Gilt Edge Montana Ghost Town - Slice 31

Today is the last day of the SOL writing challenge.  I am sad.  It gets me back writing regularly and I get to read many wonderful writers.  Thank you.  The calendar confirms today is March 31 - Easter.  I can't believe how fast it went.

Yesterday my husband and I took a road trip looking for what isn't - some of the towns that are slipping off the map or that already have.  We found the ghost town of Gilt Edge.  There were quite a few buildings still standing, many have already crumbled.

One of the things we saw was a yellow hill.  You can see that water and snow had made erosions.  It kind of looked like dirt and kind of looked like saw dust.  There was no mill and the dirt around was darker.  When I got home I looked up Gilt Edge and discovered that the hill was the mining tailings. Gilt Edge had been a mining camp.  It was the first place in the USA to use cyanide leeching process in gold processing.

The Gilt Edge Mill and town started in 1893 and rand until 1912.

http://www.angelfire.com/ia2/flybee3/

http://myweb.cableone.net/flynbil/flynnsinn_002.htm

Mining Tailings

Rising From the Ashes - 30 of 31

August 1949 in the Helena National Forest lightning struck the south side of Mann Gulch.  It was 97 degrees that day and the wind was described as turbulent.  Fire danger was 74 out of 100.  The trees were tinder dry.

20 year old James O Harrison was working nearby at the Meriwether Campground.  He had been trained as a smoke jumper but his mother had convinced him to find a less dangerous profession.  15 smoke jumpers parachuted in at 4:10.  By 5:56 13 men would be dead.  The fire spread to about 4500 acres.  It would take 5 days and 450 more men to control the fire.

R. Wagner Dodge was the Crew Chief - while climbing to the ridge he realized they would not make it and he set a fire behind him and tried to get his men to step through the fire into the burned out area.  This was an unheard of practice in 1949.  Several men close by cursed him and ran for the ridge. It is believed that many did not even hear him.  The fire was 3 stories high and the noise of the fire was likened to a freight train or a jet.

After the fire passed Wagner and two other smoke jumpers survived - Walter Rumsey, 21 and Robert W. Sallee,  17.  

This horrendous fire would change how smoke jumpers were trained to fight fires.  Unfortunately the lessons learned would be forgotten and tragedy would be repeated in the South Canyon Fire of 1994. (14 firefighters died)

Each spring smoke jumpers come to Mann Gulch before the area is open to the public. Originally 13 crosses marked where the bodies were found. in 2001 David Navon's marker would be replaced with a Star of David Marker.

Songs and books have been written about the Mann Gulch Fire.

• Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
• A Great Day to Fight Fire: Mann Gulch, 1949 by Mark Matthews

Music

• James Keelaghan wrote "Cold Missouri Waters"
• Ross Brown, a Townsend, Montana Native wrote "Mann Gulch"
• Patrick Michael Karnahan wrote Underneath Montana Skies

Outside the Window Slice #29

Swirling sand

Whirling through the air.  

Windows pummeled by itsy bitsy flying rock.

Pings - small rocks thrown hitting glass.  

Engulfed in a curtain of sand

Metal – sand blasted.

White knuckles grip the wheel

The car rocks

The air rumbles and grumbles

The dull roar becomes louder

Suddenly metal screams

It tears and twists

Careening into other metal.

Twisting, twirling,

Limbs fly,

Darkness descends

A vortex of flying sand swirls

Sand drops.

Now silent, and still  

Cars sit crumpled and twisted.

Outside

The metal debris -

Broken bodies lay twisted.

Three Picture Books About Strong Women - Slice 28 of 31

Do you know who was the first woman to run for the US Presidency?  How about what year she ran?  Who was the first woman to own a newspaper? Who was the first woman to have a seat on the stock exchange?


First clue:  the year was 1872 and this woman ran as a candidate for the US President before most women had the right to vote.  

Second Clue:  The answer to the other three questions was the same woman.

Answer:   Victoria Woodhull  

A woman for president : the story of Victoria Woodhull 

    Krull, Kathleen.

Elizabeth leads the way : Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the right to vote   
  Stone, Tanya Lee.


This is a great read aloud and is great for young students.

Ballots for Belva:  The True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Courtney Autumn Martin

This book is about Belva Lockwood and her run for the US Presidency in 1884.  The 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in the US, was passed August 26, 1920.

These are three great books to share with students.

Women's Rights Movement Timeline

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

I Love Found Poetry - Slice 27 of 31

Found Poetry  - Inspired by Persnickety by Steven Cosgrove

Her house is filled with dragons,

Her socks are always clean.

In a land of magic mountains and dreams,

There lived some mighty dragons.

The dragons really couldn’t scare anyone.

For if you looked very carefully

You would note that all the dragons

Wore wooly socks upon their feet.

Nothing is very scary about a dragon

Who wears wooly socks.

Photo Biography - Slice 26 of 31

If you could go through all your family photos, which ones would you choose to tell your life story? The Stevenson Funeral Home in Miles City, MT has always done an exemplary job as they connect with family.  One of their trademark customs has been a photo video/cd montage.  They have made these as part of their service for over 30 years that I know of.   Family members select and bring in pictures.  Stevenson's scan the pictures make a slide show of the loved ones life.

The photo-memorial was shown during the reception following the funeral service.  It was bitter-sweet.  I saw pictures of my step-children with their grandfather when they were young.  One picture stood out for me, not because of the photo but because of my step-son's commentary.

It was a photo of his grandma and grandpa sitting together flanked by rows of empty chairs.  The yard was set up for the wedding of one of their grand-daughters.  My step-son's comment - "You can tell from his expression he was planning a conspiracy and grandma was trying to squelch it."

At that moment I had wished I had known him then.  I met him as he fought the ravishes of Parkinson's.  I did not know the man that teased his grandchildren or braved a bear to keep his family safe.

As I watched the pictures I remembered another conversation.  A friend lost her husband and they were preparing for the funeral.  This family had been photo buffs, over the years they had taken hundreds of pictures.  My friend said she got her children and grandchildren together (15 people).  Put all the photos on the table and asked all 15 to choose 15 pictures they wanted included in the slide show.

As a family they would narrow that number down to 5 each.  She told each family member that at the designated time they would present each photo they wanted to include and tell why it was important   .  Why they wanted it included.

She said that day was so healing.  There was laughter interspersed between the tears as they relived family memories.  She said it was such a powerful experience.

As I watched the photo-memorial I was again struck at the power of someone's story.  Today they buried a good man.  They buried my husband's father-in-law.

What is a Friend? Slice 25 of 31

Connections.  I have "met" many people because of blogging.  I've gotten to know them in different ways than my other friends.  I think of favorite characters from my books - what would happen if they could write?  How would the stories change?  How would we change?  How would are definition of friends change?

Friendships - there are many blogs I read frequently over the year.   Through there writing I get to "know" them.  I get a glimpse at their "real" lives not just their "virtual" one.  Online friends have encouraged and supported me at different times.  I have often appreciated their insight and wisdom.

You have helped me to become a better writer and teacher.  I have learned of classes, programs, teaching methods.  My world is richer because of our connections.

In time I wonder if we will have words in our language to distinguish friends that we know only on-line from friends we know in person.  I have friends from school, from the military, from ...

My friendships ebb and flow.  I have been blessed with many friends.  I have been blessed with friends who have been by my side for many years.

How do you define friendship?

No Return Ticket - Slice 24 of 31

Have you ever had a line jump out at you and dance through your thoughts?  Sometimes I notice it because of how it intersects with my life.  Thoughts lurking - making connections - weaving in and out.

These are some of the lines that have recently danced just out of reach, then continue to tease me as they pop in and out of my thoughts.  The harder I try to capture them the more elusive they become.

• Where lives intersect
• He's lost, well he's taken a mental holiday with no return ticket

These are two lines that have played hide and seek with my thoughts, and memories.  The first line "Where lives intersect" makes me think of all the people whose lives intersect with mine.  What shadows, what glimpses do I notice?  I think of the conversations I have shared on bus rides, restaurants, waiting in line.

The second line I read on a "Non-milk carton" containing a T-shirt.  It made me smile and laugh.  You see there are times I have taken a mental holiday and had no return ticket.  

One Little Word - Healing, Slice 23 of 31

I put off posting, I put off writing, kind of like I've put off taking care of myself.  Hmm parallels?  In November I started thinking about what I would choose for my one little word.  Last year I chose gratitude.  It was powerful when I stuck with it.  Story of my life so often I don't stick with things.  Diet, saving money, getting organized the list goes on.

The word I chose was healing.  I wasn't really sick just kind of tired, over-weight,  joints hurting, hormones bouncing, moody.  I think I just wanted to feel better and I think I hoped it would help me with my list.  You know lose weight, save money, get organized.  That list

January 2, 2013 I had an appointment with a new doctor.  I needed a new prescription and it was deemed I hadn't seen my previous doctor recently enough to still be considered his patient so I would have to re-establish.  Did I mention that last year I had gone to his Physician Assistant.  

When I was trying to schedule this appointment with him in early December the Clinic told me I would have to wait until May for the next appointment.  I explained I needed a refill for my thyroid medication.  They weren't helpful.  So I asked if they could schedule me with a different doctor.  

My appointment was January 2, 2013.  He looked at the lab-work that was done in September.  My liver enzymes were slightly raised.  So they ran a new lab.  Same results.  Long story short I have had enough tests run that I now have a favorite vampire.  (I realize this is dark humor and that phlebotomists play an amazingly important role.)

Part of my dread is that I am a "difficult poke".  

I decided to use Instagrok to search "healing".  One of the key facts connected with the search was

• Healing comes from taking responsibility: to realize that it is you - and no one else - that creates your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions.

Well the upside of all these tests.  They have all been negative.  They still don't know why my enzymes are mildly elevated.  Their concern is that it has been elevated for an extended period of time.

One of the things that I have recently done was to have the dreaded "Colonoscopy".  The prep is far worse than the procedure.  

The good news is with all these tests we now have a baseline for the future.  And I know my health is pretty good.  As I ponder what I have learned it is the importance of taking responsibility for my own health.  

Opening Doors, Slice 22 of 31

He stood at the front door.  Front paws on the doorknob. Turning it.  He mimicked what he had watched a thousand times.

Max was fairly young - probably 4 or 5 months old.  A friend and two of her granddaughters came to visit.  Max was in heaven children to play with.  They romped they ran.  They took him out on a leash.  The three of them played hard for better than an hour.  Then the girls brought Max in and reminded their grandmother that it was almost time to leave for the movie.

She smiled and told them to wait for her she would be out directly.  The girls took the leash off and walked out the door.  Max was heart broken.  They had left without him.  He turned to me and cried.  Visibly upset he cried.  Trying to tell me that the girls forgot him.

I continued to talk to my friend.  Max went and stood by the front door and pawed it.  Looking back at me to see if I would take action.  I didn't.

Finally, he turned to me with such a look of disgust on his furry face.  He then stood up put both front paws on either side of the doorknob and turned it. I was very grateful that he didn't know you have to pull at the same time.  He was visibly frustrated when the front door did not open.

I called him to me just as one of the girls came back in to hurry her grandmother along.

The incident made me laugh as I went back to my daily life.  The next day Max mastered opening the sliding glass door at the back of the house.  Locking it made no difference.  As our other dogs came to live with us he taught each of them this little routine.  The door stays closed now because there is a chain lock above where he can reach.

As I look through my memories and the snapshots in my mind I can see him clearly standing up trying to open that door.  It was one of the few times I was glad that the front door sticks.  

Max and the Cats, Slice 21 of 31

The wind was howling and snow slapped and stung.  Through the icy noise I could hear his plaintive cries.  He came up on the deck and cried.  Begging to be rescued from the blizzard and the plummeting mercury.

As I went into the house he sat crying at the back door.   The biting wind howled and roared.  Over the roar of the storm I could hear his cries for help.   I did not let him in.

I stood in the middle of the storm, the snow crystals burning my lungs.
I felt bad but I couldn't let him in, nor could I leave him out alone.  The black cat looked plaintively at me as I listened to his agonized cry.  I couldn't let him in because I am deadly allergic to cats.

I went and fetched a cardboard box and wrapped a plastic garbage bag around it.  Then put some old towels in the box.  I put it against the house for shelter.  The black cat snuggled inside.  He stayed with us for the next eight years.  He died about a month after my mom did.

Black Cat did not like dogs.  My dog Corduroy was blind at the time Black Cat came to live with us.  Black Cat would run from Corduroy.  She in turn would chase him.  Several times she came close to catching him.

Max was a pup when he met Black Cat.  I had so wished that he had smacked Max on the nose, instead of running.  But no he chose to run from that noisy ball of fur.  Max delighted with this new game.  So every time he was outside he would give chase.

Max like other youngsters soon generalized his experience.  He decided that chasing cats was a great pastime.

Max was about 5 or 6 months old when we took him with us to visit my sister-in-law.  She had several house cats.  I never stayed long because of the cats.  But this day we had Max with us.  One of my sister-in-law's cats was a gray juvenile.  When Max came into the house the cats scattered.  Finally the young gray sauntered back and sat a top the scratching post.

Max would take a few steps toward him.  The gray cat would hiss and bristle.  Max would whine and step back.  The cat would return to normal.  Max would take a step forward.  The cat would hiss and bristle.

This dance continued for quite a while.  Dan and I laughed at their behavior.  Finally the cat grew tired of the game and turned his back on Max.  Max stood and whined and cried.  Finally he stepped forward and poked the cat with his nose.  He had hit the on button.  The cat hissed and bristled for a period of time.  Then turn and ignored Max.

Max would then touch the cat with his nose virtually re-setting the sound sequence.  I think the game would have gone on indefinitely had we not left when we did.

Max the Mechanic, Slice 20 of 31

I have always believed Max is an enchanted boy in a fur coat.  He's eleven going on twelve. His once  blackened face now is almost pure white.  I have so many memories of this furry old man.

A favorite snapshot from my mind is the first time he saw the garbage truck.  He sat outside watching absolutely entranced.  Like a little boy he watched it until it drove away.  His whole body was riveted.

First I should tell you how we came to have him.  Dan pulled into a truck stop in Amarillo, Texas.  Someone was selling puppies over the CB-radio.  Dan went inside showered, ate.  When he came out the guy with the puppies drove by.  Dan called him over and asked about the puppies.  The guy said he had two left and handed Max to Dan.  Dan never even saw the other puppy.  The guy wanted twenty five dollars.  Transaction made the guy drove away.

Max was very young probably 5 or six weeks old.  Barely weaned.  Now he was going down the road in a semi.  Dan stopped at a Walmart got dog food, collar, leash and a water dish and puppy pads.

Max was such a little guy.  Dan had his hands full driving and trying to care for a pup.  You know puppy pee and poop.

When Dan called me the next day he had discovered Max was infested with flees and ticks.  He asked me what to do.  I told him to get rid of the ticks.  I told him not to buy a flea collar because those hopping devils would vacate the dog and he would never get them out of his truck.

His company wanted him to go to Canada, so he had to explain that he had a pup with no papers.  So they brought him home.  I took him to the vet and got him cleaned up - and de-wormed.  They said they usually won't treat a pup as young as Max with anti flea stuff.  After he was treated he came home with me.

I was already a pet parent to Corduroy.  She was a 13 year old diabetic labrador/cross.  Her mom was a golden lab and her dad was a traveling man.  I suspected he had coyote heritage.  She was a beautiful brindle.  She had always been an only child.  I had no idea how she would behave with the pup.    

She liked him.

My mom, who had Alzheimers, was curious about the pup.  He had not been with us long when she looked at him and then at me and said - "it wiggles".   Nodding, "I responded he certainly does that."

Peggy,  Dan's daughter named him Max the Mechanic because he looked like he had grease smeared across his face from working on a car.  He was so little when Dan brought him home.

Road Trip, Slice 19 of 31

My friend Ginny sent me the link to Lost and Found Montana - towns slipping from the map. http://lostandfoundmontana.com/towns/alpine.html.  Dan and I decided on a "road trip" in search of Alpine Montana.  I had scanned the website but hadn't read deeply.  So I missed some important information.  I realized this upon our return.

We found no single sign with the name Alpine.  I did learn that Alpine sits on or near the East Rosebud Lake Association.  This association was started by a group of investors in 1911. (The wooden sign says it was founded in 1894)  John Branger was one of the investors.

East Rosebud Lake borders the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.  John's great-grandson Clint Branger is one of 20 men who started the Professional Bull Riders in 1992.  Clint and his family still live on the mountain (Beartooth Mountains)

We learned that there is only 1 year round resident in town and Alpine has a post office only during  the summer.  This is the second summer-time only post office that I know of in Montana.  The other one is in Glacier National Park.

The pictures are of the Beartooths.  They are considered some of the most rugged mountains in the west.

Passionate About What Is On The Map - Slice 18 of 31

I was reading Margaret's post 15 Lines Talking to Me Today at her blog Reflections on the Teche 

http://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/15-lines-talking-to-me-today/  .  I loved the idea that she took 15 lines and wove them into a poem.  Later a friend of mine sent me a link to Lost and Found Montana.  

The descriptive writing was so rich I wanted to share a sample.  I then mined it for some rich luscious lines of found poetry.  I hope you enjoy.

"When the official state highway map was created in 2001 ultimately nine communities remained, nine disappeared.

Their stories explore the issue of depopulation in the Great Plains, but they are not ghost tales. These are stories of towns clinging to existence like tumbleweed to a barbed wire fence. They're not just farming towns, they're railroad towns, mining towns, and mountain towns. Some have all but blown away in the western wind, while others balance at the vanishing point of the 21st century.

The destiny of each town provides a lens into the changing rural West and the fragility of place. As the MDT found out, when you propose to erase a town, it's about so much more than just words on a map." - quote from Lost and Found Montana  http://www.lostandfoundmontana.com/

"I can stand there in Lombard and close my eyes and see it still.  Then I open them and nothing is there." - Rose Ellen Dempsey

Found Poem - Slipping From the Map

Inspired by - Lost and Found Montana

“Hey, we're still here.”

Outcry about town erasure.

People are passionate about what is on the map.

Explore the issue of depopulation 

Stories of towns clinging to existence 

Like tumbleweeds to a barbed wire fence.

The destiny of each town 

Provides a lens into the changing 

Rural West.  

The fragility of place.

Some have all but blown away 
In the western wind.

Others balance 
At the vanishing point,
Of the 21st century.

Nine disappeared.

Nine communities remain,

Slowly,
Slipping from the map.

Inspired By A Single Word - Slice 17 of 31

Inspired By a Single Word - Slice

My poem was inspired by Linda at Teacher Dance http://teacherdance.blogspot.com/2013/03/poetry-slices-and-more-15-of-31.html and what she wrote about David Harrison’s blog and his one word challenge http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/adult-word-of-the-month-poem .  This month’s word is snake.

The Snake

Driving down the road

A hawk

A fence post.

I asked

Go back?

He balked.

Said
It would be gone. 

It wasn’t. 

Her feathers
Windblown

Ruffled.

Disheveled

She watched.

The camera clicked.

Her wings extended,

She lifted into the sky,

Her prize dangling.

Ruffled feathers

Evidence

Of the life and

Death battle

She waged and won

In victory

She flew.

The snake

Dangling.

Tell Him the Story about the Cleaning Lady, Slice 16 of 31

My husband told me a funny story when I got home last night.  My sister-in-law and her husband moved to town last year.  They bought a place in one of the new developments here in town, one of those with cookie cutter houses.  When they moved in they were the last row.  Now there are more houses behind them.  All painted similar colors.

The last two times Dan drove to their home he missed their turn off.  Yesterday he turned in the wrong row and the neighbors were out in their yard.  Dan told them all those driveways look the same.  The lady nudged Ted and said tell him about the "Cleaning Lady."

Ted has a cleaning lady come.  He says she's real good and always on time.  She always calls if she was going to be late.

Well this one day.  She didn't come, she didn't call and he waited and waited.  Finally he called her.

"Where are you?"

"I'm cleaning your house."

"I don't think so."

"Yes I am.  I just put the dishes way."

"No.  I'm at my house and you aren't here."

Sure enough she was at someone else's home.

That lady came home to discover someone had been in her house.  She asked my sister-in-law if she had seen anyone. She hadn't.

Later after he figured out whose house it was he told her the story of the "Cleaning Lady."

Baby and the $30,000 Baseball Cap 15 of 31

My husband is besotted with Baby.  She really is a love able scamp.  Though there is a special connection between Dan and her.  Like many Labs - Baby was a chewer.  I wrote about Baby's First Cap back in 2010.

I think what amazes me about Baby's love affair with Dan is the fact that she doesn't like males.  The day after she came home with us a friend stopped to visit.  Dean is a dog person and she wasn't going to let him in the door.  We have pieced together that someone must have abused her before she came to live with us.  Her fear of men makes the story of her love for my husband all the sweeter.

I digress.  Dan jokes that last year he bought a $30,000 baseball cap and they threw the 2012 Tundra in for free.  That is a story for another day.

The first thing Dan did when we got home was show Baby his new white cap.  He sat on the couch in front of her and carefully showed her the cap.  Explaining how nice it was and that she would get to ride in the Tundra.

The whole time he was talking she sat and looked at him and the cap he held in his hands - and literally licked her chops.

When he got done talking to her, I told him you better keep that cap up, because she already told you she is looking forward to chewing it up.

"Oh no.  She won't eat it.  She's a good girl, just sometimes she can't help herself."

Baby our Foster Pup, Slice 14 of 31

Baby started out as a foster pup.  We were sure she had escaped her yard and some family was frantically looking for her.  That was what we thought.

She followed some kids to school February 12,  2010.  Lyn our psychologist put her in her vehicle because our principal was allergic to dogs.  I was walking down the hall when Lyn and Marie were discussing what to do with her.  They both looked at me and said "Ruthie will taker her."

"No. Ruthie won't take her.  We already have 3 dogs.  I don't need a fourth."

Marie - "Dan will be here for lunch with Ruth.  Ask him."

And she did.  Dan agreed to take the pup over the weekend.  When Lyn brought the pup out to the car.  Baby took to Dan like he was her long lost Dad.  It was love at first sight for both of them.

Friends from school made fliers, we checked with the vets, pound, shelters on-line lost pets everywhere.  After a month we took her to the vet for her shots.

We thought of different names but kept calling her the baby.  So when it was obvious that she was ours that was the name she ended up with.

Baby was a chewer.  Among other things she ate over 25 baseball caps belonging to Dan and Tom our renter.  She ate books,  she was a busy girl.

We had had her about a year when I saw a sign at the local vet  - Pets of the month "Diesel and Miss-demeanor".  I thought that is what I should have named Baby "Miss-demeanor".  When I shared my thoughts with a friend.  She wrote back not Miss-demeanor - Baby is up to a felony.

Is it Real or is it a Hoax? 13 of 31

Ever seen pictures of the Brazilian Grape Tree?  I was on Pinterest and thought someone had downloaded a hoax.  So I did a little searching.  It seems legit.  They say the fruit has long been used to treat asthma in its native land.

Looks strange to me.  http://zoom50.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/jabuticaba.jpg

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/forests/news-strange-true-astonishing-brazilian-grape-tree

Sammi, SOL 12 of 31

I am a petite
Great Dane/Lab

I love people
I am a bully

I sit and wait
Watching out the picture window.

My head on your knee
I look longingly at you

And in my eyes
You see I adore you.

I tremble in fear
As thunder fills the air


Growling
I become jealous and insecure


Blind Lady and I fight
for dominance.

You rejected me
When I hurt her

When the others need you
I  find you.

Once I went wandering
Spending the night in doggy jail

You searched for me
When I was lost

You found me
I was so excited

Know one could doubt
I  love you.









                           

Part 2 - Connecting a Historical Event to Montana - SOL 11 of 31

Why should you use different primary sources about the same topic?  Different sources show different points of view.  They can show contradictory information.  It is also a way to scaffold the research process.  Students make predictions and provide evidence for their opinions. Using a Voki is one way to introduce novelty into the lesson.  It makes the lesson more memorable.

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675021990_American-Unknown-Soldier_President-Harding_Congressional-Medal-of-Honor_Chief-Plenty-Coos#




This clipping is from the November 12, 1921 edition of the New York Tribune.  The full page can be viewed by clicking on the pdf link below the clipping.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1921-11-12/ed-1/seq-2.pdf

Further Back Ground Information

Here is another resource:

This quote is from the 1921 Associated Press text -"The Unknown Soldier".  These are newspaper pages that ran 1921 when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was first interred.  Chief Plenty Coup was one of the people in attendance.  He left his War Bonnet and his Coup Stick on the Tomb.  These 21 pages can be downloaded free as an e-book.

http://books.google.com/books?id=dp5PAAAAYAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Kirke+Larue+Simpson%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Connecting a Historical Event to Montana, SOL 10 of 31

Part 1:  Using scaffolding to show kids how to source a historical artifact.

Please click on the first Voki.  Please listen to instructions and then click the link that will take you to the Critical Past website.  This website has original footage.  Please view the footage and look at the identifying text.



Write your observations on your paper in the first rectangle.

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675021991_American-Unknown-Soldier_carrying-a-casket_placing-on-Sarcophagus_Plenty-Coos




Write your observations in the second rectangle.

http://new.lookandlearn.com/childrens-newspaper/CN211217-001.pdf

This is one way I am introducing primary sources to my students.

Native American Women Warriors, Slice 9 of 31

You can find me at Chief Plenty Coup State Park on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend.  That's where this picture was taken.  These four veteran's were the Color Guard for Chief Plenty Coup's Day of Honor.  This day was established to recognize Chief Plenty Coups achievements and to continue working to achieve his dreams.  His goal was to develop a Peace Park for all people.  A place where people could come and learn.  He wanted people to find ways to work together.

Three members of  the Color Guard are also members of the Native American Women Warriors.  The organization was founded by Mitchelene BigMan a member of the Crow Nation, and a 22 year Army veteran.   The organization was founded in March of 2010.   They became a national non-profit organization March 1, 2012.  If you were watching President Obama's 2nd Inaugural Parade you may have seen them.  

I embedded four links in the picture using ThingLink http://www.thinglink.com/ .  If you take your cursor and go over the picture you will find the links.  Three are connected to the Native American Women Warriors and one is a link to Chief Plenty Coups State Park.

NAWW are doing a great job of bringing attention to the work our troops do and the roles of women in the military.   There have been women warriors in many tribes.  During the Battle of the Rosebud (June 17, 1876) one of the Sioux warriors was a woman.  On the other side two of the warriors were women from the Crow Nation.  The Crow Nation sided with the US Cavalry against their traditional enemies.

I was a member of the Montana National Guard for 24 years before retiring.  I honor what the NAWW have accomplished.

Glogster - A Story In Pictures, Slice #8 of 31

http://librarydragon7.edu.glogster.com/ruth-ferris-page


This is the page I made for an online class I am taking.  Glogster lets you make links.  It took me a while to figure it out.  I watched a YouTube tutorial and went on-line to read some tutorials.  I would recommend making some examples before having your kids use it for a project.

http://glogsterblog.blogspot.com/  Tutorial

http://www.glogster.com/       Glogster.com


I can think of many different classroom applications.  Writing - biographies - Geography - Social Studies.  School Orientation.