughout the country.    Although primarily focused on the works of the local artist, the C.M. Russell Museum also includes numerous collections of other western artists whose works complemented the themes that so intrigued Russell throughout his lifetime as well as the original Russell Home and Studio.