The editor would like to apologize for the lack of pun-y title. There’s got to be clever plays on the word “agate” but we just couldn’t think of one. Growing up, our house always had a collection of “interesting rocks.” Whenever we were walking around, if we saw an interesting rock, we would say “huh, … Read more
Recently I was updating the SouthWest Montana ghost towns page. Some of the listings consisted of nothing more than part of an old mill, a few sheds, or the pit of a foundation. Others have been carefully preserved. Some flourish in continual celebrations of their past. Still others remain inhabited by people going about their … Read more
Who says that Montana in December is beautiful? (Besides us, a bunch of times) I mean look at this tree. It isn’t the kind of picture you would see hanging in a fancy art gallery. And this picture of the sun sparkling on Helena Reservoir doesn’t need to be accompanied by an epic soundtrack. Montana … Read more
Last November, Tempest videographer Mike Dreesman was filming the fall larch colors in the Seeley-Swan Valley when he encountered a Grizzly Bear near Van Lake: I passed a car parked on the side of the highway. I looked back and realized that the driver was looking at a grizzly bear, so I whipped the mini-van … Read more
Christmas is a time for spending with family and friends, but lots of people in Montana in the 1800s ended up spending Christmas away from their families. Miners, and lumberjacks, and railroad workers all ended up spending many Christmases in camps scattered across the unpopulated plains and mountains of Montana. It may seem bleak but, … Read more
Montana is a land of silver. You can tell because on our flag it says “Oro y Plata” which means “Gold and Silver.” It could potentially mean “Gold and Dishes,” but I feel pretty confident in the first translation. Butte was a silver town before it was a copper town, and Philipsburg was actually named … Read more
This Saturday, at 12:10pm, the most important sporting event of the year begins. I am talking, of course, about the Brawl of the Wild, the Great Divide Trophy: Cat-Griz 2015. The University of Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats have faced off on the football field every year since 1897. In its 115th year, … Read more
Before on the blog, I’ve talked about the intense pride Montanans have for the state. Well, the pride gets even more pronounced when we start talking about Universities. So I’m supposed to write a blog about the University of Montana, but where do I start? Do I start with the fact that Montana’s flagship University … Read more
The school year is right around the corner, and being the procrastinator that I am, I have yet to begin the packing process–no need to mention that I move this Tuesday. I am a master of procrastination, my tactics ranging from cleaning the entire house (other than my own room) to taking a nap or … Read more
The transition between the days of the buffalo and life on the reservation was not easy for the Native American peoples. As the white men continued to move across the country, and settle in the west, the Native American way of life was undergoing immense changes that would forever affect the people. Chief Plenty Coups … Read more
