Montana’s Largest Mural

Montana’s largest mural was completed on October 23, 2026, by Bozeman-based artist Griffin Foster and his assistant, Matthew Bachman. The pair began their work on August 25. The nearly 10,000-square-foot project was painted onto the side of the historic GTA Grain Tower in downtown Glendive.

The mural depicts a cattle branding scene, inspired by Foster’s time on a ranch outside Glendive researching the area earlier this year. He was captivated by the hard work, camaraderie, and heritage of eastern Montana agriculture, hoping to capture that spirit on a scale that draws visitors downtown.

According to the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, 2.2 million people traveled past Glendive in 2024. The city sits on Interstate 94, 20 miles west of the state’s border with North Dakota. The GTA tower stands 125 feet tall and can be seen for miles around, including from the interstate and Makoshika State Park. The Hub is designed to give passersby a reason to stop.

Painting at this height presented challenges. The lift swayed noticeably in even a slight breeze, which the artists described as unnerving. Wind also carries spray paint away, forcing the pair to shift to different sections of the wall depending on its direction. Pigeons also proved a persistent nuisance, even dive-bombing the artists, earning the birds an homage of their own in the finished image.

Griffin Foster mural in Glendive, MT. Completed October 23, 2026. Photo credit Miles City Live.

The mural is the first completed piece of a broader plan to turn the GTA lot into a tourism hub and downtown community center. The next phase is Gate City Commons, which will include an event lawn, stage, parking, restrooms, landscaping, and retail spaces. The project is scheduled for completion by 2030.

The initiative is funded through the Montana Tourism Development Grant Program (formerly the Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program) and administered by the Montana Department of Commerce.

This is eastern Montana where tourism is scarce, not Glacier National Park or northern Yellowstone in western Montana where overtourism is a concern. Glendive is the northern Plains. A former depot on the Northern Pacific Railroad. Small town. A cynic might call it the middle of nowhere.

Agriculture and ranching continue to predominate here.

Griffin Foster mural in Glendive, MT. Completed October 23, 2026. Photo credit Miles City Live (2).

Public Art as Economic Driver

GTA stands for Grain Terminal Association. The Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, grew into one of the largest marketing cooperatives in the world and once handled ten percent of all wheat grown in the United States. Glendive’s tower was part of a series of GTA elevators built across Montana.

Through focus groups, the Downtown Masterplan, and public input, the GTA tower was identified as a perfect location to develop for tourists to converge and learn more about Glendive.

“The GTA tower can be seen from just about all points in and outside of Glendive, including the interstate and the Yellowstone River so it is a great beacon,” Jaime Shanks, Community Development Specialist with Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation and Project Manager for the Tourism grant, said in a press release when the mural project was announced in July. “The other goal of this grant is to enhance and develop commerce. The Hub will be more than a ‘park,’ it will be an interpretive space as well as a space activated with small business, events, and year-round activities including farmers markets, art markets, concerts, and eventually, an ice-skating rink with a lit Christmas tree in the winter. We have said from the beginning that Glendive deserves nice things.”

The Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation is dedicated to promoting economic growth and prosperity in Eastern Montana.

Early in the project, residents driving by tried guessing what the mural would depict, with many imaging a dinosaur — a fitting guess in a town known for its fossils and Makoshika State Park. Makoshika State Park, bordering southern Glendive, represents one of the most impressive badlands areas in the United States. Its highly unusual rock formations and warehouse of prehistoric fossils, mineral specimens, and dinosaur bones make it an attraction for road trippers on their way from the Midwest to Montana’s national parks along I-94.

Griffin Foster mural in Glendive, MT. Completed October 23, 2026. Photo creidt Miles City Live (3)

Once the sketch revealed a branding scene, folks suggested a dinosaur be added anyway. Foster obliged, replacing a calf in the background with a dinosaur.

Foster brought a decade of experience creating murals across Montana and internationally to the project. Known for his photo-realistic technique, he was chosen following a competitive selection process for his thoroughness in understanding what a project of this scale requires, and because his artistic style was seen as the right fit for the vision behind the Tourism Hub.

More public art from Foster can be found throughout Montana, including a mural at Neptune's Brewery in Livingston, the wildland firefighter wall at Lewis and Clark Hot Shots in downtown Great Falls, the prohibition wall in the new Belgrade Liquor Store, the endangered wildflower wall on Rodney Street in Helena, and a series of endangered species murals created in partnership with the Craighead Institute. In 2023, Foster was selected for the Artist Wilderness Connection residency, spending time creating art in the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness areas.

Foster most recently completed a mural in Miles City based on photos by Evelyn Cameron and L.A. Huffman through Miles City’s efforts to develop an art walk to bolster commerce. From Wynwood Walls in Miami to WESTERN project, public art has proven time and time again to be one of the most reliable, immediate, and cost effective ways to reinvigorate communities.