As American auto tourists took to the roads in record numbers in the 1930s, Montana sought to attract them through an ambitious promotional program developed by state highway department official Robert Fletcher. The effort included publication of the first official highway map in 1934, creation of a highway historical marker program in 1935, and a chain of roadside museums constructed by the highway department but staffed and maintained by local chambers of commerce. The Laurel Roadside Museum was the only museum completed under this program. Built in 1938, the log building housed the police station in one room and a museum featuring fossils, dioramas, and a buffalo head mount in the other. Over the years, it also served as police headquarters, justice court, information center, and meeting place for chamber boards. Remodeled in 1999, it stands as it is today.