Name: Montana Highway Tales
Brand: Jon Axline
SKU: 9781467146579
Price: 16.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Montana Highway Tales

9781467146579

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Much of Montana's exciting history is visible from its storied highways. Visit a segment of the historic Bozeman Trail overlooking Virginia City, where vigilantes hanged public nuisance Joseph Alfred Slade just as his wife attempted a horseback rescue. Discover the saga of adultery, attempted murder and eventual triumph that occurred at a single stone building in the Browns Gulch area of Butte. On Highway 308 east of Red Lodge, learn more about the tragic 1943 Smith Mine disaster, where a methane explosion trapped and killed seventy-three miners. The catastrophe triggered investigations at the state and national level that resulted in improvements in mine safety. With more than two dozen stories, historian Jon Axline provides a front-seat view of the Treasure State's thrilling past, forgotten characters and overlooked oddities found by the wayside.

Historic Underground Missoula

9781626199194

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Much of Missoula's history lies beneath the surface. As in many Old West cities, cavernous underground tunnel systems purportedly hid countless nefarious activities, from clandestine prostitution and Chinese opium dens to booze running during Prohibition. These sordid tales captivate today's residents and beg questions about the city's furtive past. Did local elite gentlemen mask their carnal habits there? Did John Wayne really use the passageways to run personal errands unnoticed? Author and urban archaeologist Nikki Manning ventures below to reconcile oral history with archaeological data in a fascinating exploration of Missoula's subterranean labyrinths.

Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana

9780738548272

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

For generations, the Native American people have been a society of great mystery. The Assiniboine and Sioux Indians of the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana are no exception. Although
centuries old, their culture is only now being rediscovered and explored. The idea to reveal some of their fascinating story stemmed from the desire,
devotion, and dedication of a few individuals to embrace the opportunity to explore this wondrous race of people. In 1851 at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, the tribes of Montana and Dakota territories signed a treaty with the U.S. Government, which led to the
beginnings of many congressional hearings concerning Native American reservations. In 1886 at Fort Peck Agency, the Sioux and Assiniboine exerted their sovereign powers and agreed with the government to create the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. After much negotiation over the two million acres of land, U.S. Congress ratified the agreement in 1888. This colorful heritage and legacy of Fort Peck is commemorated by the 200 images in this photographic collection. Featured are scenes of tribal leaders, schoolchildren, families, and celebrations from the late 1880s to the 1920s. All of the images were provided by Native American families living on the Fort Peck Reservation, the Fort Peck Tribal Archives, and the Montana Historical Society.

Wicked Bozeman

9781467149150

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Wicked Bozeman delves into a dangerous and dark past

The Gallatin History Museum, housed in the old Gallatin County Jail, holds many secrets. From the house of ill repute on Mendenhall Street to the earliest jail break in 1873, the historic crimes are replete with con artists, forgers, robbers and the insane each leaving a trail of deceit and mystery. There is laughter, shock and the hard reality of a life lost to time behind bars.

Using the original jail ledgers as a jumping off point, Museum Curator Kelly Suzanne Hartman takes the reader along on an investigative journey through Bozeman's seedier past.

The Missoula Mercantile: The Store that Ran an Empire

9781609494094

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

From its log cabin beginnings at a dusty crossroads in Montana Territory, the Missoula Mercantile grew to become the largest department store between Minneapolis and Seattle. Under the guidance of A.B. Hammond and C.H. McLeod and their policy of community involvement and customer satisfaction, the Merc became a household word in Montana, synonymous with square dealing. Join historian Minie Smith as she traces the story of a western institution, remembering everything from the Missoula Mercantile's hardware department, with its creaky wooden floors and drawers of nuts and bolts, to its ladies' apparel department, which offered a taste of the big city with silks, satins and velveteens. From horseshoes to hosieries, the Merc had what customers needed and knew what they wanted.

The Missoula Mercantile: The Store that Ran an Empire

A History of Montana Agriculture

9781467136501

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Agriculture developed into Montana's top industry from humble beginnings. In 1841, Father De Smet planted a small plot at St. Mary's Mission. Thomas Harris, the territory's first farmer, harvested oats at Fort Owen for "sustenance and trade" in 1854. Within thirty-five years, beef and wool were being exported out of the territory to satisfy national and European demands. In the intervening years, the mechanical engine and rural electrification dramatically transformed agribusiness. Billings became home to America's largest monthly horse sale. And the modern cooperative model is lauded for sustaining agricultural operations and rural communities. With untold and forgotten stories, the American Doorstop Project co-founders and authors Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson spotlight the technological advancements and legacies of those who blazed trails, broke sod and built farms and livestock ranches that shaped the Treasure State's agriculture history.

Missoula

9780738596440

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Situated in a broad valley with three rivers--the Clark Fork, the Blackfoot, and the Bitterroot--is Missoula, the second largest city in Montana. The city is the hub of commercial, governmental, educational, recreational, cultural, and health resources in the western Montana region. Missoula was originally founded in 1860 as Hellgate Village, four miles west of present-day Missoula on the current Mullan Road. The original founders moved to the present site, what is now downtown Missoula on the Clark Fork River, built a mill (1864-1865), and called the site Missoula Mills. This mill, along with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, the establishment of the state university in 1893, and the growth of the timber industry, enabled the town to grow on both sides of the Clark Fork River. Through photographs, Images of America: Missoula follows the growth of Missoula into the city it is today, with a population of over 60,000.

Taming Big Sky Country:

9781626198524

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Drives this breathtaking did not come easy. Cruising down Montana's scenic highways, it's easy to forget that traveling from here to there once was a genuine adventure. The state's major routes evolved from ancient Native American trails into four-lane expressways in a little over a century. That story is one of difficult, groundbreaking and sometimes poor engineering decisions, as well as a desire to make a journey faster, safer and more comfortable. It all started in 1860, when John Mullan hacked a wagon road over the formidable Rocky Mountains to Fort Benton. It continued until the last section of interstate highway opened to traffic in 1988. Montana Department of Transportation historian Jon Axline charts a road trip through the colorful and inspiring history of trails, roads and superhighways in Big Sky Country.

Fort Missoula

9780738599557

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Born of perceived military necessity and local economic boosterism, "the beautiful little post on the Bitterroot" provided a home for the US Army in Montana from 1877 onward. Called into service almost by accident for the 1877 Nez Perce War, Fort Missoula hosted African American Buffalo Soldiers, aviation pioneers, early military automobile mechanics, Civilian Conservation Corps workers, World War II Italian and Japanese national internees, US military prisoners, and a variety of US Army and Navy units. The base bequeathed to its community a level of sophistication and a connection to the national story unique to the American West. Fort Missoula's architectural legacy also reflects the nation's journey from frontier settlement to world power as an assortment of log structures evolved into "the Million Dollar Post."

Montana Territory and the Civil War

9781626191754

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1862, gold discoveries brought thousands of miners to camps along Grasshopper Creek. By 1864, the Federal government had carved the Montana Territory out of the existing Idaho and Dakota Territories. Gold from Montana Territory fueled the Union war effort, yet loyalties were mixed among the miners. In this compelling collection of stories, historian Ken Robison illustrates how Southern sympathizers and Union loyalists, deserters and veterans, freed slaves and former slaveholders living side by side made a volatile and vibrant mix that molded Montana. Discover how fiery personalities like Union Colonel Sidney Edgerton and General Thomas Francis Meagher fought to keep order in the newly formed frontier, while brave Confederate and Union veterans and their hardy families created an enduring legacy that helped shape modern Montana.

Cover image for Montana Territory and the Civil War, isbn: 9781626191754

Lost Fort Ellis

9781626199798

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Established in 1867 in the Gallatin Valley of Montana, Fort Ellis played a key role in the development of the Montana frontier. From post commanders attacking the town to restoring order when riotous mobs got out of control, explore the ambivalent, albeit contentious, relationship from 1867 to 1886 between the civilians and soldiers in whimsical but dramatic fashion. Competing visions of economic and military conditions on the frontier led to a complex relationship that has all the drama of a Hollywood western. Join MSU–Billings history professor Dr. Thomas C. Rust as he examines the fort's impact on the social and economic development of early Bozeman, the problems of military command and the dynamics of the soldier-civilian interaction on Montana's frontier.

Hidden History of Helena, Montana

9781467144018

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Capital City Mystery and History

Distinguished by statesmen and magnates, Helena's history is colored with many other compelling characters and episodes nearly lost to time. Before achieving eminence in Deadwood, Sheriff Seth Bullock oversaw Montana Territory's first two legal hangings. The Seven Mile House was an oasis of vice for the parched, weary travelers entering the valley on the Benton Road, despite a tumultuous succession of ownership. The heritage of the Sieban Ranch and the saga of "King Kong" Clayton, "the Joe Louis of the Mat," faded from public memory.

From unraveling the myths of Chinatown to detailing the lives of red-light businesswomen and the Canyon Ferry flying saucer hoax, revered local historians Ellen Baumler and Jon Axline team up to preserve a compendium of Helena's yesteryear.

Big Timber

9780738569949

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Big Timber, watched over by the Crazy Mountains of Southwest Montana, has always been named for its natural surroundings. Big Timber was originally founded in the late 1800s. An Irish immigrant named the settlement Dornix, from the Gaelic word "durnog," which when translated means "a rock that fits in the hand and is handy for throwing," and there are indeed many such rocks around the region. In 1883, however, when complications with the railroad forced the town to move to its present-day location, it was renamed Big Timber, for the grand and plentiful cottonwood trees along the banks of the nearby Boulder and Yellowstone Rivers. Pioneers began arriving in earnest around 1890, bringing with them sheep, and by 1892, Big Timber was among the world's largest exporters of wool. Later, when a fire devastated the town, the community stood together to rebuild.

A Brief History of Cooke City

9781467142892

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

With claims staked, 1870s prospectors at Cooke City patiently waited for adequate transportation to get their ore to market. Eager enough, they named the town in honor of Northern Pacific tycoon Jay Cooke. Ironically, Cooke's influence in creating Yellowstone National Park stunted the growth of the town, as the park blocked any efforts to support a railroad through its borders. For more than sixty years, residents waited for rail until a new economy took hold--tourism. The dreams of the miners still live on in tumble-down shacks and rusty old mining equipment. And the successful vision of entrepreneurs offering rustic relaxation at the doorstep of Yellowstone continues to lure visitors. Historian Kelly Hartman recounts the saga that left hundreds battling for a railroad that never came.

Tobacco Valley

9780738570884

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Tobacco Valley, in Montana's far northwest corner, was so named by explorer David Thompson in 1808 upon finding the resident natives using a form of wild tobacco. The Kutenai Indians were the primary inhabitants until late in the 19th century when cattlemen found the isolated valley. By 1890, several ranching families moved cattle overland to fatten on pasture that heretofore knew only the track of a Kutenai Indian pony. Eureka came into being when the Great Northern Railroad was built through in 1904. With what seemed like limitless timber, a lumber mill was operating by 1906. The railroad brought in workers and entrepreneurs, hauling lumber out. Early on it was thought that farming might supplement the timber-based economy, but hopeful homesteaders soon learned that the Tobacco Valley would never deliver on the promise of fruits and vegetables. Harvesting timber would define the Tobacco Valley for decades to come.

Haunted Southwest Montana

9781467153683

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Phantoms in Paradise!

Southwestern Montana boasts a bloody past that produces a persistent paranormal presence. In 1899, drunken Charles Sheppard murdered John Benson with a fence post in Deer Lodge and threw his body into the river. Some still witness the bloody apparition of a man on the water’s edge. The spirit of Doctor John Singleton Meade still roams his Hotel Meade in the renowned Ghost Town of Bannack. The old Montana State Prison, now a museum, is tormented with residual energy from multiple executions, riots and violent deaths. Beset by an unsolved murder, a famous ghost town and a haunted bed & breakfast, Gunslinger Gulch attracts thousands each year to Anaconda. Author Deborah Cuyle collects tales of haunted hotels, ghostly residents and gruesome events from Dillion, Philipsburg, Garnet and more.

Cover image for Haunted Southwest Montana, isbn: 9781467153683

Virginia City

9780738582054

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Tucked between the Tobacco Root Mountains and Mount Baldy in southwestern Montana, Virginia City began in May 1863, when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch. Some 10,000 fortune seekers arrived, and the days of whiskey, revolvers, road agents, and vigilantes began. Boot Hill, overlooking the town, is a constant reminder of its rough, tough, and unruly past. A great number of mining towns have become ghost towns, but not Virginia City, thanks to the men and women who gave of themselves to establish a permanent town where families, schools, churches, businesses, and organizations would thrive.

Historic Tales of Whoop-Up Country

9781467146449

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Withdrawal of the mighty Hudson Bay Company from present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan created a lawless environment with new economic opportunities. A cross-border trading bond arose with growing steamboat mercantile center Fort Benton in Montana Territory. In 1870, Montana traders Johnny Healy and Al Hamilton moved across the Medicine Line and built Fort Whoop-Up. It established the two-hundred-mile Whoop-Up Trail from Fort Benton, through Blackfoot lands, to the Belly River near today’s Lethbridge. Over the next decade, the buffalo robe trade flourished with the Blackfoot, as did violence. The turmoil forced the creation of Canada’s North West Mounted Police, tasked with closing down the whiskey trade and evicting the Montana traders. Award-winning historian Ken Robison brings to life this dramatic story.

Cover image for Historic Tales of Whoop-Up Country, isbn: 9781467146449

Marcus Daly's Road to Montana

9781467153591

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

The Making of a Copper King!

Born in 1841 to tenant farmers, Marcus Daly came from rural Ireland to New York as a boy. Having learned the big city’s harsh lessons, he traveled west to the gold and silver mining camps of California, Nevada, Utah and Montana. Then, a spectacular discovery in the Anaconda mine made him one of Montana’s famed Copper Kings. Yet, his early life remained shrouded in myth. Famed for his machinations in state politics and shaping Butte into the “Richest Hill on Earth,” his path from farm boy to mining king has been overlooked. For the first time, author Brenda Wahler brings his secretive and formative early years to life.

Cover image for Marcus Daly's Road to Montana, isbn: 9781467153591

World War I Montana

9781467140249

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Montana's cowboys, miners, foresters, farmers and nurses entered World War I in April 1917 under the battle cry that would resonate on the battlefields in France—Powder River, Let 'Er Buck!

Montana men served in a greater percentage per capita than any other state. Hundreds responded to the call, including local women and minorities, from the nation's first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin, to young women serving as combat nurses on the front lines. Additionally, the state provided vital supplies of copper and wheat. Learn what role celebrities like cowboy artist Charlie Russell played in the war and how Montanans mobilized, trained and deployed.

Acclaimed historian Ken Robison uncovers new and neglected stories of the Treasure State's contributions to the Great War.

Cover image for World War I Montana, isbn: 9781467140249

Inside Montana Politics

9781467142755

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

For three decades, Mike Dennison has reported from the trenches on campaigns, crime and community. He has covered razor-thin victories by Senator Jon Tester. He has helped cover the downfall of Senator Conrad Burns, as well as the conservative senator's improbable compassion for a liberal friend charged with marijuana possession. Also examined are Governors Brian Schweitzer, Judy Martz and Marc Racicot and Montana's longest-serving U.S. senator, Max Baucus. And Dennison has tracked down stories beyond the Capitol, from the devastating fall of the Montana Power Company to a teenager falsely accused of rape who waited sixteen years to be fully exonerated. Dennison treats readers to the rare insights and highlights of a storied career in journalism, along with revelations that have never been exposed--until now.

Glendive

9781467115193

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Glendive was founded in the early 1880s, and its growth was promoted and sustained by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Legend holds that Sir George Gore, on a hunting expedition with famed mountain man Jim Bridger, named a creek in the area Glendale Creek after a similar one in his native County Donegal, Ireland. Over the years, the word "Glendale" somehow transformed into "Glendive." Prior to the arrival of European Americans, indigenous peoples, including the Crow and the Lakota Sioux, called the area home. The arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1881, along with the passage of the Enlarged Homestead Act in 1909, lured people from America and abroad to this isolated region to pursue their version of the American dream.

Irish Butte

9780738581781

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Summoned by the call of the copper mines in Butte, Montana, Irish immigrants left a struggling Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century in search of a better life. Around the mines peppering the hills of the mining city, these determined sons and daughters of Eire built strong Irish neighborhoods that engendered the best of Irish culture and influence. Faith, family, a strong work ethic, and a sense of humor would see these immigrants through the decades. Celebrations like St. Patrick's Day and An Ri Ra, Irish language workshops, and a new generation of Irish artisans acknowledge the contributions of this influential group.

Livingston

9780738570440

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In January 1883, barely a month after the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR ) finished laying tracks to the "last crossing of the Yellowstone River," Minnesota's Winona Daily Republican proclaimed Livingston as the "future great city of the Yellowstone." With the arrival of the NPRR in 1882, the town boomed as it became the division headquarters for the railroad. Its future secured by the largest machine shops and roundhouse west of Minnesota, Livingston rapidly grew from frontier town to progressive city. By late 1883, its downtown area of substantial brick buildings housed more than 100 businesses, and supported a residential area of 2,000 stalwart citizens. Situated at the junction of the Northern Pacific branch to Yellowstone National Park, Livingston hosted the majority of the early tourist trade to "America's Wonderland of the West."

Red Lodge

9781467162425

$24.99

Author Patty Molinaro has paired rare historic images with contemporary views to display the intriguing history of Red Lodge, Montana. As intriguing and inviting as its name, Red Lodge, has retained its charm and historic character much the same as when first revered by early Native tribes and frontiersmen.

Once Crow domain, the settlement of Red Lodge was established along a mail route in 1884, slowly evolving as home to coal miners, immigrants, cattlemen, homesteaders, recreationists, and a tourist industry.

Cover image for Red Lodge, isbn: 9781467162425

Murder on Montana's Hi-Line

9781467158381

$24.99

Capturing Montana’s Most Elusive Fugitive

During an intense spring blizzard in 1951, affable Clarence Pellett picked up a teenaged hitchhiker along Montana’s Hi-Line. Soon, blood from seven bullet holes in Pellett’s back stained the snow-covered prairie. Following a brief manhunt and confession, a heated debate ensued over capital punishment as Communist attorneys swooped in “to save this poor friendless boy.” Frank Dryman, twice sentenced to hang, escaped the noose when a sympathetic Montana Supreme Court stayed each execution. The “permanently insane and mentally deficient” killer was paroled into the custody of his brother in California after serving thirteen years of a life sentence. Eighteen months later, he vanished. Using a series of aliases, Dryman hid in plain sight for forty years despite state and federal warrants. Clem Pellett recounts the enthralling twists and turns of his hunt for his grandfather’s absconded murderer—the longest in state history.

Cover image for Murder on Montana's Hi-Line, isbn: 9781467158381

The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook

9781467138734

$26.99 $20.24 Save 25%

From mountain streams in the west to rolling prairies in the east, Montana's habitats and natural resources offer an abundance of culinary possibilities. The mountains provide the necessities for a delightful elk tenderloin with huckleberry demi-glace, while the prairie contributes to rattlesnake cakes with roasted red pepper remoulade. And gardens and farms statewide produce the makings of Aunt Lois O'Toole's rhubarb strawberry pie. Chef Barrie Boulds and author Jean Petersen present locally sourced epicurean dishes that exude Montanan charm. Historical context enhances seventy-five easy yet sophisticated recipes celebrating unique flavors and heritage—with forewords from Chef Eric Trager and Western Ag Reporter editor Linda Grosskopf.

Cover image for The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook, isbn: 9781467138734

Ursuline Sisters of Great Falls

9780738595214

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the richly patterned six-story brick and terra-cotta Ursuline Academy has graced the city of Great Falls for over a century. A grand marble entryway and a beautiful two-story chapel inside the building remind us of post-frontier educational opportunities provided by the Ursuline Sisters. The former academy was renamed Ursuline Centre in the 1970s and continues to be a quintessential symbol of education and community. Today, the building serves as a meeting and retreat center and features exhibit rooms, a museum, an auditorium, and a gymnasium. Images of America: Ursuline Sisters of Great Falls draws on photographs and research from Ursuline Archives. It explores a continuing voyage in central Montana, where the Ursuline Sisters have impacted many lives.

Helena

9780738518985

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

From its origins as a dusty mining camp, Helena quickly grew into a bustling cosmopolitan city, eventually to become the capital of pioneer Montana. At the heart of this growth and development was the vision of Colonel Charles A. Broadwater. Featured here in over 200 vintage photographs is the history of this pioneer town, its involvement in the settlement of the West, and the towering achievement and mysterious decline of the Colonel's tribute to the Queen City of the Rockies, the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium.

The community of Helena was established in 1864 shortly after gold was discovered in Last Chance Gulch, today's main street area. It quickly grew as a supply center for area mining camps. Colonel Broadwater, a self-made man, announced the construction of a grand resort in honor of Helena's prominence as the Queen City of the Rockies: The Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium. The story of the Broadwater, inextricably linked to the story of the development of Helena, is captured here in vintage photography, including turn-of-the-19th-century Helena, its growth from a mining camp into a financial center, its fires, earthquakes, and magnificent rebuilding.

Missoula

9780738558882

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Missoula began in 1860 as Hellgate Village, a trading post located about 4 miles west of what is now downtown. In 1864, the construction of a mill powered by water diverted from Rattlesnake Creek drew residents of Hellgate to the new town, and the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 assured Missoula's future. The establishment of the University of Montana led to growth on the south side of the Clark Fork River, and the timber industry drove the economy. Missoula has evolved into a trade, medical, educational, and governmental center of western Montana.

Emigrant Gulch

9780738520780

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1864, an Oregon Trail wagon train of pioneers from Pennsylvania and Iowa found their way to Emigrant Gulch and Park County in search of gold. The first settlers staked 200-foot claims at the mouth of the Gulch, in what had been called the Curry District. One of the oldest mining districts in Park County, the history of the area is reproduced here in almost 200 vintage photographs, and captures America's fascination with the development of the Wild West.

Park County, so named due to its proximity to Yellowstone Park, was established in 1887. Placer gold was discovered in the Gulch in 1864, and with this discovery came miners and prospectors from all over the country, ultimately resulting in the development of Yellowstone City and other communities. While open hostilities with the native Crow Indians in the region would eventually dissuade continual mining in the region, many stayed to populate the area. Pictured here are the miners, residents, businesses, street scenes, and social activities that made Park County what it is today.

Cooke City

9780738575841

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Northeast of Yellowstone National Park, between precipitous mountains along Soda Butte Creek, lies the old mining town of Cooke City. Ramshackle buildings of yesteryear and scars of exploitation still remain, quietly telling stories about this quaint community. When Adam "Horn" Miller picked up a piece of rich galena ore in the vicinity of the Clark's Fork drainage, it was destined to play an important part in the mining and development of the area. Early explorers, prospectors, and settlers were thwarted by Indians, rugged mountains without roads, and winters in the high country. Until 1877, most of the work was prospecting, then smelters were built. A railroad was expected but never materialized, so only marginal profits were made in mining. The area's scenic wonders, however, are Cooke City's true wealth.

Bear Creek Valley

9780738570419

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Memories of Montana's Bear Creek Valley flicker briefly to life each February on the anniversary of its darkest day. It is remembered as the site of Montana's worst coal mining accident, which claimed the lives of 75 miners, but the valley was so much more. For decades it was Montana's "coal basket," housing two towns, dozens of coal mines, and a population equaling that of neighboring Red Lodge. Businesses included a movie theater, dry goods store, grocery stores, hotels, hospitals, butchers, banks, bars, and union halls, all serving residents with pan-European origins. Its schools produced championship sports teams and community leaders. Gone, but not forgotten, Bear Creek Valley lives on in this book.

Clark's Fork Valley

9780738581675

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Many of the great icons of western American history left their mark on Carbon County while living in or traveling through the natural byway that is Montana's Clark's Fork Valley. The Apsáalooke, or Crow, people called the valley home for centuries. The Lewis and Clark expedition recorded and named the valley's river in 1806. In 1807-1808, John Colter, the discoverer of Yellowstone Park, explored the southern end of the valley. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company and adventurers like Jedediah Smith, Joe Meek, and Thomas Fitzpatrick soon followed. In 1864, Jim Bridger blazed the Bridger Trail through the valley. Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce followed the valley north from Yellowstone Park during their 1877 flight toward Canada. Calamity Jane and Caroline Lockhart, a noted author and literary rival of Zane Grey, once called the valley home, and Buffalo Bill Cody and John "Liver-Eating" Johnston visited it frequently.

Montana Americana Music

9781467135146

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana's relationship to Americana music is as wide and deep as the famed Missouri River that inspired countless musicians seated at its shores. From the fiddling of Pierre Cruzatte and George Gibson in the Corps of Discovery to the modern-day loner folk of Joey Running Crane and Cameron Boster, the Treasure State inspires the production of top-notch country music. In the 1950s, bands like the Snake River Outlaws fostered a long-standing love of hillbilly honky-tonk, and in the 1970s, the Mission Mountain Wood Band added a homegrown flavor of its own. Contemporary acts like the Lil' Smokies and songwriter Martha Scanlan promise a vibrant future for the local sound. Author and musician Aaron Parrett explores this history to show what it means to boot stomp in Big Sky Country.