The West Old & New

THE

V o l u m e I I I s s u e V M a y 2 0 1 3

In this Issue: Yellowstone Park - The Unabomber - Two Old Time Montana Towns

Hemp for Economic Development- Forgage for Spring Fare - Summer Theater

The West Old & New

http://thewestoldandnew.wordpress.com

V o l u m e I I I s s u e V

The West Old & New

Published by Susan Faye Roberts

P.O. Box 10

Hot Springs, Montana 59845

(406) 741-5210

[email protected]

Online Blog:

http://

thewestoldandnew.wordpress.com

To the right a brochure by the Union Pacific

Railroad on Yellowstone Park from 1921.

Yellowstone was the first national park

created by the U.S. Congress and has become

known as the largest Caldera on the North

American Continent. Known in its early

history as a place of “fire and brimstone it is

visited by tourists from around the world .

8

The

Unabomber

To the left is the FBI sketch of the

man who became known as the

Unabomber.

Theodore Kaczynski, a child genius, proved to be one of

the most costly FBI cases.

He was arrested on April 3, 1996, at his remote cabin in

Lincoln, Montana, where he was found in an unkempt

state. Combing his cabin, the investigators found a

wealth of bomb components, 40,000 handwritten journal

pages that included bomb-making experiments and de-

scriptions of the Unabomber crimes; and one live bomb,

ready for mailing.

10

On the cover Bannack Montana

Photograph by

Tonna Russell

The West Old & New Page 3

Bannack, Montana is a ghost town, located in

southwestern area of the state near Dillon. It was

one of the first gold rush towns in Montana and

retains the flavor of the people who put down

stakes in the hopes of striking it rich.

5

Montana Fare - The Humble Dandelion

Foraging for Your Health 19

On the trail with my

Father

The true story of a young man who watches his father’s dream unravel in the Bob Marshall

Wilderness Area

By Rick Sherman 20

Hemp is not Marijuana.

At one time it was used to

create paper for Bibles.

Ford created a car out of

it, and it can be made into

plastic, used in building

materials and is a source

of food protein. Why is it

still illegal?

22

Virginia City

Montana will be

celebrating its 150th

Birthday all summer

long beginning the

end of May .Theater, parades, reenactments,

Brothel Days, and Grand Victorian Balls. 6

SHOP

MONTANA

12 - 13

FOR - SALE

BY - OWNER

Turnkey 896 sq. ft.

20 x 24 Shop

50 Amp RV Service

Covered Parking

Fenced

Guest Room

Asking $86K

(406) 741-5222

Zoned

Commercial

Low

Maintenance

Energy

Efficient

Located

In

Montana

Bannack Montana Walk an original ghost town from the 1860s.

Bannack, Montana is a ghost town which was founded in 1862. The small mining town was named after the local Bannock

Indians. It was the site of a major gold discovery in 1862, and served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly in 1864, until the

capital was moved to Virginia City. The last resident to live in Bannack left in the 1970s.

At its peak, Bannack had a population of about ten thousand. Extremely remote, it was connected to the rest of the world only

by the Montana Trail. There were three hotels, three bakeries, three blacksmith shops, two stables, two meat markets, a grocery

store, a restaurant, a brewery, a billiard hall, and four saloons. Though all of the businesses were built of logs, some had decorative

false fronts.

Bannack's sheriff, Henry Plummer, was accused by some of secretly leading a ruthless band of road agents, with early ac-

counts claiming that this gang was responsible for over a hundred murders in the Virginia City and Bannack gold fields and trails

to Salt Lake City. Only eight deaths are historically documented, leaving some modern historians to call into question the exact

nature of Plummer's gang, while others deny the existence of the gang altogether. In any case, Plummer and two compatriots were

hanged, without trial, at Bannack on January 10, 1863. A number of Plummer's associates were lynched and others banished on

pain of death if they ever returned. Twenty-two individuals were accused, informally tried, and hanged by the Vigilance Commit-

tees of Bannack and Virginia City. On the scaffold, Plummer offered his weight in gold if he was allowed two hours to retrieve his

treasure, but apparently, no one trusted him and they kicked the scaffold out from under him. Since then, rumors of his treasure in

the hills of Bannack have been floating around the area with treasure seekers and fortune hunters searching the hills. Around the

turn of the century, two men found part of it and stored it in the bank before vanishing the next morning with it. William Jappe is

one of two men who have been looking for it.

Sixty historic log and frame structures remain standing in Bannack, many quite well preserved; most can be explored. The site,

now the Bannack Historic District, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The town is presently the site of Bannack

State Park. Photograph by Tonna Russell The West Old & New Page 5

Virginia City

One of

Montana’s

First Gold Rush Towns

Celebrates

150 Years!

Virginia City has been designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District. The population

was 190 at the 2010 census.

In 1863, the area was part of the Dakota Territory until March, when it became part of the newly formed Idaho Territory. On

May 26, 1864, the Territory of Montana was formed, with Bannack briefly becoming the territorial capital; Virginia City quickly

took that title from Bannack.

In May 1863, a group of prospectors were headed towards the Yellowstone River and instead came upon a party of the Crow

tribe and were forced to return to Bannack. Gold was discovered on the retreat trip when Bill Fairweather stuck a pick near Alder

Creek joking he might find something to fund some tobacco.

The prospectors could not keep the site a secret. They were followed on their return to the gold bearing site and set up the

town in order to formulate rules about individual gold claims. On June 16, 1863 under the name of "Verina" the township was

formed a mile south of the gold fields. The name was meant to honor Varina Howell Davis, first and only First Lady of the Con-

federate States of America during the American Civil War. Verina, although in Union territory, was founded by men whose loyal-

ties were thoroughly Confederate. Upon registration of the name, a Connecticut judge, G. G. Bissell, objected to their choice and

recorded it as Virginia City.

Virginia City was a boomtown of thousands mass in and around the then camp. The gold rush was wild and there was no law

enforcement. Out of it came the famous Vigilance committee, the infamous Montana Vigilantes, which operated on both sides of

the law. Their secret motto, 3-7-77 is still on the badges, patches, and car door insignia of the Montana Highway Patrol.

In 1864, the Montana Territory was carved out of Idaho Territory. Virginia City, claiming 10,000 citizens, was made the capi-

tal of the new territory in 1865. The first public school was built in 1866, but already the most easily accessible gold from placer

mining had been exploited and development and population in the territory was moved on.

In the 1940s, Charles and Sue Bovey began buying the town, putting much needed maintenance into failing structures. A ghost

town of Virginia City began to be restored for tourism in the 1950s. Most of the city is now owned by the state government and is

a National Historic Landmark operated as an open air museum. Of the nearly three hundred structures in town, almost half were

built prior to 1900. Buildings in their original condition with Old West period displays and information plaques stand next to thor-

oughly modern diners and other amenities.

Notable residents of this town were Calamity Jane,

Helen M. Duncan, geologist and paleontologist, Joseph

Millard, later a United States Senator from Nebraska,

Wilbur F. Sanders, United States Senator from Montana,

Hezekiah L. Hosmer, first Chief Justice of the Montana Ter-

ritory Supreme Court.

For information on the summer

celebration visit the Virginia City

Chamber of Commerce’s website at: virginiacity.com


Southeastern Section of Map for Montana

The red circle to the left shows the location of Bannack.

The red circle to the middle shows the location of Virginia City.

The red circle to the right shows the North Entrance to Yellowstone National

Park near Gardiner.

For road conditions in Montana dial 511 or go to: WWW.MDT511.COM

Yellowstone National Park is open year round.

For road conditions in the park call (307) 344-7381.

The Yellowstone Caldera, is the largest super volcano on the continent. The cal-

dera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force sev-

eral times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features

are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of

Yellowstone. This national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho.

It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone, widely

held to be the first national park in the world.

Native Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years. Aside from visits by mountain men during

the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to over-

see the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had

been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical sig-

nificance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yel-

lowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America. The park is located at the headwaters of the Yellowstone

River, from which it takes its historical name. Near the end of the 18th century, French trappers named the river "Roche Jaune,"

which is probably a translation of the Minnetaree name "Mi tsi a-da-zi" (Rock Yellow River). Later, American trappers rendered

the French name in English as "Yellow Stone." Although it is commonly believed that the river was named for the yellow rocks

seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The human history of the park began with the aboriginal Americans who

first began to hunt and fish in the region. During the construction of the post of-

fice in Gardiner, Montana, in the 1950s, an obsidian projectile point of Clovis

origin was found that dated from approximately 11,000 years ago. These Paleo-

Indians, of the Clovis culture, used the significant amounts of obsidian found in

the park to make cutting tools and weapons. Arrowheads made of Yellowstone

obsidian have been found as far away as the Mississippi Valley, indicating that a

regular obsidian trade existed between local tribes and tribes farther east. By the

time white explorers first entered the region in 1805, they encountered the Nez

Perce, Crow and Shoshone tribes.

In 1806, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, left to

join a group of fur trappers. After splitting up with the other trappers in 1807,

Colter passed through a portion of what later became the park, during the winter

of 1807–1808. He observed at least one geothermal area in the northeastern sec-

tion of the park, near Tower Fall. Surviving wounds he suffered in a battle with

members of the Crow and Blackfoot tribes in 1809, he gave a description of a place of "fire and brimstone" that was dismissed by

most people as delirium. The supposedly imaginary place was nicknamed "Colter's Hell". Over the next forty years, numerous re-

ports from mountain men and trappers told of boiling mud, steaming rivers and petrified trees, yet most of these reports were be-

lieved at the time to be myth. After an 1856 exploration, mountain man Jim Bridger reported observing boiling springs, spouting

water, and a mountain of glass and yellow rock. These reports were largely ignored because Bridger was known for being a

"spinner of yarns".

Yellowstone Park is the largest and most famous mega fauna location in the Continental United States. Grizzly bears, wolves,

and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. The Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison

herd in the United States. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park was

burnt. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved

roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls.

Ferdinand V. Hayden an American geologist is believed to be the one who convinced Congress to make Yellowstone a Na-

tional Park. The first detailed expedition to the Yellowstone area was the Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition of 1869, which con-

sisted of three privately funded explorers. There was considerable local opposition to the Yellowstone National Park during its

early years: some locals feared that the regional economy would be unable to thrive if there remained strict federal prohibitions

Old Faithful Geyser

Yellowstone

National Park


against resource development or settlement within park boundaries; local entre-

preneurs advocated reducing the size of the park so that mining, hunting, and

logging activities could be developed and numerous bills were introduced into

Congress by Montana representatives who sought to remove the federal land-use

restrictions.

The Northern Pacific Railroad built a train station in Livingston, Montana,

connecting to the northern entrance in the early 1880s, which helped to increase

visitation from 300 in 1872 to 5,000 in 1883. Visitors in these early years were

faced with poor roads and limited services, and most access into the park was on

horse or via stagecoach. By 1908 visitation increased enough to also attract a

Union Pacific Railroad connection to West Yellowstone, though rail visitation

fell off considerably by World

War II and ceased around the

1960s. Much of the railroad line was converted to nature trails, among them the

Yellowstone Branch Line Trail.

During the 1870s and 1880s Native American tribes were effectively excluded

from the national park. A number of tribes had made seasonal use of the Yellow-

stone area, but the only year-round residents were small bands of Western Sho-

shone known as "Sheepeaters". They left the area under the assurances of a

treaty negotiated in 1868, under which the Sheepeaters ceded their lands but re-

tained the right to hunt in Yellowstone. The United States never ratified the

treaty and refused to recognize the claims of the Sheepeaters or any other tribe

that had made use of Yellowstone. The Nez Perce band associated with Chief

Joseph, numbering about 750 people, passed through Yellowstone National Park

in thirteen days during late August 1877. They were being pursued by the U.S.

Army and entered the national park about two weeks after the Battle of the Big

Hole. Some of the Nez Perce were friendly to the tourists and other people they

encountered in the park, some were not. Nine park visitors were briefly taken captive. Despite Joseph and other chiefs ordering

that no one should be harmed, at least two people were killed and several wounded. One of the areas where encounters occurred

was in Lower Geyser Basin and east along a branch of the Firehole River to Mary Mountain and beyond. That stream is still

known as Nez Perce Creek. A group of Bannocks entered the park in 1878, alarming park Superintendent Philetus Norris. In the

aftermath of the Sheepeater Indian War of 1879, Norris built a fort for the purpose of preventing Native Americans from entering

the national park.

By 1915, 1,000 automobiles per year were entering the park, resulting in conflicts with horses and horse driven transportation.

In subsequent years horse travel on roads was eventually prohibited. .

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), played a major role between 1933 and 1942 in developing Yellowstone facilities.

CCC projects included reforestation, campground development of many of the park's trails and campgrounds, trail construction,

fire hazard reduction, and fire-fighting work. The CCC built the majority of the early visitor centers, campgrounds and the current

system of park roads.

The 1959 Yellowstone earthquake just west of Yellowstone at Hebgen Lake damaged roads and some structures in the park. In

the northwest section of the park, new geysers were found, and many existing hot springs became turbid. The wildfires in the sum-

mer of 1988 were the largest in the history of the park destroying approximately 793,880 acres impacting 36% of the parkland.

The fire season of 1988 was considered normal until a combination of drought and heat by mid-July contributed to an extreme fire

danger. On "Black Saturday", August 20, 1988, strong winds expanded the fires rapidly burning more than 150,000 acres.

The cultural history of the park has been documented by the 1,000 archeological sites that have been discovered. The park has

1,106 historic structures and features, and of these Obsidian Cliff and five buildings have been designated National Historic Land-

marks. The park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October 26, 1976, and a UN World Heritage Site on Sep-

tember 8, 1978. The park was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1995 to 2003 due to the effects of tourism, in-

fection of wildlife, and issues with invasive species. In 2010, Yellowstone National Park was honored with its own quarter under

the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

Recently it was reported in the news that seismic sensors detected wave action on Yellowstone Lake. The lake is monitored

because the bottom of the lake is part of the caldera. It has steam vents, craters and evidence of lava flow. Seiche waves are a well

known phenomenon which can be caused by air pressure changes, strong downbursts of wind, and seismic events. Yellowstone

Lake was frozen over at the time, and the seiches were minor.

If you are interested in the activities of the caldera go to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory on

line at: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/index.html

Yellowstone Park is home to the reintroduced wolf.

The Roosevelt Arch located at the North Entrance to

the park just outside Gardiner, Montana.


Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski was born May 22, 1942 and raised in Chicago. A child prodigy, he excelled academically

from an early age. As a result of testing conducted in the fifth grade, which determined he had an IQ of 167, he was allowed to

skip the sixth grade and enroll in the seventh grade. Kaczynski described this as a pivotal event in his life. He recalled not fitting in

with the older children and being subjected to their bullying. As a child, Kaczynski had a fear of people and buildings, and played

beside other children rather than interacting with them. His mother was so worried by his poor social development that she consid-

ered entering him in a study for autistic children led by Bruno Bettelheim. Kaczynski was accepted into Harvard University at the

age of 16, where he earned an undergraduate degree, and later earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He

became an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley at age 25, but resigned two years later.

While at Harvard, Kaczynski was taught by famed logician Willard Van Orman Quine, scoring at the top of Quine's class with

a 98.9% final grade. He also participated in a multiple-year personality study, known as MKUltra, conducted by Dr. Henry

Murray, an expert on stress interviews. Students in Murray's study were told they would be debating personal philosophy with a

fellow student. Instead, they were subjected to a "purposely brutalizing psychological experiment" stress test, which was an ex-

tremely stressful, personal, and prolonged psychological attack. During the test, students were taken into a room and connected to

electrodes that monitored their physiological reactions, while facing bright lights and a two-way mirror. Each student had previ-

ously written an essay detailing their personal beliefs and aspirations: the essays were turned over to an anonymous attorney, who

would enter the room and individually belittle each student based in part on the disclosures they had made. This was filmed, and

The woods around Kaczynski’s cabin in Lincoln, Montana.

The Unabomber in Montana

Kaczynski moved to a remote area of western Montana and began a campaign to create havoc with bombs. What caused this highly intellectual man to

crack, was it the invasion by urban society to his hide-way in the woods?


students' expressions of impotent rage were played back to them several

times later in the study. According to author Alston Chase, Kaczynski's

records from that period suggest he was emotionally stable when the study

began. Kaczynski's lawyers attributed some of his emotional instability

and dislike of mind control to his participation in this study. Indeed, some

have suggested that this experience may have been instrumental in Kac-

zynski's future actions.

In 1971, he moved to a remote cabin without electricity or running

water, in Lincoln, Montana. Kaczynski worked odd jobs and received fi-

nancial support from his family, which he used to purchase his land and,

without their knowledge, would later use to fund his bombing campaign.

He lived as a recluse while learning survival skills in an attempt to become

self-sufficient. He decided to start a bombing campaign after watching the

wilderness around his home being destroyed by development, He began

performing isolated acts of sabotage and initially targeted the develop-

ments near his cabin. The ultimate catalyst for beginning his bombing

campaign was when he went out for a walk to one of his favorite wild

spots, only to find that it had been destroyed and replaced with a road. About this, he said:

"The best place, to me, was the largest remnant of this plateau that dates from the tertiary age. It's kind of rolling country, not

flat, and when you get to the edge of it you find these ravines that cut very steeply in to cliff-like drop-offs and there was even a

waterfall there. It was about a two days hike from my cabin. That was the best spot until the summer of 1983. That summer there

were too many people around my cabin so I decided I needed some peace. I went back to the plateau and when I got there I found

they had put a road right through the middle of it... You just can't imagine how upset I was. It was from that point on I decided

that, rather than trying to acquire further wilderness skills, I would work on getting back at the system. Revenge."

The first mail bomb was sent in late May 1978 to materials engineering professor Buckley Crist at Northwestern University.

The package was found in a parking lot at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with Crist's return address. The package was

"returned" to Crist, but when Crist received the package, he noticed that it was not addressed in his own handwriting. Suspicious

of a package he had not sent, he contacted campus policeman Terry Marker, who opened the package, which exploded immedi-

ately. Marker required medical assistance at Evanston Hospital for his left hand.

The initial 1978 bombing was followed by bombs sent to airline officials, and in 1979 a bomb was placed in the cargo hold of

American Airlines Flight 444, a Boeing 727 flying from Chicago to Washington, D.C. The bomb began smoking, forcing the pilot

to make an emergency landing. Some passengers were treated for smoke inhalation. Only a faulty timing mechanism prevented the

bomb from exploding. Authorities said it had enough power to "obliterate the plane." This bomb incident got the attention of the

FBI.

From 1978 to 1995, Kaczynski sent 16 bombs to targets including universities and airlines, killing three people and injuring

23. Kaczynski sent a letter to The New York Times on April 24, 1995 and promised "to desist from terrorism" if the Times or the

Washington Post published his manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future (also called the "Unabomber Manifesto"). Kaczynski

argued that his bombings were extreme but necessary to attract attention to the erosion of human freedom necessitated by modern

technologies requiring large-scale organization.

The Unabomber was the target of one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's costliest investigations. Before Kaczynski's

identity was known, the FBI used the title "UNABOM" (UNiversity & Airline BOMber) to refer to his case, which resulted in the

media calling him the Unabomber. The FBI theorized that Kaczynski had a theme of nature, trees and wood in his crimes. He of-

ten included bits of tree branch and bark in his bombs. Targets selected included Percy Wood, Professor Leroy Wood Bearson and

Thomas Mosser. Crime writer Robert Graysmith noted "In the Unabomber's case a large factor was his obsession with wood."The

FBI arrested Theodore Kaczynski on April 3, 1996, at his remote cabin, where he was found in an unkempt state. Combing his

cabin, the investigators found a wealth of bomb components, 40,000 handwritten journal pages that included bomb-making experi-

ments and descriptions of the Unabomber crimes; and one live bomb, ready for mailing. They also found what appeared to be the

original typed manuscript of the manifesto. The FBI pushed for the publication of Kaczynski's "Manifesto," which led to his

brother and his wife recognizing Kaczynski's style of writing and beliefs from the manifesto, and tipping off the FBI.

During his trial Kaczynski tried unsuccessfully to dismiss his court appointed lawyers because they wanted to plead insanity in

order to avoid the death penalty, as Kaczynski did not believe he was insane. When it became clear that his pending trial would

entail national television exposure for Kaczynski, the court entered a plea agreement, under which he pleaded guilty and was sen-

tenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. He has been designated a "domestic terrorist" by the FBI. Some anarcho-

primitivist authors, such as John Zerzan and John Moore, have come to his defense, while holding some reservations about his ac-

tions and ideas.

To watch a video of the FBI's capture of the Unabomber go to:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/april/unabomber_042408

Kaczynski at the time of his arrest.


SHOP

Montana is legendary for its natural beauty; spectacular landscapes, and expansive, open skies. The

splendor of the state is reflected in the products made and grown here from fine arts, crafts, foods, ag-

ricultural and wood products to tools, machinery, software, and high-tech materials.

The Made in Montana Program is part of the International Trade & Relations Bureau in the Business Re-

sources Division of the Montana Department of Commerce.

The program, which also includes Grown in Montana and Native American Made in Montana compo-

nents, helps build recognition for products that are "authentically" Montana. That means they are

grown, created, made, and/or enhanced in the state resulting in 50% or more added-value. The pro-

gram requires that individuals and businesses meet the program's value-added definition to utilize the

trademarked image on their qualifying products.

There are over 1500 program participants producing Montana products today. Included are everyone

from food and beverage producers to vehicle and machinery parts fabricators; software and online

management companies to log home builders; fine artists to homey crafts makers; canvas tent makers

to emergency rescue blanket manufacturers; and many more.

It is important to note that the Made in Montana program is not a certification program for companies

but rather for their products. To be eligible, the person or company producing or growing the product

must sign a "self-attest" form that states the product meets the Made in Montana product criteria.

The program provides a wide variety of full color logo products at low cost or no cost including stickers,

hang-tags, posers, and window clings.

Billboards, targeted magazine and newspaper ads, and building murals are all placed in-state and out-

of-state to encourage buyers to choose Made in Montana products by looking for products with the la-

bel and searching the website.

The website directory provides members the opportunity to market their products close to home and

worldwide. Listings include product descriptions, photos, contact information, and even a hyperlink to

their own on-line store or website.

The Made-in-Montana Marketplace is a wholesale trade show produced by the City of Great Falls and is

a premier marketplace for Montana buyers and sellers to meet. The Made in Montana program provides

sponsorship in terms of consultation on financing. The show is normally held in the early spring. For

more information go to Made in Montana Marketplace.

The program also provides matching funds up to $2,000 to qualified companies to allow them to attend

wholesale trade shows outside of Montana, including international shows.

Use the comprehensive Products Directory to find authentic Montana goods.

Made - in - Montana

A program for artisans and crafters in the State of Montana

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The Brewery in Virginia City was established in 1863 by H.S. Gilbert, a German born brew meister. Today it is the

home of the Brewery Follies. The building has been restructured to make room for a small stage, piano and a bar. The

building is one hundred and fifty years old and still rocks the rafters every summer with laughter. The Brewery Follies were created in 1984, first managed by Bovey Restorations after being founded by Charlie

Bovey in 1946. Bovey Restorations was sold to the State of Montana and with it the operation of the Brewery Follies was awarded

to Verdon Ventures under the control of Mike and Jill Verdon.

According to the Brewery Follies website the ensemble provides twisted musical revue filled with biting political and social satire, comedy sketches and demented song parodies.

Their 2013 opens Friday May 24th and runs through September. Shows begin at 8 p.m. and there are matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. Visit their website at: http://www.breweryfollies.net/

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The Boiling River, a well known soaking spot just inside the northern Montana border of Yellowstone Park. Photo-

graph by S.F. Roberts

Montana Fare

This humble yellow flower, one of the

first in the spring, is both loved and hated.

Many a lawn owner is out attempting to kill

this plant that is also touted as a food and medicine.

In medical applications both the leaves and roots are used. Dandelion is an effective natural laxative that increases the bile

flow into your large intestine.

The Commission E, a German government agency that evaluates the safety and efficacy of medicinal herbs cites dandelion as

a carminative for flatulence. Dandelion tea made from the roasted root can be used to prevent gallbladder attacks.

Several naturopaths and herbalists have suggested that a large volume of dandelion leaves can be used for kidney stones.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses dandelion leaves and roots to treat pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections.

Dandelion Green Salad Ingredients: 1 pound dandelion greens

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 whole small dried hot chile pepper, seeds removed, crushed

1/4 cup cooking oil

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Preparation: Discard dandelion green roots; wash greens well in salted water. Cut leaves into 2-inch pieces. Cook greens uncovered in

small amount of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Sauté onion, garlic, and chile pepper in oil. Drain greens; add to onion

garlic mixture. Taste dandelion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve dandelion greens with grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe for dandelion greens serves 4.

For more dandelion recipes visit:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/collardgreens/r/bl30319f.htm

If you are interested in the dandelion as a food and medicine visit:

http://www.rebeccawood.com/food-as-medicine/dandelion-greens/

Photograph by S.F. Roberts

The

Humble

Dandelion


A True Story told by Rick Sherman

On the trail with my FatherOn the trail with my FatherOn the trail with my FatherOn the trail with my Father

I didn’t grow up on a ranch and my father wasn’t always

an outfitter, but the time I spent on the trail with my father was

something that no other member of my family had the oppor-

tunity to experience. During most of my early growing up

years, he was fighter pilot and the commander of the Montana

Air National Guard Base in Great Falls. My memories of him

from that time were somewhat remote. When he was at home

he was either asleep, passed out drunk on the couch, or out in

his shop building something. Muffled profanity turned the air

blue as he berated himself for his mistakes or miscalculations.

The rest of the time he was flying or hunting. We had a

cabin near the Seven-Up Ranch east of Lincoln. We spent

most of our free time there during weekends and summers. I

remember my mother herding us kids out front when my fa-

ther buzzed the cabin in his F-89 fighter jet. We would stand

out front and wait for him to circle back. He would bring his

airplane low and slow just above the trees. He was low enough

that we could see him through the bubble canopy waving to

us. He would then hit the after burners with a ground-shaking

roar, pull the plane up into a steep climb and rock the wings

back and forth in a parting wave as he disappeared into the

sky.

He retired after twenty-four years of military flying and

partnered up with his best hunting buddy, Gilbert, to buy the

Diamond R. It was a huge financial mistake for my parents,

but one of the most important experiences of my life.

It was a long four-hour drive from Great Falls to Hungry

Horse. We drove northwest through the endless, flat wheat

fields with ocean view horizons until we got into the rolling

cattle country around Choteau. The

Rocky Mountain front was a ragged blue

wall on our left until Chief Mountain and

the eastern front of Glacier Park loomed

up in front of us as we approached

Browning. From there we would dive

deep into mountain canyons with cold

rivers and thick, heady conifer fra-

granced air. The closer we got to the

mountains, the more I felt like a dog

when he realizes that he is being taken to

where he knows he can run free. At Hun-

gry Horse we would turn up the South

Fork road. It took another two to three

hours to cover the fifty-six miles of bad

road to get to Spotted Bear. The road was

a continuous, winding axle-buster. It al-

ways made me carsick, so I would sit in

the back of the truck breathing deep that

cool damp air and staring up at the pa-

rade of huge old trees rolling by.

I remember the farmers, cowboys, and packers I met as we

stopped at roadhouse waterholes along the way. I would belly up

to the bar with my dad and drink my 7-Up as the men drank

their 7-Up and whiskey. I would listen to tales of horse wrecks,

wild cows and open country. I developed a sense of what it was

to work hard and play hard, often in the same event. These men

weren’t sophisticated and articulate storytellers, some were

downright crude, but the stories were as genuine as the men tell-

ing them. Listening to their stories, I started to develop a sense

of honesty and self-reliance, born of hard work and big country.

The Diamond R was heaven for a young boy. The lodge sat

atop a cliff over- looking the Spotted Bear River. A mile down-

stream the Spotted Bear poured into the mighty South Fork of

the Flathead. The mouth flowed out at the base of a vertical cliff

that forced the South Fork into a bend and big eddy that formed

a sandy beach on the other side of the river. This geology cre-

ated the coolest swimming hole imaginable. We would go up-

stream from the beach, jump in the big river and float down to

the mouth of the Spotted Bear. The water was so deep it was

almost black. Submerged cliffs would loom up under us, glow-

ing green below our white legs and feet as we floated over them.

The force of the current from the smaller river would push us

back across the current of the big river and right up onto the

beach.

The fishing was beyond great. We practiced catch and re-

lease before it was fashionable. The cutthroat populations were

so healthy that we could keep enough to eat and then fish for the

fun of it. In our backcountry camp I, as a kid, could get up early

and catch enough good-sized cutthroats to feed the crew for


breakfast. Sometimes on long trips it would become a necessity

when we started to run out of packed-in food.

I was pulling a pack string by the time I was twelve. My

involvement with horses started long before we bought the

ranch, but this was my first experience with horses as a central

part of a working operation. It was my job to take care of the

stock when we got to camp. Once unsaddled, I brushed, fed,

belled and released the horses to graze for the night. In the

morning, my father would shake me out of my bunk at first light

to wrangle them in after a night on open mountain pastures.

When I was younger I would go out with someone else, but

eventually I would be the one to saddle up in the dark and go

chase the ghost bells on the benches above camp.

I learned to love the country and the landmark names I

heard in the saloons became familiar places. Names became

stories. Black Bear Crossing was where Karl raced at a gallop

through the river shallows, swinging his lariat to rescue my dog

as she was swept away by the strong current of the river. Big

Prairie was the place where the old Ford Tri-motor crashed in

the thirties. The planes carcass still lies in the brush and trees.

Kelly Bend is where our camp was and the place where our

business came to an end, a story in and of itself. The Danaher,

the Confluence, the Wall, White River Pass, all became names,

places and stories that define who I am and who I still wish to

be.

The land itself, in all its manifestations of nature, became a

focus for me. I developed a spiritual awareness that defined my

sense of place in nature and the world. When you are immersed

in wilderness, you get a sense of what is real. When you are

three days ride from the nearest road, phone, or person you be-

come much more aware of what you are doing and the potential

consequences of your actions. You come to realize that you are

experiencing the real world and what goes on beyond the last

ridge of wilderness is temporary and somehow less important

than that culture would care to admit. What you are doing now,

requires you to be fully present in the moment and the moment

is all there is.

My sisters never knew the man I did. They knew the hero in

the sky, but when he was home; his alcoholism was the most

noticeable feature. He was the controlling commander who ex-

pected his word to carry weight. He was an insecure man of

small stature trying desperately to prove his worth to himself.

His addiction never would let him see that he already was that

which he sought to be.

When I rode with him, he was living his dream and I was

fortunate to share that dream with him. I spent four years with

him on the trail in the Bob. It was the best four years of my life.

I learned who my father was and learned to see past his flaws to

the good man beneath. In the process, I learned about myself. I

learned what I could do and that life is much more than the

status of material accumulation. Life became an accumulation

of experiences.

The photograph is of Carmine Peak in the Swan Range on the

western border of the Bob Marshall Wilderness taken by John

David Stutts the summer of 2000.

Writer and graphics artist Rick Sherman lives in Potomac,

Montana. rickshermandesigns.com


MASSAGE

THERAPY

By Kathy Kendall, L.M.T.

SWEDISH

LA STONE

BODY WRAPS

WATER THERAPY

COUPLE MASSAGE

Alameda’s

Hot Springs Retreat

308 N. Spring Street

Hot Springs, MT.

(406) 741-2283

[email protected]

By S.F. Roberts

As a society we have become monster consumers, as evi-

denced by the amount of garbage mounting in land fills. We al-

low big money to continue the rape and pillage of the earth for

oil, gas, and coal to keep the lamps burning, the television sets

on, the computers on line, and supply plastics for our every

need. We also have allowed a travesty by our government con-

cerning one of the most valuable sustainable crops available to

mankind, hemp.

As far back as the 1600s hemp farming was popular and

actually mandatory in the colonies. The first American Hemp

Law was passed in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia making it

mandatory for all farmers to grow hemp seed. At the time if you

didn’t grow hemp during times of shortage you could be hauled

off to jail between the years of 1763-1767. Hemp was even used

as a currency.

The word hemp comes from Old English (hoenep) and is

defined as a soft, durable fibre that is cultivated from plants in

the Cannabis genus. Unfortunately it also has been lumped to-

gether with its kissing cousin, also a cannabis genus, marijuana

from the Spanish word marihuana. The industrial variety grown

for its fibre is cannabis sativa L. subsp. sativa va. Sativa, while

the one primarily used for recreational and medicinal purposes is

a Cannabis C. sativa subsp. indica. The primary difference be-

tween the plants is the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol or (THC)

secreted in the epidermal hairs of the plant. Hemp only has min-

ute amounts of this psychoactive drug, not enough for any

physical or psychological effect. Hemp contains below .3%

THC while marijuana can contain anywhere from 6 to 20%.

The illegality of this highly sustainable crop began August

2, 1937 when the Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn introduced

a bill called The Marijuana Tax Act. The bill ordered American

farmers to obtain a license from the Treasury Department to

grow industrial hemp and made it a Federal crime for Americans

to possess, give away or sell it without paying a 1% tax. What

began as a tax ended up becoming an issue over marihuana (not

a typo) when Drug Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger, head of

the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which later became the DEA,

introduced the bill into committee hearings for review and made

it analogous with the genus used as a drug. The bill was not de-

bated and took only 92 seconds before it became Federal Law.

In 1972 Richard Nixon dismissed a panel of experts, the

Shafer Commission which recommended immediate decrimi-

nalization of marijuana and declared war on cannabis. Today

hemp remains at the top of the DEA’s list of dangerous drugs,

next to heroin.

Hemp is one of the fastest grown biomasses known. As a

crop it is environmentally friendly and requires few if any pesti-

cides or herbicides. It is one of the earliest known domesticated

plants in the world.

Our country still does not distinguish between marijuana

and the cannabis used for commercial and industrial purposes.

The world leader in producing hemp is China with smaller

production in Europe, Chile, and the Democratic People’s Re-

public of Korea. Over 30 countries produce industrial hemp

including Australia, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, France,

Russia and Spain. Uruguay approved a hemp production pro-

ject for the second half of 2010.

Hemp can be used to make an estimated 50,000 products

including cordage, everlasting clothing, and numerous food

products for humans and animals, wood products such as ply-

wood and building materials, car bodies, biofuels for vehicles,

and the list goes on and on. It can be used to make plastic like

materials, and makes a sturdy paper. (The bible was printed on

hemp paper at one time and the original U.S. flag is made

from hemp material) A renewable house was built in the UK

from hemp-based materials in 2009, and a US made hemp-

based house was completed in Asheville, North Carolina in

2010.

Hemp because of its height and density is a very effective

weed killer. It grows at a rapid rate and is cultivated in a vari-

ety of soils.

Montana passed Senate Bill No. 261 in 2001 one of the

seven states in the United States which legalized the growing

of hemp. Under Montana Code an individual can grow indus-

trial hemp for commercial purposes by purchasing a license.

The applicant must give a legal description of the land to be

used and if a first time applicant must have their finger prints

taken, and allow a nationwide criminal history check with the

FBI. The license is good for one year. The licensing require-

ments of this code do not apply to employees of the agricul-

tural experiment station or the Montana state University of

Bozeman extension service involved in research and exten-

sion-related activities. A search produced no information

showing that they have been experimenting with growing

hemp. It wasn’t until 2009 that the first license was procured,

by a woman living in Bozeman. Nothing is known whether

she grew a crop or not. She was alleged to have leased acreage

in Ennis, Montana.

Presently America is one of the largest consumers of

hemp products exported from other countries. Currently the

number of jobs the American economy

needs to create in order to return to the

pre-recession unemployment rate of 5% is

11 million. Industrial hemp makes sense.

Hemp makes a sustainable durable

fabric for clothing. It is often used in ar-

chival paper, is a source of food products.

To the right an outfit made from

hemp.

A Sustainable Crop Montana Needs, Now!


The New West

Ida Hawkins, P.I. EIGHT DAYS by S.F. Roberts

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/westerngalspeak

Ida Hawkins has a great life as a private investigator in New York City. On a Monday in

May everything is suddenly changed by circumstances and events. A few days later Ida

finds herself on the way to Montana and ultimately to the discovery of a secret that

changes her life forever. The consummate detective she finds herself knee deep in one

mystery after another. And all of it around a handsome Tribal cop and a father she has

never met.

A brilliant job of bringing our Native American characters to life. Masterfully done...when Montana and New York meet.

A story you can’t put down. Diane Griffith

Other ebooks by S.F. Roberts: The West Old & New featuring stories about

contemporary and historic Montana. The Other Side of Dead, an anthology

of short stories. Silenced, an anthology of short stories around the Montana

environment. Simple Contentment, a book showcasing the stories of home-

steaders from 1910 on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Western Gal Speak

Life in Montana

Essays on contemporary and historic Montana



Special Coupons for Ebooks by S.F. Roberts

Ida Hawkins, P.I. “Eight Days” Detective Novel

Promotional price: $2.50 - Coupon Code: LU35C - Expires: May 26, 2013

“Silenced” Anthology of Short Stories set in the Montana Landscape

Promotional price: $2.50 - Coupon Code: TD84Y - Expires: May 26, 2013

“Simple Contentment” Stories by the 1910 Homesteaders in Western Montana

Promotional price: $1.00 - Coupon Code: TS56K - Expires: May 26, 2013

“The Other Side of Dead” Anthology of Short Stories

Promotional price: $2.50- Coupon Code: CT87M- Expires: May 26, 2013

Photograph by Jake WallisPhotograph by Jake WallisPhotograph by Jake Wallis

Essays on contemporary and historic life in the West


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