Have You Ever Heard of the Payphone Project?

While checking information about post offices, I noticed the web address said "Payphone Project".  Being of a curious nature I googled it.  I found several web pages with pictures of payphones and their stories.  My favorite is the one by Mark Thomas http://www.payphone-project.com .

After reading the web pages I was glad that I had taken a few pictures of payphones along the way.  I took them because you don't see that many phone booths anymore.  This picture was taken at Brockway, Montana.

Brockway, Montana is in McCone County.   The closest town is Circle, MT about 12 miles away.  Brockway is located near the Redwater River.

In 1910 three Brockway brothers filed adjoining homesteads near the Redwater River. By 1913 the settlement opened its first post office.   This is a current picture of the Brockway Post Office.   It is on the left side of the building.   It is one of the 85 Montana Post Offices under consideration for closing.   July 21, 2012 Brockway will host the 82nd Annual Dairy Day Rodeo.  In 2010 Brockway celebrated its 100th birthday.

The 2010 Montana census says 140 people live in Brockway.  I'm guessing that's the number of people in the surrounding area with Brockway as their address.   Coleboy22 in his song about Brockway says the population is 19.  I think that is probably optimistic about the town proper.

As I was taking pictures one of the four footed citizens stood guard duty.  He mistook us for paparazzi, and chose to escort us out of town.  He had such a satisfied look of a job well done.  I could almost hear him say, "They looked like shifty characters to me.  They didn't even put up a ruckus when I ran them out of town."

A one of a kind doggy.  Notice how the wind is blowing his fur.

http://visitmt.com/categories/city.asp?siteid=1&city=brockway

Bloomfield Montana 59315

Bloomfield, Montana is a small agriculture community.  There are a couple of houses, a school and the Post Office.  Notice that a home is attached to the right side of this Post Office.

The last census said there were 200 people in the extended community.  The town is about 23 miles from Glendive, Montana and about 70 miles from Sydney, Montana.  And that distance is on paved roads!   The 2010-2011 enrollment for the school was 8 students.

This hay bale was sitting on the playground.  The side windows are photographs encased in plastic.  I assume they are of the current students.  The driver is also a photograph - my guess it is their teacher.  I thought this was a clever display.

One room schools are alive and well in Montana.   

Traveling on the Back Roads

Why am I taking pictures of Post Offices in Montana?  It started when I posted a couple of pictures of Post Offices on Facebook and a friend suggested it would be cool to take pictures of all the post offices in Montana.  I counted 351 Montana zip codes in the phone book.  The US Postal Service wants to close 85 in Montana and 37 in Wyoming.





It sounded like a fun idea.  I just wish she had thought about it earlier.  I was over on the western side of the state in June.  Oh well.  Dan loved the idea of "Road Trips".  We have been driving some of the "Back Roads of Montana"  looking for Post Offices.  Yesterday we stopped in 8 communities and took pictures.

Yesterday the first Post Office was at Pryor, Montana; a small town on the Crow Reservation.  Pryor, Montana is in Big Horn County.  According to the 2000 census there were 628 people in the Pryor community in 2000.

Pryor, MT 59066

Attractions in the area are the gorgeous Pryor Mountains.  There are bands of wild horses still living in the mountains.  There are also Ice Caves in the Pryors.  Chief Plenty Coups State Park and museum.


The area was named for Nathaniel Hale Pryor, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The Crow call the Pryor Mountains "Baahpuuo Isawaxaawuua (Hitting the Rock Mountains)"




The land and people of this area are dear  to my heart.  I had the opportunity to be on the board of the  "Friends of Chief Plenty Coups State Park" for many years.  Chief Plenty Coups built the first two story log home in the community.  I was very blessed to learn about him and his leadership.

Chief Plenty Coups State Park is on Pryor Creek

Chief Plenty Coups home in Pryor, Montana