Montana Lab Holds Plague, AIDS, and Other Viruses—Learn Why

I will admit that I was a bit of a hypochondriac many years ago. I couldn't even share a soda with someone because I was afraid I would get AIDS from other people's spit. It was the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the 90s. We didn't know much about the deadly virus. Other than it was killing people all over the globe.

Researchers at Labs, like the one located in Hamilton, have spent years learning about the AIDS virus and how to properly treat it. Now, the fear of AIDS is an afterthought for some.

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The Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton is a state-of-the-art facility that houses some of the world's deadliest viruses. The lab has everything from the black plague to smallpox and is locked in a vault in the Bitterroot Valley.

According to the Rocky Mountain Lab website

Although the construction of the first building of The Rocky Mountain Labs was completed in 1928, RML evolved as a result of research on Rocky Mountain spotted fever that began around 1900, in the Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana. Early settlers of the valley were plagued with a deadly disease of unknown origin that seemed to be concentrated on the west side of the Bitterroot River. It was known locally as "black measles" because of its severe dark rash, and folk wisdom of the day suggested that infection occurred from drinking the melted snow water that gushed out of the west side canyons during spring runoff.

Researchers were successful in finding the cause of the disease that was spreading all over the valley. They soon discovered the disease was caused by a tick bite.

Today, a small laboratory in our beautiful corner of the world is saving lives. Researchers and scientists are finding cures for viruses and other diseases that could save the world.