Raised in the West | Fall 2020

STAGED DREAMS, WILD PONIES AND AN UNDAUNTED SPIRIT

MT family embarks on an adventure across the state

HELLE RAMBOUILLET AND DUCKWORTH COMPANY

A new spin on wool clothing

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AROUND THE STATE THIS SUMMER

A collage of Montana's summer 2020

CARBON

written by Laura Bailey

30

STAGED DREAMS, WILD PONIES AND AN UNDAUNTED SPIRIT written by Cyd Hoefle

JEAN'S

written by Jean Petersen

written by Cyd Hoefle

ROBERTS TEEN LANDS A DREAM APPRENTICESHIP written by Jean Petersen

YOUNG RANCH GIRL HAS BIG DREAMS written by Cyd Hoefle

WHAT'S

STATE

by Montana Photographers

by Brian D’Ambrosio

COLORFUL CHARACTER VIRGIL GUST by Susan Metcalf

MONTANA'S NEXT GENERATION by Montana Photographers

note from the publisher

When we bought this magazine four issues ago, we had it in our minds that we wanted it to be filled with stories that would encourage, enlighten, and educate. The last several months have tried to knock that out from under us. We have all been affected by what is going on in our world today and the division in our country continues to grow.

Still, we live in a great country and state. A state full of people that have hopes and dreams of a better life for their families, and themselves, who have grit and courage as they fight to preserve it. Our mission at RITW continues to be to showcase the greatness of the people that live here. We are determined that the last two issues of 2020 be full of stories of hope and perseverance. We found some great ones for the fall issue and the winter issue, coming out in December, is shaping up to be the best issue ever.

As we sought out articles for this issue, we were especially excited about the younger generation. Our kids are doing great things! Kids whose parents are not letting the headlines determine the lifestyle of their children.

It is our job as parents and grandparents, to keep uplifting them, encouraging them and giving them hope. Tough things happen. But times will get better, if we all work to keep that positive attitude and do what it takes to get our country back.

We found stories across the state that we think you will enjoy. From teenagers pushing themselves to achieve, to a 99-year-old merchant still heading to work every day, to a multigenerational ranch family working hard to maintain their livelihood for future generations to a family that fulfilled a dream as they drove a stagecoach across Montana.

We have included several pages of photographs that we think you will enjoy. A contest run for this issue produced so many we had a hard time narrowing them down. The centerfold is full of our picks of the ones that depict what we felt was a good range of Montana’s Summer of 2020. They serve as a reminder that we live in a beautiful state that is meant to be enjoyed. We decided to run a full page of kids as well. Montana kids doing what they should be doing…having fun and living in freedom! You will love the rodeo photos and the daily life shots of kids across the state living, learning and doing. We think they will bring a smile to your face and give you pause for a laugh.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Please continue to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check out our website. And above all hold on to your hopes and dreams.

contributors

MELANIE FABRIZIUS

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Melanie was raised on a farm on the banks of the Clarks Fork River in Belfry. Her life-long love of art led her to a career as a freelance graphic designer. When she’s not busy working, Melanie enjoys being with family, spending time with her dogs, camping, ATVing, collecting rocks and watching the sunset. Check out her art at www.melaniefab.com.

ED KEMMICK

COPY EDITOR

Ed Kemmick has been a newspaper editor and reporter in Montana for more than 35 years. He worked for 25 years at the Billings Gazette and from 2014 to 2018 he ran Last Best News, an online newspaper based in Billings. He just published “Montana: The Lay of the Land,” a collection of Last Best News stories.

KELLI MAXWELL

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Kelli Maxwell is a local marketer, influencer, podcaster and entrepreneur. A Billings native, Kelli grew several successful businesses in her twenties, before moving on to open her own marketing agency and start a podcast monetized with its own coffee company. Kelli specializes in all things content creation, branding and writing for her clients and her own businesses. You can learn more and reach Kelli at kelli@embermg.com.

BRIAN D’AMBROSIO

WRITER

Brian is the author of more than 10 books and his articles have been published in local, regional and national publications. In addition to journalism, Brian works as a licensed private investigator in Montana and Kansas. He may be reached at dambrosiobrian@hotmail.com.

SUSAN METCALF

WRITER

Susan Metcalf is a fourth generation Montana rancher who is raising the fifth and sixth generation on their two family ranches, which were homesteaded in the early 1900's. Susan has written a humor/recipe column every week for 25 years. She enjoys horses and cooking and being a Grandma. She taught junior high English for 25 years before becoming the Sweet Grass County Superintendent of Schools. She and her husband Remi live near Big Timber, Montana raising kids, grandkids, cattle, and horses.

LAURA BAILEY

WRITER

Laura is a storyteller with a knack for writing. With more than 20 years’ experience, she’s written articles on most every topic you can imagine. Her favorite stories are about ordinary people who just happen to find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Laura calls Red Lodge, MT home, and spends most of her free time on little adventures with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs. She believes everyone has a story to tell. You can find Laura at www.penandlight.com.

JEAN PETERSEN

WRITER

Jean is a cookbook and children’s picture book author, freelance writer and weekly columnist with Western Ag Reporter for over 15 years. She and her husband live near the Beartooth Mountains in Red Lodge with their four children. Most days she can be found outdoors with her animals or on a hike, at her children’s activities, or cozying up writing and reading. You can find her at www.jeanpetersen.com.

STU HOEFLE

JACK OF ALL TRADES

Stu is a photographer, editor, title twister and accountant. He’s also an encourager, entertainer and travel partner. He helps with story lines, asks great questions, and looks at every angle. When he’s not helping with the magazine, he’s helping someone else. He can be found with a fishing rod, a camera or a packed bag and promises, or threatens that he’s going to disappear someday to a sandy beach with a grass hut, an endless river or a mountain top…he won’t say which.

COLLEEN KILBANE

PHOTOGRAPHER

Colleen spent her summers at her family’s guest ranch near Nye, Montana where the Beartooth Mountains, the animals that inhabit the region, and the western way of life made an early impression and have always inspired her. Her favorite subjects are rodeo and landscape. Colleen was given her first camera at age 8 and today is continually honing her skills by attending several workshops a year. “You can never stop learning,” Colleen says. She and husband, Jim, live in Red Lodge with several dogs, cats and horses.

STACIE NARDINGER

PHOTOGRAPHER

Stacie is a third-generation farmer rancher in Carbon County, by Cooney Dam. Along with her husband and daughter, they raise Angus cows and performance horses. She is also a Biology teacher at Joliet School. Stacie is passionate about agriculture and the western way of life; she plays an active role as a 4-H Co-horse superintendent and is the secretary of the Red lodge Home of Champions Rodeo. Stacie enjoys capturing youth at doing what they do best through her camera lens.

We have many photos from running our contest from amazing photographers but didn’t have the room to add their biographies. Please check our Facebook page and Website to link to their work and discover how they came about doing what they do!

Creative Comeback CARBON COUNTY’S

No one could have predicted how the Covid-19 pandemic would change an entire summer’s worth of activities in the Big Sky state.

It was a tough blow, but Montanans don’t give up easily. With some ingenuity and a can-do attitude, a few activities continued, albeit a little different than they had been in the past. Here are a few events that found a way to carry on.

RED

WRITTEN BY LAURA BAILEY

ALAINI LORASH AT SANKEY’S DRIVE IN RODEO

FLATBED FRIDAY

JAKE MORGAN AT CARBON COUNTY KID’S RODEO

SANKEY'S DRIVE-IN RODEO

STAY IN YOUR TRUCK TO WATCH THEM BUCK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLLEEN KILBANE

Rodeos across Montana always draw a crowd, so it was no surprise that rodeos were among the first summer events to be canceled. Sankey Pro Rodeo, a provider of roughstock for most of those Montana rodeos, decided to invite the community over for a “drive-in” rodeo at their ranch in Joliet. After working with the Carbon County Health Board and Carbon County Commission to ensure the event was COVID-19 compliant, and then selling a few tickets, the idea took off.

At the drive-in rodeos, attendees backed their pickup trucks up to the arena fence and watched from lawn chairs in the bed: social distancing accomplished. Because only broncs are raised at the Joliet ranch, the rodeos featured only bronc riding, but they had music, concessions and an announcer, as well as the occasional short-legged dog race to pass the time as they loaded the chutes.

“On one hand, it was depressing to be limited and not be able to do rodeo like we always have,” said Wade Sankey, owner of Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics. “That feeling was always there, but on the other hand, entertaining our neighbors and getting to buck some horses and be a part of rodeo when no one was doing it was great.”

The Sankey drive-in rodeos were not a PRCA-sanctioned event,

but because of Sankey’s reputation in the world of rodeo, they attracted everyone from the young up-and-comers to Jesse Kruse, a past PRCA world champion bronc rider, and several other PRCA National Finals qualifiers from throughout the region

“They wanted to stay sharp, and we were the only company bucking anything of the caliber they wanted to ride,” Sankey said.

The rodeos were held for six weeks through the end of May and most of June. For now, Sankey is looking forward to the Dillon Jaycee’s Labor Day Rodeo, which organizers have decided will continue despite state restrictions –but Sankey is not ruling out more drive-in rodeos this fall.

DANNY PROFFIT RIDES AT ONE OF THE DRIVE IN RODEOS

PAISLEY AND CREE KRUSE WATCHTHE ACTION

Flatbed Friday Night

HONK IF YOU’RE HAVING FUN

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED BY CALVIN AND THE COAL CARS

Thanks to COVID-19, Lee Calvin, frontman for the band Calvin and the Coal Cars, went from having a full schedule of summer show dates to nothing on his calendar. That got him to thinking of ways the band could continue to perform for a social-distanced crowd. “Why not a drive-in show?” he asked his bandmates. They gave the idea an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Calvin and the Coal Cars, which plays traditional country-western music, is based in Red Lodge, so Calvin reached out to the owner of the Amusement Park Drive-in Theater located between Billings and Laurel.

“I didn’t even get through my whole pitch, and he said, ‘Yes, let’s do it!’” Calvin said.

They billed it as “Flatbed Friday Night” and on June 19, at the Amusement Park Drive-In, Calvin and the Coal Cars played –on a flatbed trailer — to a sold-out audience of about 175 cars.

Stillwater Sound out of Absarokee managed the sound, and Vivid Northwest projected the show onto the big screen. Matt Strachan and the Hoot Owls opened for the band. The highlight of the night came after the third or fourth song, when the band counted down to have everyone honk their horns in unison.

“After that, instead of applause, we had people honking their horns,” Calvin said.

The show was not without its challenges. Calvin and the guys in the band had to do all the promotion, and the logistics of sound and video needed to be sorted out well in advance. Thankfully, it all came together in less than three weeks.

“It was one of the more memorable performances I’ve had in 20 years of performing live,” Calvin said. “We might try to do it every year.”

CALVIN AND THE COAL CARS BAND FRONT ROW L TO R: ROBERT JAMES, MATT WINDMUELLER, BRIAN WETZSTEIN BACK ROW L TO R: DAN UPTON, LEE CALVIN

“It was one of the more memorable performances I’ve had in 20 years of performing live. We might try to do it every year.”

—LEE CALVIN

Carbon County Kids Rodeo

KIDS GET A CHANCE TO ROMP & RIDE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACIE NARDINGER

When schools closed starting in midMarch, activities for kids followed in step with organizers canceling kids’ summer camps, events and programs.

Lori LeBrun wasn’t’ ready to see the Carbon County Kids Rodeo meet the same fate, and she figured that with a little coaching, everyone involved could safely social distance and stay within family groups. This summer, she hosted five rodeos at her arena in Belfry for kids aged 2-18, with about 20 kids participating.

“There was nothing for these kids to do this summer,” LeBrun said. “We

decided we’ve got to do something.”

Events included many of the traditional rodeo events, including barrel racing and roping as well as other events like poles and flag races. The kids rodeo even hosted a royalty competition. This year, LeBrun said there was an increase in the number of kids, probably since so many other activities were canceled or postponed.

“It’s always fun to see the little ones start riding on their own,” LeBrun added. “You watch a lot of kids grow up over the years in kids rodeo.”

Don’t Say It’s Not Fair...

...THE SHOW MUST GO ON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACIE NARDINGER

After watching more than 300 kids in 4-H work all year to prepare for the Carbon County Fair, Nikki Bailey, the Carbon County Extension agent, couldn’t stand the thought of canceling. And as the adage goes, “When there’s a will there’s a way,” Bailey and a dedicated team of volunteers made the Carbon County Fair happen despite the pandemic.

“We have a great group of volunteers and we had great support from the fair board, the county commissioners, the county health board and the community as a whole,” Bailey said.

To manage the fair in such a way that social distancing was possible, it was extended a day and ran July 21-25. Most events were held outdoors, and instead of a mass weigh-in event at the start of the fair, animals were weighed right before their shows. After the show, kids went home with their animals. Masks were required for those participating in or viewing indoor exhibits, and disinfecting protocols were in place throughout the fairgrounds. Interviews were all conducted by appointment to ease congestion.

The livestock sale was conducted online and was facilitated by Montana Cattle ConneXion, based in Park City. Kids submitted a description of their animals with photos ahead of time, and catalogs were sent to previous buyers and prospective buyers.

The 24-hour sale ended on Saturday night with a flurry of lastminute bidding.

“We had people bidding from all over Montana, and local buyers really supported our kids as well,” Bailey said.

Animals were sold by the head rather than by weight, and altogether more than 180 lots were sold. According to Bailey, the sale was about equal to last year — and last year’s sale was one of the Carbon County Fair’s best sales.

“When you’re forced to do things differently there’s always going to be rough spots, but there’s good ideas that can come from it too,” Bailey said.

Bailey and the fair board are considering continuing with the morning weigh-ins and scheduling interviews for indoor exhibits. Not only did those changes help with social distancing, they proved to be much less stressful for participants and their families, Bailey said.

“Our primary goal was to preserve the learning opportunities for the kids,” Bailey said. “It was different for sure, but for the most part, everyone was just happy to have something to do.”

FINAL DRIVE FOR MARKET BEEF FOR THE GRAND AND RESERVE CHAMPION

Jean’s C uisines

Huckleberry and Mixed Berry Crisp

From The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook

☛ Serves 12-14

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1½ heaping cups uncooked oatmeal

• 2¼ cups brown sugar

• 1¾ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

• 4 cups fresh huckleberries

• 4 cups of fresh mixed berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries

• 2½ heaping teaspoons cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 cups white sugar

• 4 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 cups water

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½-1 teaspoon lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg into a crumble and firmly press half of it into a 9 x 13 pan. Reserve the remaining half as the topping. Place berries over the crumble mixture. Cook the last five ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and clear. Pour mixture over the berries. Top with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake for one hour. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Dutch Oven Wagon Wheel Dinner

☛ Serves 6 to 8

• 2 lbs. ground beef

• 1 small yellow onion, cut in half and sliced thin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 (32 oz.) can baked beans

• ½ cup barbecue sauce

• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

• ½ teaspoon minced garlic

• 1-2 dashes of cayenne pepper

• 1 dash of black pepper

• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 can refrigerator biscuits

• Chives, diced (optional for garnish)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly coat Dutch Oven with oil. Crumble ground beef in bottom of the Dutch Oven, add onion, kosher salt, brown sugar, liquid smoke, minced garlic, and spices. Add barbecue sauce and baked beans. Cook on low, until the mixture bubbles, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. About 20 minutes before serving, increase the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Layer biscuits over the top of the mixture, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and replace lid securely. Cook for about 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with an optional chive garnish.

Helle

Rambouillet duckworth clothing a

“The most important job I have right now is continuing to educate consumers,” Evan Helle said. “There’s a multibillion-dollar industry out there trying to replicate the attributes that wool has and they can’t do it.”

Evan was speaking about the outdoor clothing industry and the companies that cater to the outdoor recreationists. He was also explaining how his family’s clothing company, Duckworth, came to be.

“There’s a lot of synthetics out there that claim to do everything that wool already does,” he continued. “So why not stay with a natural fiber that doesn’t have to be altered?”

The romance of the story is that just over seven years ago, Evan’s father, John Helle, and Robert “Bernie” Bernthal, a renowned clothing manufacturer, spun the idea of using Helle wool from the Helle Rambouillet flock to come up with a line of

wool clothing that would give consumers 100 percent Americanmade and -sourced clothing. The men struck a deal while skiing on nearby Maverick Mountain as they shared a chairlift.

Today the quality of the clothing company’s products is comparable to that of companies like Patagonia, Woolrich, Pendleton and North Face. And all of Duckworth’s top-of-the-line clothing is made from the wool shorn from sheep raised on the hillsides of the Helle Ranch near Dillon.

According to the company’s website, Duckworth is the only Merino wool clothing company that uses sourceverified, 100 percent made-in-the-U.S.A. materials, with total supply-chain control from the fiber to the finished garment. It’s a process that takes up to two years to complete.

Evan said that their clothing line, which is known for its moisture-

“The most important job I have right now is continuing to educate consumers. There’s a multibillion-dollar industry out there trying to replicate the attributes that wool has and they can’t do it.”

— EVEN HELLE

wicking, quick drying, breathable fabrics doesn't require washing after every use. The clothing has become popular with outdoor enthusiasts and ranchers alike.

Evan was 21 and had just graduated from Montana State University when he started with Duckworth. Tasked with figuring out how a Montana ranch family could leap from raising sheep to manufacturing clothing, it was an opportunity to put his agricultural business and economic degrees to work.

The next seven years would prove to be the most challenging ever while the young man partnered his education and sheep ranching background with Bernie’s expertise. They also worked with production expert Graham Stewart, described by Evan as a textile genius. Together the men scoured the states knocking on the doors of closed mills across the south, working to figure out how to get the fleeces made into clothing. It took time, perseverance and lots of research.

“Success in agriculture comes by not staying stuck in a rut,” John Helle said. “If it isn’t working you have to pivot and figure out something different.”

That line of thinking stretches back several generations to the first family members who emigrated from Austria to the Big Sky Country. Beaverhead County is well known as cattle country, but in the late 1800s, there were over 400,000 sheep grazing the hillsides. The county was the largest exporter of wool in the country.

The family folklore is that brothers George and Pete Rebish’s parents missed their passage on the Titanic and a later ship delivered them to America. The Rebishes settled in the Dillon

area in the early 1900s. They bought a small band of sheep and some land and then struggled through the Depression and Dust Bowl, foreclosures and misfortunes but somehow always figured out how to land on their feet and push forward.

John is the third generation of his family to be on the ranch and Evan makes the fourth. Each generation has brought something innovative to the ranch to help it to remain not only sustainable but growing and flourishing.

Joe Helle, John’s father, worked for the Forest Service as a ranger. Joe spent two years in the Korean War and upon his return home, graduated with a master’s degree in range science. He married Agnes Rebish, daughter of Pete Rebish, and when the young couple started their family, they moved to the ranch and Joe began farming.

“Back then the river wasn’t a reliable source for irrigating,” John explained. “My grandfather was instrumental in getting the East Bench Irrigation Canal and the Clark Canyon Dam built.”

The East Bench Irrigation project was started so that landowners would have access to water from the nearby reservoirs to help them irrigate their farmland. The completion of the project brought water to over 40,000 acres of cropland.

Irrigation meant that area farmers could increase their crop production exponentially. The Helles acquired more land and turned it into hay fields. Joe’s expertise in range management allowed them to successfully grow enough feed to take care of the sheep they were raising. As the years passed, the land, the sheep and the family all continued to grow.

Three generations later, John and his brother, Tom, contributed to the growth. By the time the brothers graduated, the band was about 1,000 strong and supported three families. Tom’s interests was with farming while John’s degrees in animal science, ag business and economics launched his interest in the genetics and breeding program. He recognized the durability of the sheep that came from the ranch with their adaptability to the environment and range conditions.

“Being good stewards of the land is something that has been passed down from generation to generation,” John said. “In order to stay sustainable, we needed to do a better job of breeding, lambing and grazing.”

Part of that came with the acquisition of Forest Service permits. The Helles trail

“Success in agriculture comes by not staying stuck in a rut. If it isn’t working you have to pivot and figure out something different.”

— JOHN HELLE

their Rambouillets 50 miles into the Gravelly Mountains each year and they stay there from July until October. It’s a godsend for the family, who currently have five sheepherders tending a herd that now numbers 5,000 head. It’s been a great partnership with the Forest Service as well. Using targeted grazing, sheep graze down noxious weeds, helping to control them and allowing natural grasses to grow. They also keep overgrowth from becoming a fire danger.

John researched his family’s sheep genetics knowing how hardy the bloodlines were.

“We raise range sheep,” he said. “In fact, the genetics of the sheep that my grandfather started had the kind of genetics that we still need to survive in the winters and range around Dillon. When I started keeping track of production records it was important to me that we keep with those same genetics.”

Over the next couple of decades, the popularity of the Helle Rambouillets increased with sheep ranchers across the country, who have integrated them into their own herds. Today, the Helles sell 2,000 breeding ewes and 100 rams

every year.

But even with the increased success of the sheep’s genetics program and with more Helles hoping to return to the ranch, John looked for additional ways to support the family. Wool became his next target.

Rambouillets are known for their Merino wool. With the quantitative genetics came a higher quality, finer wool. The Merino wool from the Helle sheep is fine, soft and smooth next to skin and the naturally long fibers give it strength.

When Evan stepped in, he was in a perfect position to help figure out how to use the Helle wool in the production of the clothing line. Working with a great team, Duckworth came up with the marketing model, “Sheep to Shelf.”

Using data gathered by technology that measures the fibers in each fleece helped the Helles selectively breed the itchiness out of their fleece. Using their own fleece in the production of their own clothing line put them in a unique position to be the only clothing manufacturing company in America that can boast having a hand in, and control of, every step it takes to turn their wool into clothing.

“There’s just something really satisfying when we see the

end product that comes from our work,” Evan said. Today, the Duckworth line is offered almost exclusively online.

“When the coronavirus hit, many of our outlets ended up closing down. We had to figure out quickly what we needed to do to stay relevant,” Evan said. “We had to adjust our marketing plan and keep our product out there.”

Online sales have been promoted and now Duckworth ships all its products from a warehouse in Montana to its customers.

Both John and Evan know that there will always be difficulties making a living in agriculture. But with each generation adding a new dimension and working together toward sustainability, they believe they will survive.

“Every generation has brought something innovative back to the ranch,” John said. “Nothing in agriculture is easy, but we’re up to the task.”

“Being good stewards of the land is something that has been passed down from generation to generation. In order to stay sustainable, we needed to do a better job of breeding, lambing and grazing.”

— JOHN HELLE

READER

PHOTO CONTEST

A COLLAGE OF MONTANA'S SUMMER

We invited photographers to submit photos depicting Montana’s summer of 2020. It was very hard to narrow it down. In fact, we have so many good ones that we decided you will be seeing them on our Facebook page throughout the course of the fall. Take the time to reflect on these photos and let them help you to remember that despite the turmoil in our world, we are incredibly blessed.

Photo by Kristen Schurr

Photo by Kristen Schurr

Photo by Donna Ashley

Photo by Kayla Sargent

Photo by Matthew Strissel

Photo by Colleen Kilbane

THE WHEELS JUST KEEP TURNING

Working on his own at Livingston Anvil Works, Jem Blueher is something of a rebel. Backed by the might of aged, gritty equipment, he restores rare horse-drawn vehicles, tools, and machinery through rigorous application.

Perhaps not surprisingly, he hates to throw old-fashioned stuff away. There is an original wooden buggy body that he uses as shelf space attached to one of the shop walls. He’s surrounded by the tonnage of 20th-century industrial machinery, as well as sets of German and Japanese cannon wheels, various boxes of wooden slats, reconditioned tools from the 1850s and the shells and fragmented scraps of old touring coaches.

“I think the interest in restoration started when I used to do small repair jobs with my stepdad,” said Jem Blueher. “He’s an old cowboy from Great Falls, and when he was growing up it was all was horse-drawn and the equipment was old. We’d pick up

old wagons and do restoration on sheep wagons and covered wagons. It was a lot more fun than the electrical engineering work I was doing.”

Raised in Livingston, Blueher started working in restoration while in his mid-20s. A mixture of self-resolve, adaptability, and external economic forces pushed him along his life’s path. “I’d went down to Denver and there were huge layoffs of the engineering work force and a massive amount of experienced people around, and it was hard to get work,” he said. “I took some engineering temp jobs for a few years, and I hated being inside. I went AWOL in Alaska as a river guide and then back to Colorado and worked in the mountains as ski instructor and river guide. Then it was back to Livingston, working with log homes. My stepdad got sick and I helped him out with that (restoration work). We manufactured teepees and canvas goods.”

A VISIT TO JEM BLUEHER’S

LIVINGSTON ANVIL WORKS

Perhaps all that can be said about Blueher’s conversion to business is that there were many self-determined factors at work that gradually and steadily led him to this current moment.

“Most of my learning came from conferences, talking to blacksmiths and taking clinics,” Blueher said. “I tracked down people who did upholstery, those people are becoming less and less.” Indeed, from sheep wagons and chuck wagons to covered wagons and stagecoaches, to buggies, carriages, sleighs and even Civil War-era cannons, Blueher can unwrap the mystery of refurbishment through bold trial and error and by locating adequate explanations from sources whose knowledge is often difficult to access.

When a problem or glitch leaves his head spinning, Blueher reminds himself that restoration work is rife with the sort of issues that evoke no simple answer. The vagaries of experimentation

TWO OF JEM’S FINISHED PROJECTS

FROM LARGE TO SMALL, JEM RESTORES WAGONS TO THEIR FORMER GLORY

JEM WITH HIS RESTORED YELLOWSTONE TOURING COACH

and patience clear his head and center his focus.

“Often I don’t know how to get to the end of the project,” said Blueher, 52. “So you start trying different things and you get it done. It’s about not being afraid to start and to go for it.” In Blueher’s world, true freedom of self-employment cannot be an aimless drifting in the realms of casualness or the unsystematic. Such liberty of labor has to be compatible with study, resolve, and perhaps most importantly, knowledge.

“I get to do hands-on research and that’s cool,” said Blueher. I was working on an English-style enclosed coach and pulled out its upholstering, which was wrecked and mouse-ridden, and there was an old calling card of the original owner. Somehow it was a descendant of royalty in Europe and the family ended up as a Confederate family who ran their home as a hospital in the Civil War. The estate is still in the same family.”

As with most occupations, parts of it are fulfilling and other parts are dreary. “I love to have any excuse to play on the forge,” he said. “I love building bodies and the wheelwrighting. Sandblasting is not fun or glamorous, but it has to be done. Stripping paint is tedious. But then I’ll start building again and that’s where it starts to get exciting.”

Livingston Anvil Works has shipped covered wagons to Florida, Georgia, Michigan and other states, though most of his orders

come from the West. Sometime ago, he even shipped a pair of covered wagons to Japan. His clients range from private collectors and dude ranches to those wishing to preserve family heirlooms. Currently, Blueher is immersed in refurbishing an Abbot-Downing Yellowstone Touring stagecoach, which he concedes is a “big project,” even by his standards. The last time he worked on one of similar vintage, he put in close to 700 hours – nearly four months of labor.

“It’s as much about bringing things to life as it is keeping to the old tradition,” he said. “Tearing things apart, you are constantly learning from the old tradesmen just by re-engineering.”

While the businessman in Blueher has a vision of reality which is clear, the sentimental artisan within holds a perspective on life that is more balanced.

“It’s hard to part with them, just like a baby. When I drop it (a carriage or buggy or other restoration) off, it always feels weird. When they are driving off with it, I’m always wondering if it is tied down well enough, and I hope they take care of it.”

“

It’s as much about bringing things to life as it is keeping to the old tradition. Tearing things apart, you are constantly learning from the old tradesmen just by re-engineering.”

— JEM BLUEHER

BY CYD HOEFLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISA STRAIN

STU HOEFLE

The temperature topped 80 degrees when the hot, weary and dust-covered band of travelers hit Miles City in late June. But the smiles on their faces wiped out any thought that they weren’t having fun. Ephraim Strain led the small parade sitting high atop the bright red-and-yellow stagecoach, his brother, Yoseph rode shotgun. He drove 6 Up, meaning three teams of horses, as they crossed the Yellowstone River bridge and headed into town.

Taking a wide swing, Ephraim turned on Main Street. Locals stopped on the street and gave a welcoming wave and drivers did a double take as the stagecoach made its way through town. By the time they turned into the fairgrounds to rest for the night, the group was ready to call it a day. Two days later, they would reach the North Dakota border without public fanfare, but filled with a sense of personal accomplishment.

Ephraim and four of his seven brothers hatched the plan. The family owns Zion Stage Line in Corvallis and the boys spent much of their youth dreaming of one day driving a horse-drawn stagecoach from state line to state line across Montana. The years of dreaming, the months of planning and the weeks of preparation finally came to fruition. They fulfilled the adventure of traveling from Idaho to North Dakota by stage — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in over 100 years!

“We started thinking about a trip like this when we were kids,” Ephraim Strain, 23, said. “‘We should do it sometime,’ we said over the years. Hoping, but not really knowing if we’d ever get

it done. In December, we figured it was time and really started planning it.”

“We,” included Ephraim and his wife, Elisa, and 15-month-old daughter, Elisheva, Ephraim’s brothers, Zack, Yishai, Yoseph and Ezekiel, and his mother, Heidi Strain. Elisa’s twin brother and sister, John and Shanae Plocher, were part of the team, along with a couple of friends that joined them over the course of the trip. By the time the crew left Corvallis on June 8, it included 12 horses, two pickups pulling horse trailers, a feed truck stacked with enough hay for 10 days, a shop truck, flagging truck, the stagecoach and all the gear, harnesses, bridles and equipment.

Covering 80 miles per day on average, the Strain brothers and John Plocher took turns driving the team, using only two horses most of the time, adding more when they pulled through a pass or came into town.

“We stopped every five miles to switch teams,” Elisa said. “We rested them as much as we could.” During that time, they also gave rides to people who stopped to see what it was all about.

“We loved doing that,” she continued. “We had families join us for a few miles and we let a few of them sit up top and ride along.”

“Pavement is hard on them,” Ephraim added, explaining the stress of traveling on blacktop. “We switched teams often and only ran them at a trot because it’s easier on their joints. But the

pavement wears on their shoes pretty harshly and we had to shoe most of them during the trip.”

Enduring weather conditions that were hot and cold, wet and windy, and dry and dusty, the band of travelers would break camp by 3 a.m. and hit the road before 6. The guys worked together like a well-oiled machine as they harnessed the team(s) to the stagecoach, making sure reins were straight, harnesses in place

who range in age from 17 to 31, started gathering horses. Of the 12 horses used to drive the stage, seven were BLM mustangs. Barely broke when they got them, in several months’ time the crew had them ready enough to ride and drive. By the time they hit Miles City, coming into town with six horses pulling the stage, the horses had learned to work together and pulled expertly.

Ephraim and his wife train horses outside of Augusta. Their expertise was imperative on the trip and the two of them led the planning and implementation of the project.

As the owners of the stagecoach company, the family rents their coach for rides, weddings, parades, photo shoots and family reunions. They also do reenactments of historical events. The company started when the brothers bought the stagecoach after it had been refurbished from being used in the 2007 movie “3:10 to Yuma.”

“It was used as a prison coach in the movie and they burned it,” Ephraim said. “The axles were too wide too, so that had to be redone. We bought it after it had been rebuilt.” Part of the

“

Crazy as it seems, we learned some things about each other and ourselves. You always do when you venture out.”

— EPHRAIM STRAIN

journey across Montana was intended as a way to market their company, but it was also a chance for the brothers to enjoy an epic adventure unheard of these days.

“It gets harder and harder for us to be together,” Ephraim said. “We all have jobs outside of the stage line and Elisa and I live four hours away in Augusta.” With a family already started, they knew the timing was not going to get easier.

As Ephraim talked, his barefoot daughter toddled toward the horses. Her mother quickly moved toward her, shielding her from harm. It was obvious the child had no fear of being around the horses.

The 10-day journey, which started in Corvallis, just north of Hamilton, covered almost 800 miles and exposed them to all Montana has to offer: hills, tree lined mountain passes, flat-land prairie, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and always-changing perspectives.

Highlights of the trip including being guests on the Kleffner Ranch outside of Helena where they were treated to warm beds, food and a place for the horses to rest for the day.

“The shower was luxurious,” Elisa said with a laugh. “I only had two the entire trip, but I think some of the guys didn’t even have one.”

The group traveled mostly on Highway 12, a secondary two-lane that starts between Drummond and Deer Lodge, heads north through Helena and then down to Townsend before it makes a straight shot east, ending at the North Dakota state line. On the lessertraveled road, the horses adapted to the sound of traffic quickly and soon didn’t even flinch as cars eased around them.

One of the most memorable moments was a hold-up somewhere between White Sulphur Springs and Martinsdale. The “hold-up” was a couple of ranch kids’ attempt to re-enact a very real possibility of what happened during stage runs over 100 years ago. Only this time, the rifles were empty, and the stop was to offer coffee to the travelers. The Strains were so entertained that they plotted with the young men for a reenactment of the hold up a few minutes later and this time, it was for the empty coffee cups and was videoed. It made for a laugh by all involved.

The team traveled through Harlowton, Roundup and Ingomar before they headed into their last few days of travel from Miles City to Baker and on to the state line.

As they neared North Dakota, Elisa decided to go live on Facebook. She filmed the last 10 miles of the trip and shared it on social media, a stark contrast to the period clothes

and authenticity of the coach and all the gear. Little Ellie joined her parents for the last few miles. As the final stretch came into view, the horses were urged into a gentle lope, moving easily down the pavement splitting the grass-filled prairie of eastern Montana up to the sign announcing North Dakota. Followed by hundreds of Facebook fans, the family promised more footage and photos when time would allow.

“It really was an amazing trip and an incredible adventure,” Elisa said. “Any opportunity for us to be with family is worth the effort.”

“It really was an amazing trip and an incredible adventure. Any opportunity for us to be with family is worth the effort.”

— ELISA STRAIN

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BROTHERS EPHRAIM, EZEKIAL, ZACHARY AND YISHAI ENJOY A LAUGH

ELISA AND DAUGHTER, “ELLIE.”

The summer morning was just beginning as Trent Petersen drove down the gravel back roads from Roberts to Joliet. Trent, 17, was on his way to join the Nobull Cattle Artificial Insemination team. Meeting at Centana Feedyard in Joliet, the team planned to artificially inseminate a group of registered heifers. Trent was along to learn.

What is artificial insemination (A.I.) specifically? It is the technological breeding of cattle using semen collected from a bull inserted into a cow’s reproductive tract for the production of a calf. This scientific process must be done by a certified technician and under the proper timing to ensure a high percentage rate of conception. Many producers A.I. their cattle because it offers selective genetics, increases safety for the animals and in many cases, is cheaper than owning a herd bull.

Every aspect of the process must be precise when preparing these females to be bred. The semen must stay at a specific temperature, placement within the cow accurate, and the timing synchronized for the entire herd.

These are all the specifics Trent, of Roberts, looked forward to as

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he spent the summer apprenticing beside, Chance Eaton, official rep for Genex Beef and Nobull Cattle A.I. Services.

“Someone took me under their wing, when I was his age,” said Chance. “Being with people who take the time to help you expand your knowledge, especially in this industry, gives kids like Trent, endless opportunities. By giving these kids hands on chances to really work with the cattle, it provides value back into what we’re doing in the A. I. industry.”

Trent’s interest began as he worked at the Million Ranch at Roberts. It’s been invaluable to him to learn the science and technique of A.I.

“I really paid close attention to everything that was happening when their heifers were A.I.’d,” said Trent. “They always took the time to explain to me what they were doing and why. They also let me be a part of it.”

As Trent’s interest grew, he began reading breeding catalogs and watching livestock judging and production videos.

“I want to learn as much as I can about cattle breeding and the industry,” he said.

An active leader in his 4-H and FFA chapters, and living on a small farm, Trent has not only developed a deeper passion for this area of agriculture, but he also tries to take advantage of opportunities that will expose him to other possible careers in ag.

“I hope to become a certified A.I. technician as soon as the courses open back up, but in the meantime I’m trying to get as much hands on experience as I can.”

Trent is also working with his science teacher at Red Lodge High School to engineer an A.I. project for next spring’s science fair.

“Trent’s passion and curiosity is what leads kids, like him, into creating new technology and innovations, which furthers our society and

world,” said Summer Graber, RLHS Science teacher. “Imparting the knowledge on how to drive that passion, explore, and create new ideas takes a human connection that these types of opportunities offer.”

Being ambitious and intentional in seeking out opportunities, is where Trent has found a vocation that not only holds an on-going interest, but will give him an opportunity to develop a career in the agriculture industry.

“I could talk about what I’ve been learning from Mr. Eaton, all day. If I can learn how to help producers develop the kind of herd they are wanting, it would be great to be a part of it and the agriculture industry’s future.”

“Being with people who take the time to help you expand your knowledge, especially in this industry, gives kids like Trent, endless opportunities.”

— CHANCE EATON

Hannah Todd walked quietly through the knee-deep grass toward a small herd of cattle. Carrying a bucket of feed and a halter, she stopped and waited as a heifer came forward and pushed her nose into the bucket. Hannah laughed, rubbed the heifer between the ears and down her back and placed the bucket on the ground for her.

“Rory’s spoiled,” she said. “She acts more like a dog than a cow. But that’s because I’ve spent a lot of time with her.” It was easy to see the pride on Hannah’s face as she talked about her heifer. Rory is one of Hannah’s herd of 10, but she holds a special place, having been given to Hannah through the NILE Merit Heifer program in October of 2019.

Hannah was one of several candidates selected to participate in the coveted Merit Heifer program, in which young teens gain knowledge about the beef industry and receive a heifer as part of their livestock breeding program. It is hard work to be a recipient of the live animal scholarship. Participants are chosen based on merit, future goals and their ability to care for the animal. Each participant is required to include character references, a written essay, a five-minute video showcasing why they would be a good recipient of the heifer, proof that they have a facility to take care of the animal and reasonable goals and objectives if they do win.

Hannah received a black angus heifer donated by the Angelo Cattle Co. of Drummond. Since October, she has kept careful records of her care and has been in contact with her donors on several occasions. She also makes monthly reports to the NILE on her heifer’s progress throughout the year. At the end of the year, if Hannah has properly cared for her, she will be rewarded with full ownership.

Hannah lives with her parents and younger brother on a cattle ranch at the base of the Madison Mountain Range south of Ennis. She grew up riding along in the stock truck with her father, Luke Todd, and her brother, Tatum, as cows were checked and fed and calves tagged.

She started riding when she was 5 and has competed in working ranch horse classes. It’s obvious that she’s a good hand. She loves horses and cattle, and she enjoys air rifle competition. Mature beyond her years, it’s hard to believe that the tall, slender young woman is just 14 and entering high school in the fall.

“Moving cows is about my most favorite thing,” she said, “I just love doing that.”

The Todds keep Hannah and Tatum’s herd of cows separate from the rest of the ranch’s herd.

“It’s just easier in so many ways,” their mother, Christy, explained. “We’re trying to teach our kids responsibility by taking care of them and figuring out costs of feed, veterinarian supplies and any other incurred costs. But also, since they will be first time calvers next spring, we keep them away from the cows that have calved before.”

So far, it appears the kids are doing a great job. Several weeks

earlier, Hannah had her NILE heifer bred using artificial insemination with sperm donated from a bull as part of the NILE program. Her accurate records recorded the day of the breeding and when she plans to do a pregnancy test. For this heifer she decided to do an ultrasound because the results can be determined much earlier and she’s anxious to know that her heifer is pregnant, another requirement of the NILE.

Hannah started her herd two years ago with a 4-H calf from her parents’ herd. A year later she secured a youth production loan offered by the Montana Department of Livestock and bought eight more head. All of her heifers are bred to calve next April.

“I’m pretty excited for that,” she said.

Not far from the pasture in a shaded corral were Hannah’s 4-H steer and Tatum’s hog projects. The kids worked all summer training their animals for the Madison County Fair, held in August in Twin Bridges. Hannah competed with her heifer, Rory, her cow/calf pair, her market steer, air rifle competition and working ranch horse.

Tatum took a market hog and entered a welding project using horseshoes that he welded into the shape of a cross and painted bright red. The 11-year-old smiled brightly as he said that his project was already earmarked for his grandmother, but he would happily take orders for other projects too.

When school was canceled in the spring, the Todd children quickly adapted to doing more of what they normally do during the evenings and weekends. Hannah was excited to see one of her heifers calve for the first time. She and her mom watched

“We’re trying to teach our kids responsibility by taking care of them and figuring out costs of feed, veterinarian supplies and any other incurred costs.”

— CHRISTY TODD

TATUM TODD DISPLAYS ONE OF HIS 4-H WELDING PROJECTS

through binoculars so they wouldn’t disturb her “It was such a cool thing,” Hannah said excitedly, “and I would have missed it if I had been in school.”

Her growing herd holds the key to her future. Hannah said, “I hope my cows help me to either go to college or start a business,” she said as she watched over them. “That’s my plan anyway.”

“I hope my cows help me to either go to college or start a business. That’s my plan anyway.”

— HANNAH TODD

HANNAH TODD SURROUNDED BY HER SMALL HERD OF COWS

“We have outlasted the malls and the box stores,” said 99-yearold Virgil Gust, proprietor of Gust’s Department Store on McLeod Street in Big Timber. “Now we have to outlast Amazon.”

Every day, Virgil climbs the steep steps to his office in the loft of the store and oversees the business that he and his partner J.Q. Robbins founded in 1947. Walking through the door at Gust’s is like stepping into a time machine and turning the dial back 70plus years, except that the merchandise is perfect for the needs of the small community in 2020.

Virgil was born on the family farm in Reliance, South Dakota, in 1921.

“I was 10 when my father died,” Virgil said. “Then the Great Depression took all our family’s money. We lost our farm because the drought blew all the topsoil into big soil drifts, and the grasshoppers ate everything. We left the farm and moved to Chamberlain.”

Virgil worked cleaning the local barber shop and shining shoes

until he met J.Q. Robbins, who ran the local JC Penney store. When J.Q. fired his assistant manager, Virgil stepped in and filled the role during his last two months of high school.

“Mr. Robbins called the school and asked if I could work full time and do my coursework as homework,” Virgil recalled. “They agreed to allow that, and they still gave me a diploma.”

After Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, Virgil enlisted in the Navy, serving as a torpedoman on the U.S.S. Bagley until the war ended in 1945. A replica of the Bagley, along with other treasured military memorabilia, is encased in glass in the center of the store. Virgil kept a secret log of his years on the ship, and his log has been used in the research for several books about the Bagley and the war effort.

“We didn’t get off the ship for 22 months during the time we were

WWII MEMORABILIA DISPLAYED IN GUSTS

— VIRGIL GUST

on the offensive,” Virgil said. “One of my best memories is when Rear Admiral Whiting accepted the surrender of enemy forces on the forecastle of our destroyer, the Bagley, off the cost of Marcus Island on Aug. 31, 1945. I was assigned to the quarter deck, so I was in charge of monitoring everyone who came on and who left the ship. I am honored to have been a part of that historic event.”

When the war ended, J.Q. had a position waiting for Virgil at a JC Penney store in Pierre, South Dakota. In 1947, J.Q. came to Montana, and Virgil followed him. They became business partners and purchased stores in Big Timber, Manhattan, Conrad and Livingston. They dissolved their partnership in the 1970s, and Virgil retained ownership of the Big Timber and Manhattan stores, and purchased a Laurel store. Eventually he sold the other two stores and retained only the Big Timber store.

Just across the street from the Big Timber store, which was formerly called the Golden Rule, stands Cole Drug. The drug store owner, Edwin Cole, had a pretty daughter named Jane. Jane had earned a degree in home economics and an advanced degree in fashion design.

“Big Timber has been very good to us. It has been a great place to live and raise our family. The Sweet Grass County people are loyal and take care of their own.”

“Long story short,” Virgil said with a smile, “she turned down a job with Utah Woolen Mills, and we got married. She let me have 99 percent of my wants. She only asked for 1 percent, so that made it easy for us to get along. She was very knowledgeable in merchandising, and she knew what people wanted and the sizes and colors to order it in.” Jane died in 2006, leaving Virgil to run the store with the help of his family and several faithful employees.

“All three of our kids, Susan, Sara and Ed, started working in the store in the summers during their high school and college years and continued helping out over the past 40 years,” Virgil explained. “Now, they are sort of boosting me out. I mostly just show up every day.”

Virgil’s daughter, Susan St. Germain, noted, “Our customers have been amazingly loyal — especially during this pandemic. They have been very patient about waiting for their orders to come in. We are constantly trying to find new ways to advertise and bring people into the store. Dad created Gust’s Bucks as a reward system long before chain stores started using reward systems. Probably about a third of our business is our custom T-shirt and embroidery business.”

“I have had a lot of people help me,” Virgil said. “My mother passed away when I was a sophomore in high school, and a woman named Margaret Plot and her family took me in. A small community is about helping each other. We have many customers who just don’t want to drive to Billings or Bozeman, and we also have good tourist traffic in the summer.”

Virgil enjoys hunting, camping, boating, bowling and gardening.

He has no immediate plans to retire and pursue leisure pursuits — although he did build his own greenhouse during the store’s pandemic slowdown.

“Big Timber has been very good to us,” Virgil said. “It has been a great place to live and raise our family. The Sweet Grass County people are loyal and take care of their own.”

VIRGIL WITH DAUGHTER, SUSAN ST. GERMAIN

Montana's

NEXT GENERATION

Even during this most unusual summer in Montana, our kids still managed to have fun. Small town rodeos kept them occupied and families entertained. Here's a collage of kids that are raised in the west.

Tavin Sargent, 3, contemplates his mutton bustin ride.

Photo by Martha Sargent

Paige Wertheimer, 12, performs in one of the first trick rides of her career. Harlo, MT

Photo by Stu Hoefle

Tike Erickson, Hobson, thinks about the training he’s received and throws a loop. Photo by Matthew Strissel

Kruz Ereaus from Fort Belknap pulls up on his horse during a local rodeo.

Photo by Matthew Strissel

Yukon O’Neil, 3, “mounted up,” Photo by Shaylin Ashley O’Neil

Tory Bossen hangs on tight during a mutton bustin. Photo by Matthew Strissel