Missoula Magazine Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Fall/Winter 2010-2011

the next adventure the outdoor rec guy breaks a new trail

missoula reads

masterpieces in missoula

loyal to the book

25 years: clark fork coalition

a wish list of gift books

conserving history one page at a time

private art treasures displayed on campus

creating a new legacy

e k a m

s t a u j n a h t e mor

fashio n statement.

As a locally owned and operated mall, Southgate hosts art exhibits, fundraisers and youth events. And we’ve noticed something: Missoula’s youth is in tune with much more than fashion.

They’re in tune with their community.

Missoula’s Own Happy Shopping • shopsouthgate.com SGMK_083A_MSLAsOwnLg.indd 2 missoula magazine

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letter from the editor

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ull out a box of dusty Christmas ornaments and I get all sentimental.

Positively sappy. Find the little red felt banner my daughter made in kindergarten, smooshing her hands into green paint, and I get all misty eyed. And whatever you do, don’t let me pull out the photos from all those Christmas tree-cutting trips up the Ninemile.

Or the little Santa bank ... or my grandma’s recipe for cornbread dressing ... or the stockings my mom knitted every one of us, and keeps knitting as our family grows ...

Come the holidays, I’m a sentimental fool. I love it when the Christmas letters start arriving, and how we pass them around, reading our favorite passages out loud. Did you see this? Can you believe that? It’s the one time of year I know we’ll all be together at home, just enjoying being there with one another – telling funny stories, playing goofy card games, pulling out the dominoes and making up the rules.

So you’ll find a bit of sentimentality in this edition of Missoula magazine, as we remember friends and family over the long holiday season.

Missoula chef Greg Patent offers a favorite holiday dessert, wine writer Kate Murphy has us sipping champagne and Betsy Cohen introduces us to Missoula’s newest coffee connoisseurs. Then writer Vince Devlin and photographer Linda Thompson take us to Chico Hot Springs for a little wintertime R&R. I got particularly nostalgic as I read about Audra Loyal, proprietor over The Vespiary Book Restoration and Bindery in Missoula.

Loyal’s work restoring family keepsakes is art, as well as science. Michael Gallacher’s photographs of her at work in the little garden shop behind her home are art, too – the lead photo seems more like a painting, with its muted lines and faded colors.

Two of our stories look back on long years of service to Missoula; both are written

by Missoulian environmental reporter Rob Chaney. First comes a 25-year retrospective on the Clark Fork Coalition, the river watchdog group that spent its first quarter-century taking on the likes of Atlantic Richfield Co. and the Seven Up-Pete Mine, but has most recently gone into cattle ranching.

Then comes a lovely look back with Dudley Improta, the “outdoor rec guy” at the University of Montana, longtime ski instructor and Ski Patrol member at Montana Snowbowl, and soon-to-be retiree. He’s kept us safe from avalanches, taught us to climb uphill and ski downhill. He’s kept University of Montana students outfitted and out of doors. You’ll enjoy catching up with Improta, and wishing him an action-packed retirement.

But the biggest flashback in this edition of Missoula magazine comes courtesy of Missoulian arts and entertainment reporter Joe Nickell, who previews a major exhibit coming to the Montana Museum of Art and Culture this fall and winter.

On Nov. 12, the museum will open what’s likely to be a once-in-alifetime exhibit of 14 paintings and one sculpture, “Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin and Other European Masterpieces From a Private Collection” – works by some of the most important European artists of the past 225 years. You don’t want to miss either our preview or this major exhibition at the University of Montana.

And so off we go, into the holidays. May all of you and your families have a happy and healthy season. May you spend hours and days together, just enjoying one another’s company ... and a few old stories and recipes and ...

bookmark it!

Go online to Missoulian.com throughout the fall and winter for:

hoops!

Griz basketball writer Bob Meseroll and Lady Griz basketball writer Bill Speltz bring you the inside scoop on their Missoulian.com blogs, and in weekly webcasts. And don’t miss this season’s video reports and live Twitter feed from Dahlberg Arena – swoosh!

wipe out!

It’s time to go downhill fast, and that means you’ve got to keep up with Chelsi Moy and her MontanaSnowSports.com blog. That’s the place for the latest ski reports, photos, videos and news of note from Montana’s ski areas and backcountry slopes.

warm up!

Matt Pritchard is our new blogger at GrizzlyGrowler.com, and he’ll be on duty all winter with updates on Montana’s booming craft beer industry. Which is a fancy way of saying, he’ll be sampling the wares at brewhouses near and far.

So join the party at GrizzlyGrowler.com!

toast the new year!

Wine blogger Kate Murphy is online at KnowYourVino.com, where she’ll help you ring in the new year, wax nostalgic about the old, and celebrate the holidays with family and friends.

and sing a happy tune!

Missoulian arts and entertainment reporter Joe Nickell knows all about what’s happening after hours in Missoula: music, drama, dancing, prancing! Check out his blog, NickellBag.com, and you won’t miss a beat!

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missoula.com flagship magazine missoula is is thethe flagship magazine of of the the missoulian missoulian newspaper newspaper

publisher john vanstrydonck publisher stacey mueller

editor sherry editor sherrydevlin devlin

art director director kate art katemurphy murphy

assistant director mike assistant artartdirectors mikelake lake megan richter

photo editor kurt wilson photodirector editorkristen kurt wilson

advertising bounds jimmcgowan mcgowan sales & marketing online director director jim

writers betsy cohen writers tim akimoff rob chaney betsy cohen sherry devlin gwen florio vincegadbow devlin daryl kate murphy lori grannis joe nickell michael jamison greg patent bob meseroll keila szpaller michael moore barbara theroux

kate murphy photographers joe tomnickell bauer greg patent michael gallacher jodi rave linda thompson

photographers bauer graphic design tom diann kelly michael gallacher mike lake linda thompson andrew henderson kurt wilson megan richter

kurt wilson

advertising sales diann jacque walawander

graphic design kelly 406-523-5271

megan richter

chris sawicki

distribution Available in more

youa vangthan 160 racks in western Montana, Missoula magazine is a natural extension for people who read and rely on the Reaching 80,000 to 90,000 readers daily, the Missoulian newspaper. advertising sales jacque walawander Missoulian has long been recognized as the most thorough, in-depth source of

523-5271 news in western Montana. Missoula magazine takes this award-winning coverage another step, showing off the very best of Missoula in words and photographs.

By capitalizing on distribution .Available in morethroughout than 160 racks western Montana, the Missoulian’s presence the in region and utilizing its Missoula.com a natural extension for magazine people whoand readMissoula.com and rely on the website establishedmagazine chain of is distribution, Missoula Missoulian newspaper.

80,000 to 90,000 daily,publication the Missoulian long reach more readersReaching in more places than any readers other such in has western been recognized as the most thorough, in-depth source of news in western Montana.

Montana.

Missoula.com magazine takes this award-winning coverage another step, showing off the very best in words By capitalizing on the Missoulian’s No part of of theMissoula publication mayand bephotographs. reprinted without permission. presence the region utilizing its established distribution, Missoula. ©2010 throughout Lee Enterprises, all and rights reserved.

Printed inchain the of USA. com magazine and Missoula.com Web site reach more readers in more places than any other such publication in western Montana.

No part of the publication may be reprinted without permission. ©2007 Lee Enterprises, all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

on the cover:

on Dudley theImprota cover: heads into the backcountry of the Rattlesnake

Ryan Wilderness.

Springer“Doing pedalsstuff along solo theisClark key to Fork enjoying River with the outdoors a deliveryfor of me, and LeforPetit a lotOutre of people,” breadshe bound says.for downtown Missoula restaurants.

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cover cover photo photobybylinda Lindathompson Thompson

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inside this issue

vol.4 no.4

contents fall/winter 2010-2011 “It’s sort of a joke now, but it seems anybody in Missoula who does outdoors stuff knows his name.” page 50

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38

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50

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in season

all year long

28 32 38 44 50

9 10 12 16 20 24 70

missoula reads masterpieces in missoula 25 years: clark fork coalition loyal to the book the rec guy

missoula magazine

the way we were greetings missoula cooks know your vino and your coffee western montana getaway parting shot

the way we were

1956 paper boy

After begging his parents for months, Jerry Fisher eventually convinced them to let him get a newspaper route delivering the Daily Missoulian in 1956. He kept the route until high school and then turned it over to his brother. Now 65, Fisher retired from the furniture business this year and works early mornings again setting pins on the greens at the Polson Bay golf course.

Photograph courtesy of Mildred and Gordon Fisher

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greetings

A Partridge in a Pear Tree A beautiful 12 days of Christmas pop-up book by Robert Sabuda - $26.95

Season’s Greetings

Warmest Winter Wishes by Smudge Ink 10 per box $13

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That’s a Wrap

Vintage-style Cavallina wrapping paper, single sheets $3.95 per sheet

Letters to Santa Cavallini boxed notes $13.25

Holiday Mail photo by Michael Gallacher

Joy to the World

Smudge Ink holiday cards, a box of eight $15

Deck the Halls

Glitter Greetings Vintage Christmas by Cavallini, $13.50 per box of 8

Winter Wonderland

Smudge Ink holiday cards, a box of eight $15

Let It Snow Warm and Good Cheer by Smudge Ink, 10 per box $13

Holiday papers from Noteworthy Paper & Press, 101 S. Higgins Ave., downtown Missoula missoula magazine

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missoula cooks

spectacular meringue

D

uring the festive holiday season, I usually make desserts that look terrific, take some extra time, but really deliver on their promise.

The Meringues with Orange Cream and Cranberries, beautiful to look at and absolutely delicious to eat, are what I call a component dessert. Four separate preparations, made a few hours to a day or more ahead of time, come together quickly just before serving for a spectacular presentation.

The meringue shells take only minutes to prepare. To make your work easy, a stand mixer does the best job of beating the sugar into the egg whites. Lacking that, you can use a powerful hand mixer. Make certain that your beating bowl and whip are scrupulously clean and free of grease (wash them well in hot soapy water) and that the

whites contain no trace of egg yolk.

The cranberries are cooked in a sugar syrup until they turn translucent and gleam like rubies. They will retain their characteristic tartness, a welcome contrast to the sweet orange cream. Use fresh cranberries in season and frozen cranberries when fresh aren’t available.

Perhaps the most familiar curd is made with lemon. Orange pairs better with cranberries, so I make an orange curd. A curd is nothing more than eggs cooked with citrus juice and butter. The keys to success are gentle heat and not to rush the process.

Orange curd may be made days in advance and refrigerated. Leftover curd is delicious spread on pancakes, toast and biscuits.

Once the meringues, cranberries and orange curd are prepared, the only step left is to make the orange cream, and that you

by greg patent photos by linda thompson

can do a few hours before serving.

Final assembly will take only a few minutes. The sweet crunchy/chewy meringue contrasts perfectly with the smooth orange cream, and the tart cranberries add zing and color. I guarantee you will receive raves.

Greg Patent is a food writer and columnist for the Missoulian and Missoula magazine. Visit Greg’s website at www.gregpatent.com. You can write him at chefguymt@gregpatent.com.

Linda Thompson is a Missoulian photographer. She can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com.

Your holiday dessert is ready to be served. The meringue shell is filled with orange cream and topped with cranberries and cranberry syrup.

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2.

1.

3.

Meringues with Orange Cream and Cranberries Meringues 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup) 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

A

djust two oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets or baking sheets with aluminum foil or cooking parchment.

Put the egg whites and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed with the whip attachment until whites are frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks (photo 1).

While beating on medium speed, sprinkle in the sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting 15 seconds between additions. When all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until the meringue is shiny and forms stiff, unwavering peaks (photo 2). Total beating time is 6 to 8 minutes.

Using 2 soupspoons, place 4 mounds of meringue onto each lined sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Spread the meringue into 4-inch circles with a 1-inch depression in the center of each; smooth the sides with a narrow metal spatula

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(photo 3).

Place the pans in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 to 40 minutes, until meringues are crusty on the outside but still soft on the insides; rotate sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway during baking. Cool meringues on their baking sheets. Meringues may be made a day ahead and stored airtight.

Cranberries 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 3 cups (10 ounces) cranberries 1 teaspoon vanilla

F

or the cranberries, combine the sugar, water, and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat to medium high and boil for 3 minutes.

Add the cranberries, reduce heat to

medium, and cook, stirring gently, until the cranberries are cooked through, appear translucent, and remain intact, about 5 minutes. Don’t let the cranberries break apart. Transfer the cranberries to a bowl with a slotted spoon, and continue cooking the liquid until syrupy.

Stir in the vanilla. Add the syrup to the cranberries and cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate. May be made 1 or 2 days ahead.

Orange Curd inely grated zest from 1 large orange F 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 large eggs 3 large egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Pinch of salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 equal pieces

P

repare the orange zest and set aside. Boil the orange juice in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Pour into measuring cup.

In the same saucepan, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until thoroughly combined. Gradually whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the reduced orange juice, lemon juice, salt, and orange zest. Add the butter.

Set the pan over medium low heat and whisk constantly until the butter melts and the curd thickens enough to coat a metal spoon, about 8 minutes.

Be very careful with this step because the curd must not boil. Take the pan off the heat periodically to keep the mixture from overheating. An instantread thermometer will register 175 degrees when the curd is cooked.

Pour the curd through a strainer into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. The curd will thicken more as it chills. May be made 1 or 2 days ahead. The curd will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Orange Cream 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 cups orange curd Mint sprigs

W

hen ready to serve, whip the cream and sugar until thick, and the cream holds a definite shape. Fold in the orange curd. May be made up to 3 hours ahead and refrigerated.

To assemble the desserts, place meringues on dessert plates. Divide the orange cream among the 8 meringue shells, mounding it in the center.

Spoon the cranberries with some of their syrup over the cream, decorate with mint, and serve at once.

Makes 8 servings.

How-To Photos 1. Egg whites beaten with salt and cream of tartar to the soft peak stage.

2. Meringue forms stiff, shiny, unwavering peaks when beaten for several minutes with sugar.

3. Shaping meringue shells. Use a spoon to form a depression and walls in the stiff meringue. Baked shell is next to the shell being shaped.

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know your vino

celebrate with bubbly by kate murphy ~ photos by linda thompson

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utumn is here, which means the countdown to the holidays has begun. As we move into the season, chances are we’ll soon be hearing the festive pop of wine corks. And I can’t think of a better wine to help celebrate than a sparkling bottle of bubbly.

Champagne and other sparkling wines aren’t just for New Year’s and weddings any longer. A glass of bubbly is appropriate for almost any occasion, and a quality sparkling wine doesn’t have to be reserved

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for toasting. It makes a fine match with many dishes that are placed on your dinner table. And today, there are a lot of great sparklers out there to play the starring role during your Thanksgiving dinner, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas or New Year’s celebrations. They can also liven up those late Sunday brunches, take-out dinners after holiday shopping and yes, I’ll say it, even Super Bowl parties.

Not all sparkling wines indicate the details of what is going on inside the bottle, so here are a few tips to remember while shopping.

• Non-vintage vs. vintage. Produced by the same methods as vintage champagnes (which reflect the character of a single harvest), non- vintages are made from wines of several years, blended to maintain a consistent style over time.

• Brut sauvage, ultra brut, brut integral and brut zero are the bone-dry varieties.

Brut, the second-driest level, is the most popular style. Extra sec, sec, demi-sec and doux are sweeter.

• Bubbles should be small, uniform and soft on the tongue – not fizzy like soda pop. And yes, the tall, thinner stemware improves the experience because they hold carbonation better.

Champagne tastes sensational with smoky or salty hors d’oeuvres like cheesestraws, smoked oysters or salmon, baked brie with pecans, camembert, blue cheese stuffed olives, risotto fritters and baconwrapped scallops to name but a few. It also gives a festive upgrade to most dishes that might traditionally be paired with white wine, including fried chicken, bratwurst, creamy soups, shrimp fettuccine, quiche, French fries and my very favorite pairing: sushi with lots of wasabi.

Here are 11 great bottles of all different stature to have on hand for yourself or for entertaining. However, whatever fills your glass, I would like to offer a toast of appreciation for your readership and all my wishes for a joyful holiday season. Bubbles up!

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose ($69). This is my favorite champagne and I don’t get much of it since it is so pricey. But if you have a special occasion, this is the champagne to buy and will most likely blow the more expensive ones out of the water. It is beautiful in the glass and the velvety smooth texture from the super fine bubbles begs you to savor every delicious missoula magazine

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Champagne is a star during the holiday season, perfect for every event up to and including the Super Bowl.

drop. Expert ratings always give this wine 90 points or higher.

Henri Billiot Brut Réserve ($55). This small grower, located in Champagne’s Pinot Noir heartland, Ambonnay, has produced a sensationally rich, lively wine from 100 percent grand cru-rated grapes.

Gosset Brut ($38). From one of the oldest Champagne houses in France comes a full-bodied wine with notes of peach, apple, lemon, ginger, honey and toasted brioche.

This has good body and lots of lively acidity.

Moet & Chandon White Star ($36).

Consisting of predominantly Grand and Premier Cru vineyards, this wine is rich and off-dry. It has soft aromas of peach with straightforward citrus and ginger notes on the palate. Easy to like and easy to drink.

Domaine Carneros Brut Rose (Cuvee de La Pompadour) ($36). From California and named after the woman who stole the heart of King Louis XV with a glass of champagne. This wine has a creamy texture, bright fruitiness and effervescence that dances upon the taste buds.

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Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace ($22). From Alsace, France, this is the best sparkler outside of Champagne. On the palate, it’s creamy-smooth and delicious. It has a nice crisp apple flavor and a perfect level of acidity.

Shooting Star Black Bubbles ($19). This wine is made from Syrah and then infused with bubbles. Put simply, this wine is fun in a glass with loads of rich fruit flavors and spritz!

Saracco Moscato d’Asti ($18). From Piedmont, Italy, this wine is refreshingly peachy and sweet with loads of bubbles.

This is a perfect pairing for breakfast or brunch since it is low in alcohol. Try it with cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto.

Los Rocalilles Brut Vin de Savoie ($16).

From the Savoy region of France, this inexpensive and delicious sparkler has good minerality with green fruit and tropical notes. For a festive touch, add a little “Pom” juice to this wine with a few pomegranate seeds sprinkled in the glass.

1+13 Cava ($14). I always keep bottles of this Cava on hand. It makes the perfect mimosa, kir royale or bellini. It is also great on its own, as it is meant for easy consumption. This wine has grapefruit, lemon zest, apple and flowery characteristics.

Silvan Ridge Early Muscat ($12). Hailing from Oregon, this low-alcohol spritzy wine has a soft, creamy feel and is bursting with flavors of poached pears, freshly-cut honey apples and baking spices. This will for sure make an appearance at my Thanksgiving table.

Kate Murphy is art director for Missoula magazine and a wine writer for the Missoulian and online at KnowYourVino.com.

She can be reached at (406) 523-5486 or by e-mail at kate.murphy@lee.net.

Linda Thompson is a photographer for the Missoulian. She can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com.

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and your coffee

Jim Chapman, left, and Matt McQuilkin are obsessed with not only the roasting of coffee at blackcoffee Roasting Co., but with the brewing of each type they sell.

back to black by betsy cohen photos by tom bauer

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t a dinner party about a year ago, while staring at a bag of Montanaroasted gourmet coffee on the kitchen counter, longtime friends Matt McQuilkin and Jim Chapman got buzzed on a shared caffeine dream.

“Jim says to me, ‘When I start my coffee business I will do it differently,’ ” McQuilkin explained. “And I said, ‘What coffee business? I’m wanting to start one too!’ ” Neither man knew the other had been hatching the same business plan for years. Each longed for fresh coffee, light to medium roast, carefully ground in small batches and brewed at the perfect temperature of 200 degrees. Black coffee,

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they agreed – so rich and expressive no bitterness could be detected, only the delicious and unique flavors of the exotic, faraway places that gave birth to the beans responsible for the magical brew.

Suddenly, in that flash of revelation, the dreams of two coffee afficionados merged.

And this is what happened.

In about the time it takes to brew a perfect cup (four minutes), the friends’ business was born: blackcoffee Roasting Co. of Missoula.

With a shared appreciation for the nuanced and quirky television series “Twin Peaks,” and a preference for coffee served straight up, finding a name was easy for the business partners.

For inspiration, they turned to the series’ star.

Said the often-quoted cult hero Special Agent Dale Cooper to the fictional town’s sheriff: “Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men’s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this.”

E

asygoing, experienced in retail, both married family men with young children, McQuilkin and Chapman knew the collaboration would be fun.

This fall, thanks to business loans from

Missoula Federal Credit Union and the support of their wives, Aimee and Ella, the coffee dream became more than just coffee talk.

These days, the roasting business is in full stride at 1515 Wyoming St., firing up small batches of beans from around the world, supplying restaurants around town, stocking grocery shelves and earning new fans with every hot cup served to walk-in customers.

Like a giant sandbox filled with toy trucks, the business allows the partners to tinker and play with the roasting equipment and experiment with things like grind, airflow and temperature.

The duo are obsessed with quality and the alchemy that unlocks the special qualities of each variety of bean they roast from the wide variety of countries from which they buy.

“We pretty much want to take a closer, harder look at how coffee is roasted and what happens when you change the process,” McQuilkin said. “It’s what every coffee roaster should be doing, but many of them don’t look at the batches on an individual basis like we do.”

So deliberate is their roasting technique, McQuilkin and Chapman keep extensive and detailed notes for each variety they import, and document the variables they have manipulated – like roast time – always working toward the perfect cup for that particular bean.

There’s an easier way to stay healthy this winter.

With the cold and flu season arriving, it’s important to guard yourself against illness. But how do you protect yourself and others? Start with these simple precautions: • Wash your hands before you eat and before you touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

• When you sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue or your sleeve.

• After you blow your nose, wash your hands before touching any common object.

If you get the flu in spite of this, give us a call or stop in one of our Now Care offices before it spreads. We want you to see a better winter ahead.

We can help.

SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1922

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“Each bean is different,” Chapman explained. “Brazilian, for more example, is more full-bodied and has smoky, caramel flavors; Guatemalan has more fruit notes to it and Colombian is more silky.”

“We are tapping into the sweet spot – the best flavors each bean has to offer,” he said.

“We want people to taste the bean, not the roast, and if you are tasting the roast, it’s because the bean has been charred.”

E

very bag blackcoffee sells represents at least 15 hours of fine-tuned roasting, including the single-origin coffee from places such as Ethiopia, Mexico, Sumatra and Brazil, and the specialty blends such as the core products the company offers: AM, PM, 1-Eyed Jack’s and 1/2 Caf. Every bag also represents an ethical business plan and philosophy.

“We are conscientiously selecting the products we purchase and we are looking for ethically grown products,” McQuilkin said. “We are working with the Ecology Project to buy direct from farmers. Our goal is to support our community and the communities that our products come from.”

To that end, blackcoffee is launching a “Coffee for Kids” program, whereby the company will sell its coffee to parents and adults in the public school system and donate $2 per bag to individual schools where the coffee is purchased.

“We are really excited about it,” McQuilkin

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said. “We both have children and my wife and I are involved with the PTA, and it seems the schools are always struggling with a crazy shortage of money. We want to help and be a part of this community and invest in this great place.”

Betsy Cohen covers business for the Missoulian. She can be reached at (406) 523-5253 or by e-mail at bcohen@missoulian.com.

Tom Bauer is a Missoulian photographer.

He can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at tbauer@missoulian.com.

Top - McQuilkin brews an espresso at blackcoffee Roasting Co., which has a retail shop.

Bottom - The company’s coffees take at least 15 hours to roast.

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western montana getaway

paradise in chico by vince devlin photos by linda thompson

P

RAY – Montana has more than a dozen hot springs resorts, not all of them located on the beaten path.

It is, after all, hot water, not highway traffic, that determines their locations.

Seclusion is occasionally a welcome byproduct of a hot springs vacation, and folks in western Montana don’t have to go waaaaaay out of their way to enjoy one.

Guests enjoy the pools at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray.

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There are hot springs in Hot Springs, Lolo, Paradise, Sula and Fairmont.

You can also find them in Jackson, Polaris, Boulder, White Sulphur Springs – even outside Saco, way up on the Montana Hi-Line between Malta and Glasgow.

Soaking in 100-degree mineral water is the lure of them all, of course, but pools are not their only draw.

Opened in 1900, the resort is located in the breathtaking Paradise Valley at the foot of the Absaroka Mountains near Yellowstone National Park.

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The resort offers fine dining, horseback day spa, live music in the saloon every

Comfort Sleeper™

- a really good night’s rest

Here near Pray, for instance, at Chico Hot Springs, you’ll find superb dining, horseback riding, river rafting, sled-dog rides, a day spa, live music in the saloon every weekend, and a host of accommodation options, all in Chico’s breathtaking Paradise Valley location at the foot of the Absaroka Mountains.

You might not feel like leaving, even to saunter down the road to nearby Yellowstone National Park, while you’re here.

If you think Chico is something now, you should have seen it when current owner Mike Art purchased it 37 years ago.

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6th & Higgins

Cleveland, Ohio, businessman, Art had long talked of purchasing an old fixer-upper hotel someplace.

When he finally did, while in Montana on an elk-hunting trip in 1973, he figured his wife should be the first to know.

Eve Art had one question for her husband.

“What bar are you calling from?” she asked.

“Ours,” he answered.

Eve probably had a host of other questions – starting with “What were you thinking?” – once she arrived at Chico Hot Springs.

riding, river rafting, sled-dog rides, a weekend and a walk-up bar at the pool.

“The first time she saw it she wept,” Mike says. “It was pretty grim. The pool was cracked and coated with a green gum.

The dressing rooms would gag a maggot.”

Opened in 1900, Chico had once been a playground for the rich and famous, from President Teddy Roosevelt to artist Charlie Russell.

But the Great Depression and World War II had taken their tolls, and Chico was decades past its prime by 1973. A series of previous owners had tried several different angles – health resort, dude ranch, religious retreat, roadhouse – and failed.

Along the way, in 1957, the roof over the main pool had collapsed on 70 swimmers, leaving two with minor injuries.

By the time the Arts bought it, for $350,000, the resort was in complete disrepair. The plumbing was ancient, the heat faulty, the roof leaked and the rooms were uninviting, to say the least.

Today it’s probably worth 60 to 80 times what they paid for it.

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lot of hard work has gone into making Chico what it is today.

To the 110-year-old main lodge have been added cabins, chalets, cottages, homes, modern hotel rooms – even a caboose you can rent – plus a convention center.

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Missoula

Reads Written by BARBARA THEROUX Photo illustration by LINDA THOMPSON

B

eginning last May, when publishers’ fall catalogs and Book Expo America started promoting new authors and titles to reviewers and booksellers from all types of selling spaces – big box, online, chain and independent stores – I have been making decisions and hoping that the promised books actually arrive in time for Christmas gift-giving.

Here is a sampling of the national titles soon to be available.

I also predict that many of you will want to add a few of these books to your own holiday wish list.

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Cookbooks “Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired

by Fiction,” by Esterekke Payany Thirty-two great hero-villains of literature lure the reader into the kitchen to sample their signature recipes. Estérelle Payany shares to-die-for recipes inspired by scoundrels from popular literature. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from the original story and quirky illustrations by Jean-François Martin featuring the criminal and his recipe. Featured villains include: The Big Bad Wolf, The Queen of Hearts, Dracula and Long John SIlver.

For the Young and Young at Heart “The Carnival of the Animals,” by Jack Prelutsky, illustrations by Mary GrandPre America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate has written all-new verses to accompany the composer Camille Saint-Saens “The Carnival of the Animals,” and the illustrator of the Harry Potter books has turned these rollicking rhymes into a picture-book fun fest. An accompanying CD holds music performed by the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra and poems read by Prelutsky. A great way to introduce children to classical music.

“It’s a Book,” by Lane Smith Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith, “It’s a Book” is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.

“Built to Last,” by David Macaulay This new book – inspired by four classic, award-winning books – reveals the how and why behind some of the most fascinating and enduring structures humankind has ever created. Macaulay has revised texts based on new research, created gorgeous new drawings in black and sepia inks, in some cases wholly reimagined scenes from the books – bringing “City,” “Castle” and “Cathedral” to life in full-color for the very first time.

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“The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century” New York Times food columnist Amanda Hesser has cooked and updated every one of the 1,000-plus recipes here. Her chapter introductions showcase the history of American cooking, and her witty and fascinating headnotes share what makes each recipe special.

“The Essential New York Times Cookbook” is for people who grew up in the kitchen with Claiborne, for curious cooks who want to serve a 19th century raspberry granita to their friends, and for the new cook who needs a book that explains everything from how to roll out dough to how to slow-roast fish – a volume that will serve as a lifelong companion.

“The Food Matters Cookbook,” by Mark Bittman Extolling the benefits of a plant-heavy diet, Bittman offers more than 500 healthful recipes that feature unprocessed fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains and reduce all types of meat to backup players. In addition, he shares five basic principles for sane eating that are easy to implement and understand, as well as an unusually helpful pantry section and handy charts for substituting produce and seafood by season.

“Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking” “Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking” takes Brother Victor’s work a step further, with his first fully illustrated cookbook. The meatless recipes collected here capture the essence of culinary and spiritual simplicity as lived at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery.

The focus on local ingredients, home cooking and fine dining is an antidote to the overhyped, overprocessed and overproduced environment in which we live and eat. Brother Victor’s authenticity shines through in his writing and in the gorgeous photographs taken in the pastoral garden of the monastery where he developed these recipes.

History

Sciences

“Fur, Fortune and Empire,” by Eric Jay Dolin

“The Grand Design,” by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

Beginning his epic history in the early 1600s, Eric Jay Dolin traces the dramatic rise and fall of the American fur industry, from the first Dutch encounters with the Indians to the rise of the conservation movement in the late 19th century. Dolin shows how the fur trade, driven by the demands of fashion, sparked controversy, fostered economic competition and fueled wars among the European powers, as North America became a battleground for colonization and imperial aspirations. The trade in beaver, buffalo, sea otter and other animal skins spurred the exploration and the settlement of the vast American continent, while it alternately enriched and gravely damaged the lives of America’s native peoples.

“Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption,” by Laura Hillenbrand On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.

Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was hanging on to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, and enemy aircraft. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.

“Historical Atlas of the North American Railroad,”

by Derek Hayes The latest of Derek Hayes’ historical atlases delves into the history of the railroad in North America, from its origins in Britain in the 1820s and short lines connecting Eastern Seaboard rivers in the 1830s to Amtrak and the modern intermodal freights driving today’s railroad revival. Nearly 400 old railroad maps, most in full color, plus many historical photos, brochures and posters, combine to provide a new perspective on the North American railroad.

Presents a new study of the cosmos that explains the latest theories on why the universe and life exist and why they work the way they do, through the concept of the multiverse, or “m-theory,” that attempts to construct a grand unified design.

“Mariposa Road,” by Robert Michael Pyle Part road-trip tale, part travelogue of lost and found landscapes, all good-natured natural history, “Mariposa Road” tracks Bob Pyle’s journey across the United States as he races against the calendar in his search of as many of the 800 American butterflies as he can find.

“The Mind’s Eye,” by Oliver Sacks Traces the stories of six individuals whose lives have been profoundly changed by unusual changes to essential senses and abilities, including a renowned pianist who lost the ability to read scores and a novelist whose ability to read was destroyed by a stroke.

“Eels,” by James Prosek James Prosek offers a fascinating tour through the life history and cultural associations of the freshwater eel, exploring its biology in streams and epic migrations in the ocean, its myth and lore, its mystery and beauty.

“Natural History,” DK Publishing With oversight from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, this detailed visual guide examines thousands of species and specimens of animals, plants and minerals that make Earth unique.

continued on page 58

“The Great Explorers,” by Robin Hanbury-Tenison Penetrating biographies written by a group of distinguished travel writers, broadcasters and historians reveal the lives, motives and passions of 40 major explorers in history – including Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, Samuel de Champlain and more – in a book with more than 200 illustrations.

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W r i tten b y J O E N I C K E L L

P h otograp h e d b y T O M B A U E R

ma s terp i ece s in m i s s oula

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture will present two concurrent exhibitions, “Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin and Other European Masterpieces From a Private Collection” and “Three Centuries of European Prints from the MMAC Permanent Collection,” Nov. 12 through March 12. Works will be on display in the Paxson and Meloy galleries, located in the PAR/TV Building on the University of Montana campus.

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nov . 1 2 , 2 0 1 0 - marc h 1 2 , 2 0 1 1

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Portrait de Nini,” 1874, oil on canvas.

n May of 1990, a medium-sized 1876 painting by PierreAugust Renoir sold for $78.1 million at an auction in New York City. At the time, it was the second-highest price ever paid for any artwork. Titled “Bal du moulin de la Galette,” the painting was a smaller but otherwise nearly identical version of one of the French Impressionist’s most widely recognized canvases – a festive depiction of people dancing and socializing in the Montmartre district of Paris, painted that same year.

Though undeniable in their aesthetic appeal, the fame (and stratospheric value) of the two paintings is no doubt due in large part to the fact that the larger of the two has remained constantly on view in public museums in France – primarily the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay – since 1896, where tens of millions of people have seen the painting.

Name a famous painting, and chances are it can be found on view at a museum somewhere in the world: da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” hangs at the Louvre; Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” dazzles visitors at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York; Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring” peers over her shoulder at the Mauritshuis in the Hague; Klimt’s “The Kiss” ravishes a wall at the Belvedere Palace museum in Vienna. missoula magazine

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“ It ’ s almo s t a cra s h cour s e i n art h i s tor y , s h ow i ng w h o s ome of t h e b i gge s t pla y er s h ave been ” In contrast, Renoir’s 1880 portrait “Madamoiselle Grimprel au ruban rouge” is only familiar to those with an encyclopedic knowledge of the French master’s oeuvre.

The smallish painting, which depicts the granddaughter of the banker Armand Grimpel, one of Renoir’s most notable patrons, was exhibited twice during the artist’s lifetime. Since then, it has remained for the most part out of the public eye, held in a private collection in France for six decades and not shown publicly since the 1960s.

Last February, the painting resurfaced briefly when it was offered at a major auction held in London by Christie’s. On Feb. 2, the painting was sold to an anonymous private collector for $4.89 million. Over the course of two days at the sale, the same collector purchased at least four other paintings by historically important artists: another Renoir portrait, titled “Portrait de Wilhelm Mühlfeld;” “Regarde,” an abstract 1957 painting by Max Ernst; “Jeune femme en robe verte,” by the Belgian painter Théophile van Rysselberghe; and “Portrait de René Gaffé,” by the surrealist René Magritte.

Taken together, the five paintings are classic examples of their respective creators’ celebrated styles. Yet none is widely recognized by the general public, in part due to their common fate: These paintings were, and still are, held privately, unavailable for the general public to examine, collect on posters and fall in love with.

Until now.

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n Nov. 12, the Montana Museum of Art and Culture will open what’s likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit of these and other paintings from the private owner’s collection. Comprised of 14 paintings and one sculpture, the exhibit – titled “Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin and Other European Masterpieces From a Private Collection” – boasts works by some of the most important European artists of the past 225 years.

In addition to the aforementioned artists, the exhibit includes works by Alexander

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Archipenko, Rosa Bonheur, William Bourgereau, George Romney and John William Waterhouse. According to public auction records, the works were all purchased at auctions in New York City and London in the past two years, all by a private anonymous collector, at a total tab of more than $14.3 million.

None have been shown publicly since. And after the upcoming exhibit at the University of Montana, it’s unlikely they’ll be seen again in the near future.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to share with our audiences this quality of art,” said Barbara Koostra, executive director of the MMAC, who noted that the private collector approached her and offered the works for exhibition exclusively at the University of Montana, after which they will be returned to the private collection.

“We don’t believe Montanans have ever had an opportunity like this to see artists of this level of historical importance,” said Koostra.

“There are wonderful exhibits across our state constantly, but we’re not aware of anything this monumental.”

“It’s almost a crash course in art history, showing who some of the biggest players have been,” added Brandon Reintjes, curator of art at the MMAC. “We’re incredibly proud to bring it to Montana.”

Because the paintings have been so rarely available for public viewing, Reintjes said he anticipates art historians and aficionados will come from near and far to view the exhibition, which will run through March 12.

“With the exception of, I think, the Renoir and Waterhouse, these works have not been known publicly very much because they’ve been in private collections for such a long time,” said Reintjes. “In the case of the Renoir and the Waterhouse and also the Rysselberghe, those enjoyed an early fame when they were painted – the Rysselberghe piece was immensely popular and acclaimed in magazines and newspapers when it first came out. That kind of early acclaim helped provide patronage for the artists,

Right: Paul Gauguin, “Portrait d’Homme,” 1884, oil on canvas.

Bottom right: Brandon Reintjes, curator of art at the Montana Museum of Art & Culture, and MMAC registrar Lucy Capehart look over the Eugene Delacroix lithograph “Femme d’Algier.”

Bottom Left: The Delacroix etching “Un Seigneur du Temps de Francois 1er.”

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“ T h e U M pr i nt collect i on i s a tremen d ou s but ver y l i ttle - known trea s ure of t h e un i ver s i t y an d of t h e s tate ” but then these works went into these private collections. Now they’re emerging from private collections, but only briefly; so I think there will be a lot of interest from people to see them.”

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LEFT: Theo van Rysselberghe, “Jeune femme en robe verte (Germaine Marechal),” 1893, oil on canvas.

BELOW: The Delacroix lithograph “Femme d’Algier” is included in the exhibition.

f visitors to the exhibit are surprised to see the work of such hallowed artists hanging in a small gallery at the University of Montana, they may be equally shocked at the exhibit across the hall.

Simultaneous to the showing of European masterworks, the MMAC will present an exhibit of prints from its own, extensive art collection. Titled “Three Centuries of European Prints from the MMAC Permanent Collection,” the exhibit features a list of artists’ names that itself could serve as a quick history of three centuries of art: Pablo Picasso, Eugene Delacroix, Joan Miro, Nicolas De Larmessin, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Louis Simon Lempereur, Christian Dietrich, Charles-Nicolas Cochin, Giacomo Nevay, Adolphe Appian, Maxime Lalanne, Georges Roualt and Alberto Giacometti.

Though focused on prints rather than one-of-a-kind artworks, the exhibit nonetheless features works produced and approved by the artists’ hands – in many cases showcasing state-of-the-art printmaking technology of the day.

“There’s no overlap in terms of the artists,” said Reintjes, “but in terms of quality, it matches the ones in the masterpiece show.”

Remarkably, the majority of the 30some prints featured in the exhibit have never before been exhibited at UM, or in some cases ever before.

But because they are prints, some are nevertheless well known to art historians.

“This Delacroix print has copies in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the

Fogg Museum at Harvard, and also the National Library in Paris,” said Reintjes.

“But you can also see it here, which I think is a pretty remarkable testament to the depth and quality of our collections.”

Over the summer, Cheryl Leibold, retired archivist at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia – the nation’s oldest art school and museum – helped Reintjes prepare the exhibit of prints from the MMAC archives. Liebold said she was surprised by the significance of UM’s holdings.

“I was not expecting to see this level of work,” she said. “The UM print collection is a tremendous but very littleknown treasure of the university and of the state, and I think the prints included in this collection will be of interest to people beyond this region.”

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hat works of such historical and aesthetic significance can be found in UM’s collection points to a great and persistent irony, one that has vexed art historians in this part of the country for decades: Montana’s vast, publicly owned art collection – comprised of more than 10,000 artworks and counting – has no purpose-built, public museum where it can be seen.

Today, the Montana Museum of Art and Culture is a museum only by a considerable stretch of the word. The MMAC’s offices reside in four cramped rooms in the basement of UM’s Main Hall. Its primary gallery spaces, the Paxson and Meloy galleries (the former of which might more descriptively be termed a hallway), are halfway across campus in the PAR/TV Building. Its permanent collection is scattered in various storage spaces around campus.

All told, “we work in seven locations

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Years

years

A panorama made from three separate photographs shows Milltown Dam and the surrounding area as it appeared in 2007.

f rivers thought of such things, they might find the human notion of anniversaries quaint.

They roll over millennia, finding something new to do every day, sometimes every minute. They cleave mountains and fertilize plains, harbor life and kill at will.

Humans in their chutzpah tend to treat rivers like plumbing: a service to be exploited, routed and controlled. In a tick of the geologic clock, they impose changes that take generations to understand. Sometimes, an anniversary is the best way to absorb that.

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Clark Fork Coalition 1985-2010

missoula montana

w r i t t e n b y ROB C H ANEY

Photo by TOM BAUER

The Clark Fork Coalition celebrated its 25th anniversary this fall. In that span, it helped heal or prevent injuries to its namesake river dating back a century.

Consider the forces at play.

On Feb. 9, 1996, an ice floe 10 feet thick and 10 miles long broke loose on the Blackfoot River and headed for Milltown Dam. Workers cranked open the radial gates on the dam, releasing 14,000 cubic feet of water per second, along with huge blocks of ice. That’s roughly 13 times the river’s regular flow.

Opening the spigot drained much of the reservoir behind

the dam and grounded the ice floe before it could reach the 1908 wooden-crib structure. But the water and ice that poured out that afternoon also scoured up decades’ worth of toxic mining waste. Copper levels downriver jumped overnight from 30 parts per billion to 770 parts per billion. Fish died by the basketful in the lower Clark Fork.

Ten days later came a shift in the political geology. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would consider removing the dam instead of its longstanding position of leaving it in place. The Clark Fork Coalition saw a crack in the door, and wedged in a boat trailer of support.

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Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER

Milltown Dam held up under the pressure from the 1996 ice jam, but this Blackfoot River homeowner was not so lucky.

“U

ltimately, we need to ask: What is our vision for the Clark Fork and how do we get there?” said Tracy Stone-Manning, the Clark Fork Coalition’s executive director at the time. “If you leave that dam in place, you leave a false sense of security just upstream from Missoula.

It is clear Montana Power Co. doesn’t want to be in the generation business. So let’s remove the dam and remove the sediments and restore a free-flowing stretch of river.”

“They were a huge asset in garnering public support for implementation of the Milltown Dam sediment removal,” said Diana Hammer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Helena office. “They helped everyone understand the science of pollution removal and how the best way forward was dam removal. The Clark Fork Coalition really got that message out.”

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Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER

The footbridge that spanned the Clark Fork River at the old Blackfoot Tavern was a popular place to view the ice jam that threatened the Milltown Dam back in February of 1996.

By 1996, the coalition had already logged a decade of advocacy for the river’s health. The federal Superfund program was just getting started, when in 1985, the brand-new group started lobbying for attention in Montana.

It turned out that Lois Gibbs, the Love Canal resident often called “the Mother of Superfund,” had a sister in Montana. She was Kathy Hadley, the Clark Fork Coalition board member who brought EPA officials together around their map of pollution concentrations and made a crucial observation.

“She said, ‘See this (Butte’s Berkeley Pit)? It’s a Superfund site,’ ” said the coalition’s current executive director, Karen Knudsen. “ ‘See this (Missoula’s Milltown Dam)? It’s a Superfund site. See this (the blue line between them)? It’s a river.’ She literally connected the dots.”

Photo by TOM BAUER

American white pelicans gather along the banks of the Clark Fork River between Deer Lodge and Garrison.

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t the same time, Frenchtown’s pulp mill was proposing to dump the contents of its failing settling ponds into the Clark Fork. That proposal brought protests from as far away as Sandpoint, Idaho.

With prodding from the Clark Fork Coalition, Congress funded a three-state study of water pollution that led to restrictions on what industries could dump in the river.

Another motivator of the day was a proposed gold mine near the headwaters of the Blackfoot River, one with the potential to be among the 10 largest in the world. The Clark Fork Coalition expanded into a coalition of opponents to the Seven Up-Pete mine – landowners, environmentalists and anglers who wanted to defend the Blackfoot from the threat of cyanide heap-leach mining.

That pitched battle involved two ballot initiatives, a

Supreme Court decision, legislative interventions and lots of public action. In the process, coalition members grew more aware of their namesake’s deteriorating condition.

“We viewed removal of Milltown Dam as opening the door to full watershed restoration,” Knudsen said. “It was an incredible opportunity to create a global showcase to how a watershed could be restored. We could reconnect migration corridors, stimulate local economies, bring 6,000 square miles of habitat back in play.”

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lthough one might expect it, there’s no requirement to be competent with a fly rod or raft oar to work at the Missoula-based Clark Fork Coalition. Knudsen jokes that many of her staff would get failing grades if those skills were crucial. But they do take their love of the outdoors

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seriously, and the place has a long tradition of taking off early on August Fridays.

The operation was previously housed in an office above what’s now Sushi Hana restaurant on Higgins Avenue and Pine Street, back when Sorella’s spa was there. Stone-Manning recalled the ambiance going from “perm smell to fish” as the downstairs tenants changed.

The upstairs resembled a college dorm hall of offices. Stone-

Swimmers jump into the Clark Fork River near Deer Lodge in 2009.

Photo by TOM BAUER

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Manning was director of Five Valleys Land Trust on the same floor, before crossing the hall to head the Clark Fork Coalition.

Keeping that sense of informal jumble has been a strength of the organization, Knudsen said. There are Ph.D scientists, attorneys, MBAs, publicists and organizers who all bounce ideas off one another. The internal grist mill helps the group hone its messages before they go out to the wider world.

That ability to communicate on many levels was crucial,

according to Rob Collins, Montana’s supervising assistant attorney general who led the courtroom battle to pay for the Clark Fork River’s recovery.

Removing Milltown Dam and restoring the Clark Fork involved roughly $500 million in expenses, and will reach nearly $1 billion by the time all the bills are counted. Much of that came from a settlement between the corporate legacy of the Anaconda Co., Atlantic Richfield Co., and the state of Montana.

“In the 1990s, they (the Clark Fork Coalition) were an important voice at the Legislature, where we were funded every two years to continue that lawsuit,” Collins said. “Especially in 1994, Arco almost knocked us out of the box. The Clark Fork Coalition was very helpful persuading the Legislature to continue the fight.”

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Left: Slickens still cover parts of the floodplain of the upper Clark Fork River. Nothing can grow in it, and flooding can release spikes of heavy metals into the river. Bottom: Floaters enjoy a cold beverage in the shadow of the Milltown Dam. RIGHT: A sign warns of hazardous mine waste along the river near the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.

Photo by TOM BAUER

Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER

Photo by TOM BAUER

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Loyal to the book Wr i t t e n b y K E I L A S Z PA L L E R Photographed by MICHAEL GALL ACHER

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flood in Florence, Italy, half a century ago may be the reason a couple of book lovers in Missoula, Montana, can preserve old cookbooks, family Bibles and a worn volume of Peanuts comic strips.

In 1966, a deluge of water, mud and oil drowned 400,000 books in Florence. Donald Etherington was one of the men called upon to help save the damaged volumes of the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze.

Etherington is the president of Etherington Conservation Services, which preserves and conserves collections for libraries, museums and archives. Internationally recognized for his work, Etherington founded the bookbinding program at Southampton College of Art and is a consultant to the National Archives for the display of the Declaration of Independence.

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Until that disaster in Italy, Etherington said, book “conservation” didn’t really exist, and conservation namely referred to work done in the fields of art and painting.

People “restored” books, mainly one at a time, until the floods gave birth to book conservation.

“So it was an exciting time, and as we joke around and make fun, we say it was the watershed of our profession,” Etherington said in a recent telephone interview from his home in North Carolina.

Restoring a book means trying to make it look pristine and untouched. Conserving one, he said, means making it look “sympathetic,” so the act acknowledges history has worn the pages some.

Nearly half a century since the field unfolded, book conservation is taking a back seat at some institutions, like universities buckling under financial strain.

The Kindle and other electronic gadgets are taking the place of some printed and bound pages.

Yet in Missoula, one bindery continues to fix textbooks and broken Harry Potter books, and another book conservation technician is turning her love of books into a cottage business.

“Unfortunately in the book trade, I feel like the publishers are forgetting how books are put together,” said Audra Loyal, the conservation technician. “So often now, if you buy a book brand new, it will self destruct so quickly.”

Loyal runs The Vespiary Book Restoration and Bindery in a garden office she opened this summer behind her Missoula home. The small space houses her tools of the trade: the small hammers, line press, nipping press, glue and small brushes she uses to breathe life into old books.

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S

Intro photo: Audra Loyal uses a surgical scalpel to trim a Bible she is restoring at The Vespiary Book Restoration and Bindery, which she owns in Missoula.

Far left: Loyal removes duct tape from the spine of a book she is in the process of renewing.

Left: Loyal uses a polyvinyl acetate glue on the spine of a book to help remove old glue. “Unfortunately in the book trade, I feel like the publishers are forgetting how books are put together,” says Loyal.

Top: The process of restoring a book can be tedious, with most of the work being done by hand. Loyal hand-sews the signatures, the individual paper bundles, together with heavy thread and linen sewing tapes.

Middle: The Vespiary makes journals with covers made from maps of Montana.

Above: Loyal compiled this book of calligraphy collected from visits to shrines while living in Japan.

he remembers the moment she was taken with the art of book binding. Loyal, then a zoology student at the University of California Davis, walked through a section of the school library. Light poured out of the windows onto beautiful work tables and old cast iron equipment, and she saw a standing press taller than she was.

“I had never even seen any of this stuff before and totally fell in love,” Loyal said.

She ended up working at the Davis library after cornering the director in an elevator. Years later, she landed in Missoula and works in the University of Montana Mansfield Library’s Preservation Department.

Many calls come in to the Mansfield for private work, and the demand prompted Loyal to set up The Vespiary.

At first, the cottage in her backyard was infested with wasps, so Loyal, also a potter, named the place after a wasp’s hive. Like them, she works in mud and paper.

Books seem alive in her studio, alert in a press, or nude of a cover and splayed open on a work table like a patient in the examining room. The books share some anatomical terms with people and animals.

There’s the spine, the tail at its bottom, the head at its top. Loyal often uses a surgical scalpel to do her cutting, and she smooths air bubbles caught in glue with tools made of bone.

When pages need to “relax,” she steams them to help them lie flat. They budge, but like people, but only so far.

“Paper has a memory, so there’s only so much you can do,” Loyal said.

When people bring her their treasures, maybe a family album, maybe the faded volume of Peanuts, she asks them about their attachment to the book. Most people don’t have financial interests in the bindings they bring her, but they have sentimental connections. missoula magazine

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“I think we lose a part of our history and world culture if the book fades off in the distance”

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or Geoff Shaffner, the books with sentimental value give him and his employees much pleasure. They return family Bibles and cookbooks to clients in tip-top shape.

“It’s enjoyable because people come in with cookbooks that have been passed down, and there’s recipes in them and stuff,” said Shaffner, of Shaffner’s Bindery. “When we rebind them, we always know that it makes the customers really happy.”

Nearly 50 years ago, Shaffner’s father bought the bindery from the University of Montana. He recently moved the shop from Lolo to a smaller and more economical space up Pattee Canyon Road.

Still, he can take on large jobs. If a big order rolls in the door, Shaffner can turn the place into a little factory of book binding.

He’s repaired series of textbooks for schools and also 200 for the Yellowstone Research Library in Gardiner.

Shaffner said he learned the craft from his father, and the business isn’t always lucrative. He tells of the encounter his son had looking for work from an older gentleman in the business in Philadelphia. The man sent his son packing.

“This is the worst business you could ever get into. Don’t even think about it. It’s dead. It’s a dying breed. Go away,” the man warned Shaffner’s son.

The poorly designed Harry Potter books – “lousy” is the term Shaffner uses – are bright spots, since they’re so often in need of repair. His timber money also has helped float the bindery, and his workers aren’t in it for the dough.

“We all have the love of the business or the love of the art,” Shaffner said.

He already sees the digital world affecting book binding. The bindery used to sew together medical journals so the slim volumes wouldn’t disappear from the shelves of medical libraries, but the need seems to be diminishing.

“Even my doctor opens his laptop and opens the American Journal of Medicine (electronically) and gets what he needs,” Shaffner said.

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therington, too, who describes himself as a traditionalist and “an old fuddy duddy,” bought his wife a Kindle. He sees the advent of digitization as possibly growing the need for book preservation, although he said he has no proof.

Here’s why he has a hunch, though. The Internet has exposed the world to many special collections, and it’s created a wider audience of potential patrons. Scholars, for instance, now know where the collections of interest to them are housed. The pages people see online may whet their appetite to view more in person.

“So because of that heavier use, I envision that there will be more books, special books, and more valuable books, that need some repair because of the heavy use,” Etherington said.

He’s seen the tide ebb and flow in book conservation, and he hopes it doesn’t disappear altogether.

“I think we lose a part of our history and world culture if the book fades off in the distance,” Etherington said.

Keila Szpaller is a reporter for the Missoulian; she can be reached at (406) 523-5262 or by e-mail at kszpaller@missoulian.com.

Michael Gallacher is a Missoulian photographer; he can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at mgallacher@missoulian.com.

Above: The wheat starch paste is applied to the spine of the book and allowed to dry. A thin membrane paper called kizuki paper, or crash, a fine Japanese tissue paper, is then glued over the spine which binds the cover to the book.

Right: Loyal found her 100-year-old nipping press on Ebay.

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REC GUY T H E O u t d oo r

Dudley Improta heads into the backcountry of the Rattlesnake Wilderness. “Doing stuff solo is key to enjoying the outdoors for me, and for a lot of people,� he says.

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Written by ROB CHANEY Photographed by LINDA THOMPSON

R

afts that bail their own water.

Skis that turn themselves.

Little boxes that point the way home.

A guy like Dudley Improta could be excused for feeling a little anachronistic. For the past 30 years, he’s been “the Outdoor Rec guy” at the University of Montana.

“It’s sort of a joke now, but it seems anybody in Missoula who does outdoors stuff knows his name,” Todd Frank said of Improta.

“He taught canoeing all the years he was there.

He taught telemark skiing I don’t know how many years up at Snowbowl, to the point that if you were around then, you either learned it from Dudley or from the people he trained.”

Frank now owns the Trail Head, and will missoula magazine

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REC GUY “Doing stuff solo is key to enjoying the outdoors for me, and for a lot of people.”

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Dudley Improta stands in the Student Rec Center, which features a 45-foot-high wall and bouldering cave. In 1990, Improta helped lead the University of Montana into the world of indoor climbing with a wall in the old basketball annex.

soon welcome Improta as an instructor and community outreach director at the adventure gear store in downtown Missoula. That’s because Improta, after three decades at Campus Rec, is retiring.

Back in 1981, Frank was a new UM student and remembers the spartan quality of the campus recreation outdoors department. People backpacked and rafted, but the program’s entire gear inventory fitted in a single closet. A $10,000 allocation covered the entire rental equipment budget.

That has changed considerably.

Students can borrow practically everything but food for outdoor adventure. Kayaking and rock climbing have grown in interest.

The rental office now has an armada of 25 $4,000 rafts (self-bailing).

“Recreation is not lucrative – you can quote me on that,” Improta said. “Maybe for fishing guides. But my father said there were two ways to get rich. Make a lot of money, or decrease what you need. You can make a lot of money and go ski in Montana, or you can just live in Montana. It’s a tradeoff.”

I

mprota started backpacking when backpacking was a weird new family sport, touted in books like Colin Fletcher’s 1968 “The Complete Walker.” Back when REI was in a Seattle warehouse with hang gliders hanging from the ceiling and cross-country skis had cable bindings that attached to hiking boots.

Self-bailing rafts were unknown, and anyone who wanted to haul a canoe on a car needed to know knots, not just how

to hook a cam-strap. Downhill skis were skinny and heavy. Backpacks had metal frames on the outside. Freeze-dried food tasted like a dried freezer.

“It’s a little more sophisticated now,” Improta allowed. “Yvonne Choinard warned that technology does create a barrier between us and the wild. It’s good to remember nature doesn’t care if you’ve got the latest $650 skis.”

He got a job with Outward Bound in 1972. When it moved its headquarters from Reston, Va., to New York City, Improta stayed behind to work with a similar program called Discovery Inc. A retired Army colonel named Ralph Puckett was his boss.

“He had a lot of influence on me,” Improta said. “He’d have us make out lesson plans in the form of Army instruction manuals. He was good. I was young. He straightened me up.”

Frank can still see some of that military polish in Improta’s style.

“He was famous for coming in and finding employees being less than productive and spending 10 minutes creating a list of projects that needed to be done before you could do your homework,” Frank said. “He even would go as far as telling staff to take all the gear out of the closet and sweep it out, even if it was pretty damn clean by a college kid’s standard.

That’s the deal of making a college kid understand that a job was really a job. I suspect there are at least a hundred former employees who figured it out after they got another job.”

continued on page 68 Dudley Improta and Steve Karkanen, from left, started the West Central Montana Avalanche Center and routinely compile field reports, personal snowfield tests and satellite data to help outdoor recreationists stay safe in the backcountry. missoula magazine

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paradise in chico ...continued from page 27 You may occasionally run into some of the Hollywood crowd that hangs out in the Paradise Valley at Chico – Dennis Quaid, Mike Meyers, Peter Fonda, Jeff Bridges – and yes, you can spend up to $355 a night (for a cabin that sleeps 13) to stay here.

But the Arts are proud that they’ve kept Chico affordable for locals as well.

Two people can still spend a night in the main lodge, using a shared bath, for under $50.

Chico’s dining room has probably turned the fortunes of the resort around more than anything.

Again, Chico offers less-expensive fare too, in Percie’s Poolside Grille as well as the saloon.

But the rack of lamb, puttanesca Paradiso, duck Grand Marnier, beef Wellington and other entrees – with much of the produce grown in Chico’s garden plot and geothermal greenhouse – have been a hit for years.

I

n the beginning, $17 got you a room for the night and three meals a day, and Mike Art did the cooking.

“But I was not a chef,” he says.

“Chicken-fried steak, Jell-O with carrot shreds, that’s the sort of thing we served.”

Against the advice of some, Art in 1976 hired a chef away from a Jackson Hole, Wyo., resort, and moved to a finer sort of dining.

“They told me nobody’s gonna drive 30 miles for an $8 steak,” says Art, whose resort is located that many miles south of Livingston. “But I said, ‘They will if it’s good.’ ” It is, and they have. The Arts have shared some of the recipes that turned

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around Chico’s fortunes in the cookbook “A Montana Table.”

Chico is running a “girls’ night out” special – a room for four and a free martini – for $75 through Nov. 18 (men can take advantage of the rate as well). After that, it will offer a winter getaway package that includes a room with a Jacuzzi, and dinner and breakfast for two – starting at $185 a night.

More information on Chico can be found at www.chicohotsprings.com. You can find information on most hot springs resorts in Montana at visitmt.com.

Vince Devlin is a reporter for the Missoulian. He can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or by e-mail at vdevlin@missoulian.com.

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missoula reads ...continued from page 31

Pure Fun “Earth (The Book),” The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The authors present a hilarious summation of humanity, in a book with color photos, graphs and charts that applies The Daily Show’s trademark wit, irreverence and intelligence to every facet of human existence.

“Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk,” by David Sedaris An original collection of humorous fables features animals with unmistakably human failings, including a cynical cat struggling to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings, and a pair of lovers separated by prejudiced family members.

“Simple Times: Crafts For Poor People,”

by Amy Sedaris Demonstrating that crafting is one of life’s more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters. You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired. A satiric guide that includes 200 photos and illustrations and takes a humorous look at crafting safety, silly project ideas and more.

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Two Anthologies of Note “The Poets Laureate Anthology,” edited by Elizabeth Hun Schmidt As a record of poetry, “The Poets Laureate Anthology” is groundbreaking, charting the course of American poetry over the last 75 years, while being, at the same time, a pleasure to read, full of some of the world’s best-known poems and many new surprises.

Elizabeth Hun Schmidt has gathered and introduced poems by each of the forty-three poets who have been named our nation’s poets laureate since the post was established in 1937.

“Moral Ground,” edited by Kathleen Dean Moore and Michael P. Nelson “Moral Ground” brings together the testimony of more than 80 visionaries – theologians and religious leaders, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, naturists, activists, and writers – to present a diverse and compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibility to our planet.

In the face of environmental degradation and global climate change, scientific knowledge alone does not tell us what we ought to do. The missing premise of the argument and much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance and principled reasons for doing the right thing for our planet, its animals, its plants, and its people.

Eye of the Beholder

Barbara Theroux is manager of Missoula’s downtown Fact & Fiction bookstore. She writes a quarterly column for Missoula magazine and a monthly column for the Missoulian.

Linda Thompson is a photographer for the Missoulian. She can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com.

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...continued from page 37

across campus, minimum,” said Koostra in an interview in her subterranean Main Hall office.

That presents challenges both visible and behind-the-scenes for the museum, which is one of three official state-owned museums in the state (the other two being the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and the Montana Historical Society Museum in Helena, both of which reside in single facilities) and the only state museum devoted to art and culture.

Whenever Reintjes sets up a new exhibit from the permanent collection, he’s reminded of the limitations and challenges he faces.

Because the collection is stored in different buildings than it is exhibited in, “if there’s even the threat of rain or inclement weather, it paralyzes us,” said Reintjes.

Then there’s the simple geometry involved in moving art into and out of buildings that weren’t made with art in mind.

“I know this sounds kind of absurd, but none of the doors in the university were created for art movement,” said Reintjes. “We’re constantly struggling with standard-sized doors. Even at the PAR/TV Building, they have oversized doors to the loading docks and stage, that’s where it ends; to get to the galleries, you have to go through standard doors. So that has a tangible effect on the types of exhibits we’re able to present.”

Ultimately, the greatest challenge lies in what remains invisible. Even though the majority of the MMAC’s exhibits are devoted to works from its permanent collection, those showings can only scrape the surface of the collection, allowing individual works to be seen publicly but rarely. That fact is evident in the upcoming exhibit of prints, which includes some works that have long been held in the collection, but never before shown.

The lack of a facility where the permanent collection can be regularly displayed and offered for study not only impacts the visibility and reputation of UM’s collection, but also has a tangible impact on the growth of the collection.

“We have several beautiful, rich collections poised and ready for us to create a space, a home,” said Koostra. “These are some very, very important collections that would do nothing but enhance our collection. But when we receive such gifts, it’s generally (the collector’s) intent to share. If they have a sense that the chances

of it being seen is once in a generation, that’s discouraging to them. Montana has lost opportunities to enhance its artistic resources due to these constraints.”

N

evertheless, the MMAC has remained a fixture of the UM campus since the permanent collection began to amass in the late 1800s. Working with a current staff of 4.5 full-time-equivalent workers, “we do an amazing job with constraints we have, and we’re able to bring really wonderful exhibitions,” said Reintjes.

“I can only imagine the kind of quality programming we could do without these difficulties in place, or the scholarship on the collection that could happen if we weren’t dealing with space issues and storage issues,” he added.

That’s the crux of a gathering effort at UM to create a permanent, all-underone-roof art museum. Ever since Koostra arrived at the MMAC six years ago, she’s been working toward that goal, putting in place some of the fundamental policies and structure – from disaster plans to docent programs – necessary to set the stage for a new facility where the publicly-owned art collection can finally be enjoyed by its owners.

“We’ve reached a point where, to serve this collection and the public that owns it, a building is of utmost importance,” said Koostra, noting that UM has been in a protracted “quiet period” of fundraising for the new facility, and is “close” to unveiling plans publicly.

In the meantime, exhibits like the one that opens on Nov. 12 will only help to showcase the artistic treasures owned by the people of the Treasure State.

“We hope that exhibitions like this will help make us more prominent in the public eye and help people understand our need for a new museum,” said Reintjes.

“This is about bringing attention to an under-resourced museum and a collection that has, relatively speaking, languished,” added Koostra. “It’s time. It’s time after nearly 117 years, to correct this and make this vast resource of the people of Montana available for them to enjoy.”

Joe Nickell covers arts and entertainment for the Missoulian; he can be reached at (406) 523-5358 or by e-mail at jnickell@missoulian.com.

Tom Bauer is a photographer for the Missoulian; he can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at tbauer@missoulian.com. missoula magazine

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clark fork coalition ...continued from page 43

O

Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER

It will take years before the upper Clark Fork is transformed into the blue-ribbon trout stream that many think it can become.

ther fights continued, too. From challenging the pollution plans of the Rock Creek Mine in the Cabinet Mountains to leading campaigns for aquifer protection in the Missoula Valley, CFC members kept water issues in the public eye.

They helped block the Yellowstone Pipeline Co.’s effort to run a troubleplagued fuel system through sensitive wetlands. They backed a three-state effort to reduce pollution dumping in the Clark Fork Basin, which included convincing SmurfitStone Container Corp. to stop using dioxinladen bleach in its paper processing. The jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. signed on to a coalition campaign opposing irresponsible mining practices.

Even as Milltown Dam headed for demolition, the coalition started planning for life after the waters ran free. In 2004, it helped underwrite Missoula’s second weekend produce market under the Higgins Avenue Bridge as a way to let local ranchers and farmers market the meats and cheeses that weren’t allowed at the Farmers Market.

The following year, it got into the cattle

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business with the purchase of a 2,300-acre ranch near Deer Lodge where it could model sustainable agriculture efforts.

“We wanted a place where they could test niche marketing,” Stone-Manning said. “I love the fact I can go to the river and buy beef from the guy who grows it.

We’re helping create a local economy that’s literally river-based.”

In 2006, a decade after that near disaster with the Blackfoot ice floe, Milltown Dam’s turbines shut down. Excavators breached the dam on March 28, 2008. The next year, Clark Fork Coalition board member Daniel Keily floated the entire 320-mile length of the free-flowing Clark Fork, including a flotilla party through the former dam site.

“We have to make sure that investment is not in vain,” Stone-Manning said. “We could get returns on that investment for decades. I think the Clark Fork Coalition always understood the political goal was X, Y or Z, but the real goal was getting it right.”

Rob Chaney covers environmental issues for the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5382 or by e-mail at rchaney@missoulian.com.

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With the Montana Snowbowl ski area A-frame as classroom, Improta instructs an avalanche safety class.

the ourdoor rec guy

H

...continued from page 53

e has also built a recreation program that attracts, and keeps, students on the University of Montana campus.

Improta credited Campus Recreation director Keith Glaes with the inspiration to link the university’s fitness programs

with its outdoor recreation offerings. Many campuses, including Bozeman’s Montana State University, harbor their outdoor office in the student center with other clubs and entertainments.

In 1990, Improta helped lead UM into the world of indoor climbing by covering a wall of a basketball annex with pre-cast handholds. The current Student Rec Center now features 45-foot-high top-rope and lead climbing routes and a bouldering cave.

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“There’s a lot more certification now – everybody’s looking for the badge,” he said. Avalanche search and rescue, leaveno-trace instructing, backcountry first aid: Outings that involve learning skills or qualifications hold special attraction for students.

One certification that’s kept Improta increasingly busy is avalanche analysis. With Steve Karkanen, he helped start the West Central Montana Avalanche Center. The two men connect a network of satellite data, field reports, personal snowfield tests and outdoor recreationists in an effort to keep everyone safe on the mountainsides.

There’s also a personal benefit to that work – Improta still likes to go solo into the hills for backcountry telemark runs.

Knowing the risks is crucial to coming back every time.

“Doing stuff solo is key to enjoying the outdoors for me, and for a lot of people,” Improta said. “It doesn’t make you a better person, or a self-absorbed or narcissistic one. But it gives people a better environmental awareness.”

This summer, Improta made time in his schedule to do some river guiding on the Clark Fork River’s Alberton Gorge.

“I remembered I really enjoyed introducing people to the Gorge,” he

said. “Everyone has a great time laughing.

There’s no alcohol involved, but there’s all this social component. That hasn’t changed, although the equipment has gotten better.”

His daughter Anna became the outdoor enthusiast in her father’s footsteps, and now works as a river guide. Son Clayton loves to ski, but focused his energy on an acting career.

Improta’s wife, Jane McAllister, teaches at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. She gets up at 4:30 a.m. to work out – a regime Improta finds a peak too far. His day starts at 6:30 a.m. and includes teaching a Pilates class to stay active.

“We’ve got a good office culture,” he said. “A lot of us work out together. We like to get out when everybody else is using the facilities. You do get jaded when you’re moving paper around and dealing with bureaucracy.”

Rob Chaney covers outdoors and the environment for the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5382 or by e-mail at rchaney@missoulian.com.

Linda Thompson is a Missoulian photographer. She can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by e-mail at lthompson@missoulian.com.

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parting shot

p.s. photo by michael gallacher

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An early fall cold snap in 2009 persisted into the winter, compelling these skaters to test the ice on Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula with a one-on-one hockey game.

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