G is for Gallivanting

Gallivanting is one of my husband's favorite words.  It means to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure. For today's post I decided on a spine poem.

Gallivanting In Montana

F is For Fear

I am words whispering in the wind
I am chills that inhabit the dark, buried
I am the monster reflected in the looking glass
I am fiendish words twisted

I am eyes of darkness, stalking silently
I am a heart beating a staccato rhythm
I am secrets hidden in your memories

I am shadows of your dark side

I am screams splintering the silence 

I am the sound of a round being chambered.

I am a single night of violence, repeated

I am secrets hidden in your memories

I am green slime oozing up from fissures of distrust
I am rapacious thoughts chained with rusty links
I am vindictive words that cut to the bone
I am resentment that plots revenge

I am memories imprisoned breaking free.
I am disorientation, stirring shadows, panic
I am isolation, confusion
I am secrets hidden in your memories

I am a family photo and no recognition

I am estrangement that accepts no responsibility.

I am a memento wired with mental land-mines.

I am a demon, my name is FEAR.

X is for X-Crossing

According to answers.com there are 10 places in the United States that starts with the letter X.  The place in Montana that they list is X-Crossing.  It is located in Phillip County, at latitude 47.703 and longitude -107.783.  I found it on the internet but not in our atlas.

There is one other place in Montana that I think fits the X category if you stretch it.  It is actually Saint Xavier.  St. Xavier is a small community about 23 miles south of Hardin, MT on the Crow Reservation.  St Xavier, was founded by two Jesuit priests, in 1887.  There is an elementary school that serves the community for a 30 mile radius. 

Pretty Eagle, Crow War Chief

Pretty Eagle Catholic School was named after a Crow War Chief – Pretty Eagle.  A couple of years ago I attended the National Writing Project in Laurel, Montana.  One of our field trips took us to the Crow Reservation one of our stops was the Pretty Eagle School and Chapel, in St Xavier.  The architecture reflects the Crow Culture within the architecture of the chapel.

Chiefs Pretty Eagle, Bellrock and history

W is for Winnett, Montana

We go through Winnett on our way to Brusett from Billings.  In the 2000 census their was a population of 185 people in the community.  Winnett is the county seat for Petroleum County

In 2000 Petroleum County had a population of 493 people.   There are 56 counties in Montana.  Petroleum County is our least populous county and the 6^th in the nation.  One interesting fact about Winnett is that it is the only town in the county.  Though there are also three unincorporated communities.

While looking to research Winnett I ran across two posts that were quite interesting and give a glimpse of the character of this community.  The first post is from the daily Montana http://www.dailymontana.com/2009/08/frontier-town.html .  In this post is a historic picture taken in 1916 when the population was about 2,000.

The second post came from Big Sky Fishing .com  http://www.bigskyfishing.com/Montana-Info/city-galleries/winnett-mt.shtm

The author talks about this rural community and shares a glimpse at the only hotel in town.  He focuses on the humor of the proprietor and tongue in cheek calls the community “a functioning ghost town”.

One of the things that always impressed me was the fact that Winnett has a public swimming pool.  Miles City a much bigger community can not say the same thing. A side note there are 4 oil wells currently being drilled in the local area of Winnett. The town has a county library and a fire department.

As you head either north or east from Winnett you head towards remote areas of Montana. 

V is for Volborg, Montana

Volborg is  about 40 miles south of Miles City and has 1 post office, 1 store, 1 bar, and a couple of houses.  The one room school that serves this area is South Stacey Elementary and is about 20 miles south of Volborg. The town of Volborg is in Custer County.  The South Stacey school is in Powder River County.  My mother was one of the teachers that taught at this school.

T is for Three Forks

In 1805 the Corps of Discovery stopped in what is now Three Forks. Three tributaries – the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin – form the headwaters of the Missouri.  The rivers were named for President Jefferson, Secretary of State James Madison, and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.  Sacajawea recognized the area as where she was captured by the Hidatsas as a child.  Three Forks was traditional land of the Shoshone.

John Colter, one member of the Corps of Discovery came back to Three Forks to trap.  It was in this area that he had his encounter with the Blackfeet and he made his “naked” run in 1808.  Jack Gladstone has a song about Colter’s Run told from the Blackfeet point of view that I really enjoy.  John Colter was also the first white man to travel through what is now Yellowstone National Park.

Just outside of Three Forks is the Wheat Montana Bakery and Deli.  It is located at the intersection of I-90 and Highway 287 (Exit 274).  The flour that they use to make their baked goods comes from the wheat that grows on their family farm.  On their website they tell about holding the Guinness Record for taking standing wheat and turning it into bread in 8 minutes and 13 seconds.

One of their advertisements states that they are the 21^st century equivalent to a stagecoach stop where people can refresh themselves.  So TRUE.  I always stop there if it is at all possible when I travel through the area.  They have good sandwiches; in my opinion their claim to fame is their pastries. 

My favorite is the caramel rolls.  The rolls are larger than a softball – about 4 inches across.  I love having them hot with butter drizzling down the side.  I savor each bite – a taste of ecstasy.  The caramel slides down your tongue teasing you until you have eaten the whole thing. 

Wheat Montana Bakery and Deli should have a sign posted outside – “Sin Sold Within”.

 http://www.threeforksmontana.com

http://www.wheatmontana.com/

http://www.jackgladstone.com/Lyrics__Buffalo_Cafe.html

http://www.visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=12672&siteid=1

S is for Sagebrush

My husband loves to go “boonie bashing” – driving on non-roads with a 4 wheel drive.  He loves going through rough areas just to see if he can.  Since I have been going with him he doesn’t go through the rough stuff like he used to.  But that is another story.

Sagebrush can be found in many places.  It is often viewed as a weed.  In reality it is an important ecosystem.   There are 16 species of sagebrush in Montana.  I looked that fact up.  I can only name a couple of the species.  Any way, on with the story.

We had gone hunting up near Ismay.  We had a deep aqua green pick up with new running boards on the side.  We went down a coulee.  There below us head on was a clump of sagebrush.  I took one look …

“That’s old sagebrush, you might want to go around it.”

Incredulous he said, “It’s sagebrush, it bends.”

“Old sagebrush is hardwood, it doesn’t bend. The trunk is about 4 inches in diameter”

Laughing, he hit it head on.

The metal screamed, “SCREETCH, YEEE!  EEEH”, as it was rending from the box.  The sound was deafening as the metal ripped, and shrieked.  In my mind I thought “save the pieces.”

Dan looked in the side mirror at the fragments of metal strips that lay twisted and broken in our wake alongside the trail.

“Didn’t think it would do that,” he commented as he picked up the mangled and twisted pieces of metal that had been running boards.

“Guess we should have got those Nerf bars instead of those cheap running boards.” 

I shook my head as I looked out at the ocean of sagebrush flowing down the hill.  Under my breath, but loud enough to be heard, “Maybe we should JUST gone around it.

R is for Red Lodge

Red Lodge is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway.  The Beartooth Highway opened in 1936.   In 1884 Red Lodge was a stage stop.  Coal discoveries nearby turned it into a boomtown by the 1890’s.  Miners came from all over Europe.

The mines went into a decline in the 1920’s.  In 1943 an explosion killed 74 miners at the Smith Mine.  The mine closed shortly after the disaster, marking the end to Red Lodge mining days.

Today it is a popular tourist destination.  In winter people come to ski.  In summer people stop to admire the beauty of this mountain town.  Many continue on to visit Yellowstone National Park.

The Festival of Nations has been held in Red Lodge every August for the last 50 years.  Each day is dedicated to different cultures. There is food tasting, music, and dancing from the featured countries.  Historic artifacts, clothing and mementos are also on display.  It is a great family event.

I lived with friends in Red Lodge one year and commuted to Billings where I worked.  One morning I watched a fox hunting in the fields.  Another time I came home to find a moose and her calf eating vegetation out of the irrigation ditch.  I often looked out the window and would see moose in the ditch. 

Ever watched a porker run.  They move mighty fast.  The Beer Creek Saloon hosts the annual “Bear Creek Down’s Pig Races”. 

There is always something happening in Red Lodge.

Q is for Quilt

Quilters have pieced together the history of the state.  Their hands stitched their hopes and dreams into functional pieces of art.  The quilts were sewn with courage, love and sometimes despair but always with an artist’s eye.

When the immigrants, homesteaders, soldiers and missionaries came to Montana they brought with them their quilts and quilting traditions.  There are many types of quilting.  Each quilter brought with them their own history and traditions.  Quilting is both a solitary craft as well as a social one.  They learned from each other.  Together they exchanged news, patterns, and techniques.  

The Northern Plains women found this new art form intriguing.  Geometric patterns had long been traditions in their own functional artwork (moccasins, teepees, clothing.)  The morning star is an important part of Native American culture.  Native women learned how to make star quilts and brought and interwove their own traditions into their quilts.

Star quilts are given at powwows and giveaways to honor and recognize people for their accomplishments. Graduations, weddings, the birth of a child are all reasons to celebrate and recognize the individual with a gift of a star quilt.  The quilt is wrapped around the recipient to honor and protect the person on their journey through life.  It is a great honor to be given a star quilt. 

In 2008 I won two tickets to a Jack Gladstone concert in Helena.  Jack Gladstone is one of my favorite musical artists.  Sometimes he is called “Montana’s Blackfeet Troubadour”.  Many of his songs tell the stories of the Blackfeet people.

The concert was a fundraiser for the Montana United Indian Association, and was held at the Myrna Loy Center in Helena, Montana.   A star quilt was being raffled off.  The star tips were eagle heads, in the middle is a buffalo, at the center of the quilt are the four sacred colors:  yellow, black, white, red.  I bought several tickets and was ecstatic when I held the winning number. 

P is for Pryor

The dust bellows as we go up the road, hitting sections that are rocky and rutted.  Cars would have a difficult time proceeding.  We continue up.  Part of the land is private, some is tribally owned.  Other sections are public lands open for recreational use.  Hiking is unrestricted, but there are no maintained trails.

We have taken the 4 wheelers and ridden the roads around the Pryor Mountains.  I ride the more easy trails.  Refusing to go up higher.  The shadows take on sinister foreboding as I wrestle with inner demons.  Looking down into the ravines literally takes my breath away.

One time we rent a double up so I can ride behind my husband.  During the scary parts of the ride I squeeze my eyes closed.   As we ride, the tires crunch and spin along the rocky paths.  I feel like we are tipping, about to roll and tumble to the bottom.  My heart jack-hammers until we reach more level ground.

The mountain was named for Nathaniel Hale Pryor, a member of the Corp of Discovery.  The Absalooke (Crow) consider this mountain sacred.  Their name for the mountain is  “Arrow Shot Into Rock”. 

Traveling through the Pryors, the lucky viewer may catch a glimpse of wild horses. The wild horse refuge in the Pryor’s was established in 1968.   Lots of caves can be found in the region, the most visited one is “The Big Ice Cave”.  Several species of bats live in the area including some that are listed as “species of concern”:  the pallid bats, spotted bat, and the Townsend’s big-eared bat. You might even see a Bighorn Sheep.

Nearby on the Crow reservation is a small community that takes its name from the Pryor Mountains.  Just outside of Pryor is the Chief Plenty Coups State Park and museum.  During the fall a "Day of Honor" is celebrated to remember him.

I believe Chief Plenty Coups was a great trickster.  During the time that the US government was taking Indian land, he donated his land back to the government to be used by all people. How his spirit must have laughed as this piece of land caused the government many frustrating moments, even as they became stewards of the land.   Eventually establishing a State Park commemorating Chief Plenty Coups’ vision that it would become a Place of Peace.

O is for One-Room Schools

Montana has about 61 one-room schools; the only state with more one-room schools is Nebraska.  I am the only one in my immediate family that did not attend a one-room school.  My mother taught in a number of one-room schools in Custer and Garfield County.  She taught from 1974-1988.

When I was looking up current background information for this post I read an article by Dean Reynolds, in the article he used a line that says so much. 

“We were tracing the route to the Stevenson Elementary School – a place so remote, even by North Dakota standards – that the closest mailman comes from next door Montana.”

I remember at many of the schools Mom taught the mail came only once or twice a week.  Rita helped me remember some of the schools Mom taught at: SH School; Cat Creek; Pine Grove; Powder River; Riverview and Pine Creek.

My mother loved the country and saw the beauty in these remote places rarely seen with human eyes.  I remember how she would recount watching the animals. 

One of the schools was up near the Missouri Breaks.  Calling that land rough or rugged is like saying Katrina was a bit of wind.  Mom often walked in the evenings.  She told me one time she had walked down a coulee and all of a sudden she felt like she was being watched.  When she looked up there a 5 or 6 mule deer watching her.  All of a sudden they bounded off.  She said deer are very curious. 

Another time she had been working in the schoolhouse when the electricity started to go out.  She headed back to the teacherage where she lived and got ready for bed in the dark.  About 3:00 in the morning she woke up because the lights had come back on.  When she got up she realized the lights had been left on in the schoolhouse.   Looking into the school windows were a doe and a couple of yearling fawns.  She guessed the lights had pricked their curiosity. 

She always had a story to share.  Now I wish she had kept a journal of her observations.  I miss hearing her tell about the country she loved.

K is for Kalispell

Kalispell MT montage-a-google

I have a montage of memories connected to Kalispell.  Memories, I have been visiting a lot lately. Among them a trip to Glacier National Park with my mom many years ago.  Magical moments in time that shine brightly years later.  These memories make up pages in my mental scrapbook.

When I think of Kalispell, I think of my most unusual find at a garage sale.  The Gatiss Gardens - flowers tended with love and dedicated to a mother.  And a place Known as the Montana Vortex and House of Mystery.  Among this collage of remembrances are seagulls and morning light.

We had stopped earlier at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT,  on display was a collection of fossilized dinosaur skin.  It was pebbly - reminiscent of goose bumps turned to stone.  I was fascinated that skin could have been preserved in such a way.  This exhibit toured my brain and kept prompting questions.

We continued to travel from Bozeman to Kalispell (322 miles) and I saw a sign advertising a garage sale.  On a whim I turned down the dirt road.  The sale was being held in a large shop.  Everything neatly laid out and most were clearly marked with the sale price.  Along one wall I found some shoe boxes with different rocks and similar artifacts.  Then I found IT.  It was a shoe box full of "stones".  These stones looked very similar to the display of dinosaur skin at the Museum of the Rockies.  Could the box possibly be chunks of fossilized dinosaur skin?

The box did not have a price marked on it.  I took it over to home owner and asked him, "What are these?"

He nonchalantly looked at them and commented, "Dinosaur skin."

My heart dropped.  He knew what he had.  I was sure the price would be out of sight.

"How much are you asking?"

"Oh, a dime a piece I guess."

I quickly purchased several dollars worth.  I would later give it all away to other teachers.  I know that was my most amazing find that I ever made at any garage sale.

The Gatiss Gardens (pictures) are a private garden that is open to the public.  The trail that winds through the garden is approximately a mile long.  We had the great good fortune to meet Bob Gatiss who gave us a guided tour.  Often stopping at different plants to share stories and legends.  He was a great storyteller.  I remember asking about the ducks that were wandering near the creek.  I remember his comment.

"They are part of my gardening crew.  They help weed the gardens."

I remember asking how the ducks knew the difference between weeds and plants.  He smiled, "We lose a few plants."

It was our good fortune to visit the gardens on several trips.  I remember an early morning seeing a bumblebee on a flower.  It wasn't moving very much.  Mr Gatiss said they don't move fast when it starts to get cool.  His eyes twinkled as he encouraged me to pet the bee.

I remember reaching out, and stroking the small body.  I could feel the fine "hair" almost like fur.  A snapshot in time, a memorable moment.

The Montana Vortex and House of Mystery was a delight.  It comes complete with a tilted house and some great optical illusions.  At the time we were there a family with 7 year old twins were also visiting. Each twin stepped up on the cement block.  One was now visibly taller.  They then switched sides now the other twin was taller.  It was left to the visitor's imagination whether to believe it was a vortex of energy that made this anomaly or if it was in fact an optical illusion.  Either way it was a fun stop.

We were up early one morning and watched seagulls dining on french fries from a nearby fast food establishment.  The gulls would dance and dart all the while squabbling over whose fry it was.  They provided quite a show as the morning sun continued to rise.

It has been fun revisiting these snapshots in time - this scrapbook of memories that only my mind can see.

J is for Jordan

Jordan, MT is the county seat for Garfield county.  There is a little museum complete with real dinosaurs found in the area.  Hell Creek is only about 26 miles (fisherman come from all over).  It is a mecca for deer and antelope hunting.  Some of you are scratching your head because there is a glimmer of a memory.  Yes your right it was in the news.  In 1996 the Montana Freeman made the news when they had a standoff with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On a personal note my sister-in-law and her husband live about 30 miles from Jordan in an area known as Brusett, MT.  The town of Brusett now is just the post office.  The post office first opened May 29, 1916.  Fossils and dinosaur bones can still be found in the region.  Paleontologists often stop and visit Patsy & Alven when they are in the area.

Garfield county is a very rugged country. You still come across the old homesteads that are still standing.  Distances are a fact of life.  It is not reasonable to bus students to town so there are a number of one-room schools still in use.  Each school has its own district.  Pine Grove is one of those schools and is about 8 miles from my sister-in-laws home.  My mother was one of the teachers who taught at Pine Grove.

  



   

I is for Ingomar & Ismay

Ingomar, MT once claimed the title of "Sheep Shearing Capital of North America".  Between 1911 and 1917 Ingomar averaged 2500 homestead filings a year.  Today it is basically a living ghost town.  It sits alongside US 12 - (a two lane paved road), about 40 miles from Forsyth and 60 miles from Roundup. There are about 4-5 people living there.  "You've gotta be going to Ingomar to go to Ingomar" - author unknown.

My first trip to the Jersey Lilly in Ingomar was with a friend, Deborah Hanson.  We were on our way to the Montana Democratic Party Platform Convention being held in Great Falls, MT.  Deborah and her husband Terry had been long time friends with Bill Seward.  We stopped for lunch and ate the Jersey Lilly's famous bean soup.  While we ate Bill regaled us with wonderful stories.  Many of them were the back stories to some of the photos and clippings hanging on the walls.  Bill was a wonderful storyteller and a "true western character".

The Jersey Lilly started out as a bank. In 1948 Bill's dad bought it and named the place after Judge Roy Bean's bar in Texas.  Bill bought the place from his dad in 1958.  Bill sold it in the 1990's to Jerry J. Brown.

My other favorite little town is Ismay, MT it is also in eastern Montana not far from Baker, MT.   It boasts a population of about 20-30 residents.  Its most recent claim to fame was in 1993 when it temporarily changed the town name to "Joe" Montana.  Through some great publicity and some major events they raised around $70,000.  Enough money to build a volunteer fire station, fire truck and to restore the original jail.

I'm partial to the town because I know members of the Nemitz family.  I worked as a bartender with one of the brothers.  At one time several of the boys were council men and one was mayor during the same year, perhaps still.   In 1993 the mayor's salary was four dollars a month.

My sister joked it was probably one of the few communities were a city council meeting could be held over a family dinner and have a voting quorum.

F is For Forsyth, MT

Have you ever tried to push a “Scout” off the side of the road?  Not only did I push the “Scout” off the road but, it started to roll down the hill into a fence.  I ran and grabbed the steering wheel to change its trajectory.  Finally it came to a stop.  I was very annoyed with myself, and the Scout.  In my peripheral vision I watched a highway patrolman coming down the interstate.  He crossed the meridian and parked near the edge of the road. 

I could tell that he had watched the whole episode, because he was trying to keep from laughing out loud.  I could also tell that he wasn’t succeeding completely. 

“Is everything ok?”

“Yes, the Scout stalled.  I tried to get it off the side of the road.  But I pushed to hard.”

Eyes laughing – “I see you got it stopped.”

“ It will start in an hour or so.  I had another car that would do the same thing.”

Trying hard to contain his mirth, “ We have to put a sticker on cars left by the road.  You have 48 hours after the sticker is put on it to get it moved.  I won’t put a sticker on it until tomorrow.”

“That’s ok I’ll have it running again before that.”

“Sure.  Do you need a ride into Forsyth to call a tow truck?”

“No, my mom is driving the Hyundai over there.  I’m taking the Scout to Busby and then I’m returning to Miles City.

“Ok ,  you sure everything is ok?”

“Yah.  We’ll leave the Scout for a while and visit some friends in Forsyth and then drive the Scout to Busby.  It’ll be ok.” 

As he drove off I could see him shaking his head. I knew he was laughing big belly laughs as he drove away.   I’ve often wondered how often he has chuckled over this memory.

I left the Scout to rest for a couple of hours.  Then we came back collected the Scout and continued on our journey.  I always thought that vehicle was just happy to be going down the road.

Wherever you are officer, I wish I could have heard you tell this story.  Just so you know I would have laughed out loud if I had been you.

Happy Trails.