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Montana: The Wild and Not So Wild West

By Joyce Dalton

If any state still merits the title, The Wild West, surely, it’s Montana, that huge land of vast blue skies, soaring mountains, moose and elk, ghost towns, cattle ranches, rolled bales of hay in the fields, festivities that include logger days and a running of the sheep, rodeos too numerous to count, and watering places that are still called saloons, not cocktail lounges. And of course, there are all those guys in boots, jeans and cowboy hats behind the wheels of pick-up trucks, at least one dog in back, holding high his head, the better to savor that clean mountain air as they speed along at a perfectly legal 75 miles per hour.

On the other hand, this is also a culture vulture’s dream place with no shortage of museums, artists’ and writers’ enclaves, great restaurants, live theater and concerts, historic mansions (not infrequently turned into museums or bed and breakfast establishments), and boutiques displaying Native American crafts or handmade, one-of-a-kind wood furnishings. As a P.R. person phrased it, “Culture Runs Through It.”

Then, there’s nature, arguably at its grandest in Montana: Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake, a map’s worth of national forests with names like Bitterroot and Gallatin, numerous designated scenic byways such as the Beartooth which wends its way from Red Lodge in and out of Montana and Wyoming until its culmination at Yellowstone National Park. All unquestionably wild, in the word’s best sense, but tamed by excellent roads and comfortably lodgings.

To get specific, let’s take a look at the far western part of the state, the region known as Glacier Country in tourist office parlance.

Glacier National Park

Montana’s top tourist attraction, Glacier National Park spills across the state’s northern border into Canada. Nature enthusiasts, both the active and the just-sit-and-take-it-all-in variety, will find the park exceeds expectations. Snow-peaked mountains, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife sightings, boat tours, horseback rides, fishing, rafting, and miles of hiking trails tempt visitors. For a superb drive offering magnificent vistas, don’t miss the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 52-mile east-west traverse of the park that crosses the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot Logan Pass. Nothing could be finer than to view the road’s sights from the open canvas roof of one of the 33 vintage red “jammers.” Over their 66-year history, these extra-long grand touring cars have become a sort of park icon.

Though nature is Glacier’s master artisan, humans have added a few attractions of their own, careful to insure they blend, not jar. At the southeast entrance, a metal statue of two Native American warriors astride their horses stands by the road. The creation of a Blackfeet artist, the eye-catching work was created entirely from old car parts. In fact, Blackfeet artists, woodworkers, welders and masons have embarked on a project to incorporate traditional and culturally relevant images into sculpture, signage, and such everyday objects as paving bricks and street lamps in the community of Browning, situated near the park’s east entrance and headquarters of the Blackfeet Nation.

Hotels in and near the park strive to be in architectural harmony with their surroundings. Glacier Park Lodge’s mammoth lobby is surrounded by 25-ft log supports, while the Izaak Walton Inn, constructed decades ago to house railroad workers (railroads played a major role in Montana’s history), utilizes the Great Northern emblem on headboards, spreads, shower curtains, lamp shades and stained glass windows. At the eastern park entrance, St. Mary Lodge’s architecture features lots of wood, fireplaces, woven carpets that incorporate wildlife images, bears etched into headboards and bathroom tiles and towel racks with metal acorns.

Flathead Lake Vicinity

Just west of the park and north of Flathead Lake, Whitefish offers some of Montana’s best skiing in winter (both downhill and cross country) and water sports, fishing, golf and hiking in summer. A resort town, Whitefish has no shortage of boutiques, art galleries and cute restaurants. The railroad played a major role in the town’s development and a section of its restored depot houses a museum of local memorabilia. In summer, visitors and locals alike head to the tree tops for a three-hour guided walk along a canopy boardwalk suspended 30 to 60 feet above the forest floor. Expect great vistas of the Flathead Valley and possibly, wildlife sightings.

The Whitefish Theatre Company, largely staffed by volunteers, produces comedies, musicals and dramas and hosts productions by touring companies. A series of summer concerts take place atop Big Mountain; a recent season ran from marimba to bluegrass to Native American musicians. In 2000, local artists and sponsors initiated an event that everyone hopes will become a tradition --- Moose on the Loose. Eighteen life-sized moose, in colors, materials and designs that no self-respecting moose would recognize, were created, set up throughout the town and eventually, auctioned off as a charity fund-raiser. Two years later, another native animal claimed pride of place with the Great Bear Affair.

Whitefish, Kalispell and Bigfork form a sort of misshaped triangle. At the turn of the 20th century, Kalispell was a booming railroad town with eight hotels. Today, it claims the Grand Hotel, several pleasant bed and breakfast spots, an impressive restaurant (Café Max), and a variety of worthwhile attractions.

Part of the tourist circuit is your likely hotel, the Grand. Victorian touches as fringed lamp shades, wing chairs, a fine oak staircase, moldings and a pressed tin ceiling reflect its almost 100-year-old history. Famed western artist, Charlie Russell, was a frequent guest. Another fine old Kalispell dwelling, the Conrad Mansion, dates to 1895 and remembers Charles Conrad, who left his Virginia home at 18 and built a trading and freighting empire in the West. As you wander through the 23 rooms, guides recount tales of the period and offer details about the furnishings and décor. Housed in a former Carnegie library, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Hockaday Museum of Art’s five galleries display changing exhibits of innovative contemporary art, often with a western theme.

Bigfork is small, charming and renowned as an arts center. More than a dozen galleries line the main street and every August, the Festival of the Arts combines exhibits with music and special menus at its many restaurants. This is a town for strolling, checking out each gallery and shop, stopping for a burger and steak fries at the Cottage Bar and Restaurant where a sign over the bar states “This establishment serves no drinks with little paper umbrellas,” taking in a production at the Bigfork Theater, and winding up the evening with dinner at Showthyme next door. Bigfork received the 2002 Montana Tourism Community of the Year award, being cited in particular for its annual “Christmas in Bigfork” celebration, complete with sleigh rides, merchant-sponsored refreshments, and exquisite indoor and outdoor lighting and decorations. Just out of town, Flathead Lake Lodge offers huge rooms with rough and polished wood furnishings, plaid comforters and chair cushions, fireplaces and gorgeous lake and mountain views.

Flathead Lake to Missoula

From Bigfork, take the more scenic route along Flathead Lake’s eastern shore to Polson at the lake’s southern tip. The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, Flathead Lake attracts water sports enthusiasts and anglers testing their skills on lake and cutthroat trout, whitefish, largemouth bass and perch.

For a fun-type museum experience, check out Polson’s Historical Museum. According to the local character in charge, a fellow got mad at the town’s bowling alley manager, so he decided to build his own facility. Before the new bowling alley was finished, the builder died so the museum bought the building “for a song.” You’ll find every kind of old object here, from carriages and marionettes of frontier folk to pictures of Polson High School graduation classes and WWII memorabilia. And let’s not forget Rudolf, the stuffed steer, and the 7.5-ft, 181-pound white sturgeon from Flathead Lake.

If this isn’t eclectic enough, stop at Miracle of America Museum, a bit farther along Rt. 35. You’ll know you’ve arrived by the log towboat in the parking lot. “Eclectic” doesn’t quite do this place justice. According to Gil Mangels, the founder, it’s a museum “for all occasions, weather, ages and tastes.” Well, maybe not all tastes, but about the only thing missing from its cluttered rooms, outbuildings and backyard is fine art.

Continuing south on Rt. 93, take the Rt. 212 turn-off leading to two interesting attractions. The first is the Nine Pipes Museum of Early Montana, devoted primarily to Native American art and artifacts, but representing other early Montanans, as well. Exhibits are artfully displayed. You’ll see dresses, headdresses, cradleboards, wonderful items made of beads or tiny quills, and much, much more. The museum store sells high quality artifacts. Also on this road, the National Bison Range, located near Moiese, is home to between 350 and 500 bison that roam freely around the park’s 18,500 acres. Pick up a map at the visitors’ center and drive through at your own pace.

Back on Rt. 93, stop at St.Ignatius Mission, established in the mid-19th century by the Jesuits. An original log structure still stands, but the main focus is the brick church dating to 1891. Murals and ceiling paintings depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Once a month, mass and hymns are in one of the Indian languages. The present congregation is 50/50 Indian and non-Indian.

From St. Ignatius, you’ll be in Missoula in no time.

Missoula

A university town situated on the Clark Fork River, Missoula has much to recommend it to visitors. Following the historical walking tour guide, available free in most hotels, you’ll pass a number of buildings dating to the early 20th century. The Art Museum of Missoula, housed in the former Carnegie Library, displays a fine collection of contemporary art, with changing exhibitions spotlighting such regional artists as Rudy Autio and Ernie Pepion. For art of another sort, revisit childhood days at A Carousel for Missoula, where 38 beautifully hand-crafted horses circle to the beat of a 400-pipe band organ. Each pony is absolutely unique and reflects its sculptor and sponsor, who volunteered their talents and funds as a gift to their city.

If the weather’s fine, wander about the grounds of Fort Missoula, an “open” fort (no walls) established in 1877 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. Thirteen structures stand on the grounds, including a historical museum in what was once the quartermaster’s storehouse. Perhaps most informative is the former detention center for Italian/Americans, Japanese/Americans and German/Americans during World War II. Photos and the detainees’ words recount this sad time.

Don’t miss the Smoke Jumpers Center to learn how these very special firefighters train and perform their dangerous tasks. Each year about 300 people apply for 30 positions. Some 90 jumpers are based here and free guided tours offer an up-close introduction with inter-active exhibits, visits to the parachute repair area, the gear storage and packing room, and much more.

If the season is right, you might end the day with a performance at the Missoula Children’s Theater. While productions by and for children play a major role at MCT, including a domestic and international touring project in which a team of two actor/directors develop and produce full-scale musicals casting local kids, the company also offers Broadway in the Rockies, featuring such shows as George M! and Driving Miss Daisy.

To sleep in historic surroundings, consider Goldsmith’s Bed & Breakfast, built in 1911 as home to the university’s president. The riverside brick structure has seven rooms, all with private baths. Each guest room is individually furnished in Victorian style with iron or brass beds and period wall coverings.

Bitterroot Valley

South of Missoula lies one of the most scenic areas of the state, the Bitterroot Mountains and the Bitterroot National Forest. The latter comprises 1.6 million acres, some 750,000 of them protected wilderness areas. To the east, the Sapphire Range stretches southward to yet another national forest. The small area towns claim historic attractions, while active visitors can golf, hike or bike mountain trails, raft or canoe on the Bitterroot River, horseback ride, rock climb and repell at Blodgett Canyon, cross country ski on 33 groomed and ungroomed trails, downhill ski the 18 runs at Lost Trail Powder Mountain, or fly fish the more than 100 miles of fishable waters with an average of 500 to 1,000 trout per mile. Four wildlife refuges can be visited and two summer theaters offer live productions. Special events run from Winterfest to Western Days, the Strawberry Festival and the Good Nations Pow Wow. Even the Valley telephone book cover shows a cowboy on a bucking horse.

A wise first stop is Lolo, where Lewis & Clark almost perished en route to what is now Idaho. Here, Bill and Ramona Holt have turned a barn into a museum housing their huge and impressive collection of Indian artifacts and western art and memorabilia. The centerpiece is one of only three complete collections of bronzes (33 pieces) by Bob Scriber. There are old land office records, a Pony Express section, collections of saddles, moccasins and boots, including boots worn by John Wayne and Gene Autry, a suit from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and intricately beaded and quilled Native American items. Bill was once a rodeo auctioneer and their fascinating museum reflects 40 years of collecting.

To better appreciate the region’s scenery and history, leave Rt. 93 at Florence and follow Rt. 269, better known as the Eastside Highway, to Hamilton. A tourist office map lists 28 attractions along the 32.5-mile route.

For a small town, Stevensville has a lot to see. Its small museum displays photos and post cards of the town’s earlier days, along with the tale of local desperados and the hanging of Whiskey Bill by a team of vigilantes. A drive along the tree-lined streets of the old residential district leads past several landmark homes and churches now on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the First Baptist church, a white clapboard structure with gray vertical, horizontal and diagonal accents, and the Dudley C. Bass mansion, once the Neoclassical home of two brothers who crossed the plains from Missouri by mule team in 1864. When their prospecting luck failed, they pioneered Montana’s fruit industry, producing 10,000 boxes of apples by the turn of the century.

Stevensville’s main tourist draw is St. Mary’s Mission. Its origin makes an interesting story. A group of Iroquois arrived in the Bitterroot Valley as trappers for the Hudson’s Bay Company. A dozen remained, intermarrying with the local Flathead tribe. Familiar with missionaries, the Iroquois told the Flathead stories they had heard from priests. The Flatheads and neighboring Nez Perce were so intrigued that they sent a delegation to St. Louis, requesting that a “Black Robe” come to live among them. A small group of Jesuits arrived and established St. Mary’s Mission. About 10 years later, Father Ravalli, an Italian, joined the settlement. Described as a Renaissance man, Father Ravalli became Montana’s first physician, surgeon and pharmacist and is the name most closely associated with St. Mary’s. This priest sculpted many of the church’s statues and candlesticks. The blue, yellow, white and red of the interior are colors which were meaningful to the Indian congregation.

If you’ve ready for lunch or dinner, continue on to Corvallis and Memories Café.

The chicken, prime ribs and seafood are first rate and you can enjoy it all in a flower-filled gazebo, on the porch, or inside a little white frame former church. The interior is decorated with cowboy touches; restrooms are labeled “good ole boys” and “good ole gals.” For overnight, the Holiday Inn Express in nearby Hamilton offers appropriate western décor with peeled wood beds, corridor carpets with a pine cone pattern reflecting the nearby forested mountains, painted evergreens along with room numbers on rough wooden plaques, plus a wood-burning lobby fireplace and a chandelier of moose antlers.

While in Hamilton, check out the Ravalli County Museum, housed in a century’s old courthouse. There’s a trappers’ room, a Lewis & Clark exhibit, beautiful photos of Rocky Mountain wildflowers and such odds and ends as a machine to make egg cartons. Fine old mansions dot the state, testament to late 19th century mining and railroading wealth. Hamilton claims the Daly mansion, built as a summer retreat by Marcus Daly, who came to America as a poor 14-year-old Irish immigrant and became one of Montana’s larger than life “copper kings.” Known as “Riverside,” the Georgian Revival style estate’s three floors include 24 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 7 fireplaces (even one in the basement).

Northeast to Anaconda

If time allows, there’s a neat loop that takes you from Glacier Country into Gold West Country before leading back to Missoula for the flight home. Keep heading south on Rt. 93 through the Bitterroot National Forest. A few miles beyond Sula, turn east on Rt. 43, crossing 7,264-ft. Chief Joseph Pass. Those with an interest in U.S. history might stop at Big Hole National Battlefield. At the tiny western town of Wisdom, Rt. 43 angles northeastward, but lunch at the Big Hole Crossing restaurant or a refreshment break at the Antler Saloon, followed by a turn though the Wisdom River Gallery would not be amiss.

Rt. 43 ambles along the Big Hole River through the Beaverhead National Forest, affording great views of the Pioneer Mountains. Though you may hesitate to leave this beautiful scenery, take the Rt. 569 turn to Anaconda, a historic town founded by the same Marcus Daly whose mansion you probably visited in Hamilton. Daly, you’ll remember, was a copper magnate and Anaconda was the site of his mammoth copper smelter, once the largest nonferrous smelter in the world. Today, the Old Works Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, stands on the site and incorporates various relics into its design. The town boasts some fine late 19th century buildings, including the Hearst Free Library, the city hall, the county courthouse, and the Washoe Theater. The latter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anaconda offers two interesting accommodations choices. Right in town on a quiet tree-lined street, the red brick Hickory House Inn dates to 1893 and was home to Marcus Daly’s foreman. The Copper King, himself, once lived across the street. Each of the B&B’s four guestrooms has a private bath. Attractively furnished, three claim Victorian touches, while a peeled wood bed dominates the Montana room.

Just out of town, the 1880s Ranch’s proprietor has assembled 14 authentic old-time structures and built six more to form her own little western town. There’s a saloon, a boarding house, a jail, a round cordwood home, a sheepherder’s wagon and a sod house, all uniquely and comfortably furnished to house guests. Although overnight guests are accepted on a space available basis, the ranch is intended for week-long stays with an emphasis on serious horseback riding. Its 1,328 acres back up on forest service land so guests, accompanied by a wrangler, can ride off on different adventures each day.

From Anaconda, follow Rt. 1 north to Interstate 90 which leads back to Missoula. Along the way, spend some time roaming around the town of Philipsburg and visiting the nearby ghost town of Granite, once one of the world’s richest silver producing centers.  

Only in Montana

Along with natural beauty and historical sites, Montana boasts some attractions that are rather hard to categorize. Pig races, for example. The Horse, of Course. Or What the Hay.

On weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a half-dozen or so porkers, decked out in numbered jerseys, speed as fast as their stubby little legs can carry them around the oval track behind the Bear Creek Saloon, situated seven miles east of Red Lodge in the south-central part of the state. Owners Pits and Lynn DeArmond even managed to push a pig-racing bill (HB#433) through the state legislature. The saloon serves a pre-race steak, chicken or Cajun shrimp dinner (no pork!), but when the trumpet blows, everyone heads outside. Pits calls each race with the enthusiasm of a Kentucky Derby announcer and proceeds from wagers placed go to a scholarship fund for local kids. It’s amazing how fast those pigs can move when food waits at the far end of the track. As the Bear Creek’s waitresses’ T-shirts proclaim, this is “Where Pigs Fly!”

At the end of the 1989 haying season, a rancher thought it would be fun to fashion a bull rider out of a couple of hay bales and set his creation up along the road. Human competition being what it is, a neighbor morphed a bale into a diver next to a sign reading “No Diving.” The rest is only-in-Montana history. Year by year, the idea caught on until it became a full-blown annual event (second Sunday in September) with more than 50 “What the Hay” exhibits lining the 21-mile stretch of Rts. 239 and 541 between Hobson and Windham. Famed cowboy artist, Charlie Russell, chose this part of central Montana for many of his paintings, but today’s local creative spirits prefer the hay medium. The sculptures’ names are as original as the works themselves --- CookHay Monster, Straw Wars and My Diminishing 401Hay Account, for example. “What the Hay” was named the 2002 Tourism Event of the Year at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation.”

Whitefish has its decorated moose and bears. Billings, the state’s largest city, claims “The Horse, of Course.” In 2002, merchants and institutions sponsored 37 artists who unleashed their creative energies to generate an equal number of life-sized steeds that won a lot of hearts, if not races. Auctioned off to raise funds for the preservation of the city’s historic Northern Pacific Railway Depot, these four-legged works of art add color and interest to downtown Billings.

Whatever Montana roads you roam, you’ll want to take up the offer of a sign just outside the town of Darby: “So long, pardner. Come back soon!”

Contact Information:

Montana state tourism organization: 800/VISIT MT; www.visitmt.com

Glacier Country tourism organization: 800/338-5072; www.glacier.visitmt.com

Bigfork Chamber of Commerce: 406/837-5888; www.bigfork.org

Missoula Chamber of Commerce: www.missoulachamber.com

Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce: www.bvchamber.com

Izaak Walton Inn, Glacier National Park: 406/888-5700; www.izaakwaltoninn.com

St. Mary Lodge, Glacier National Park: 406/732-4431 (Apr. 16-Oct. 14); 208/726-6279 (Oct. 15-Apr. 15); www.glcpark.com

Flathead Lake Lodge, Bigfork: 406/837-4391; www.averills.com

Kalispell Grand Hotel: 406/755-8100 or 800/858-7422; www.kalispellgrand.com

Nine Pipes Museum: 406/644-3435; www.ninepipes.com

Art Museum of Missoula: 406/728-0447; www.artmissoula.org

Fort Missoula: 406/728-3476; www.montana.com/ftmslamuseum

Goldsmith’s B&B, Missoula: 406/728-1585 or 866/666-9945; www.goldsmithsinn.com

Holiday Inn Express, Hamilton: 406/375-2525 or 800/465-4329; www.sixcontinentshotels.com/hiexpress?_franchisee=HMLMT

Hickory House Inn, Anaconda: 406/563-5481; www.goldwest.visitmt.com/listings/11555.htm

1800s Ranch, Anaconda: 406/491-2336; www.1880sranch.com

Bear Creek Saloon; 406/446-3481; www.redlodge.com/bearcreek

Images by Joyce Dalton

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