Rising from the Ashes

Denton Fire Relief Auction 
Lewistown 

Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography by Stu Hoefle

There’s something about Montana folks when they rally. It’s an impressive movement. Be it hay for ranchers whose crops burned or to help a neighbor put up their harvest. Generosity is a given when it comes to need.

And generosity was on full display at the Lewistown Fairgrounds the third weekend of January, where a vast array of items had been donated and were up for auction. 

There’s been tremendous support. Within just a couple of weeks of the fire, people were trying to figure out what to do for the folks of Denton.

- Kyle Shobe

Donations included hay bales, lumber, a safari, weekend vacations in Red Lodge and Whitefish, tools, packages of burger, whole hogs and steers, veterinary services, paintings, photos, antique furniture, guided trips, puppies, smokers and snowblowers. You name it. It seemed nothing had been overlooked. Businesses and individuals donated freely, and a packed house of supporters took up the bidding and let loose the reins.

Homemade apple pies were selling for $500 as the auctioneer livened up the crowd with his smooth chant, his ring men yelling, “Yeaaah,” when they saw a bid. The crowd bantered back and forth with one another as they tried to outbid each other. 

$500 might seem like an incredibly expensive pie and it is, but the bidders were taking part in the disaster relief auction for the town of Denton, which had been hit hard by a wildfire on Dec. 1, and their generosity was driving the prices up high.

Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, services, products and livestock, making up over 150 lots, were donated for the two-day auction, held in Lewistown on Jan. 21 and 22, with the proceeds going to the fund to assist residents of the small community of Denton.

“There’s been tremendous support,” said Kyle Shobe, the auctioneer and one of the organizers of the event. “Within just a couple of weeks of the fire, people were trying to figure out what to do for the folks of Denton.”

Kyle is a Lewistown native who owns United Country Shobe Auction and Realty. After the fire, he and a handful of others quickly formed a board of directors to distribute the money coming in. 

Accounts had been set up at several local banks, but because they aren’t nonprofits, it complicated how the money could be received and distributed. 

“It opened our eyes to the need for a foundation in central Montana to be available for things like disasters,” Kyle said. “Central Montana encompasses Lewistown and about eight other small towns. We hope we don’t need the foundation, but we want to be ready if something happens.”

The cross-section of people who make up the new foundation represent every facet of Fergus County, from ranches to businesses to professional firms, and the speed with which they expedited the funds has allowed the people of Denton to move forward.

Most of the money raised during the two-day auction and all the donations leading up to it are earmarked for Denton. But some of it will remain in an account to have on hand down the road.

Not only were homes and equipment lost, but businesses experienced loses and area ranchers lost hay, fence line and outbuildings. The board of directors will help distribute the funds in a timely and appropriate manner. 

“Central Montana is still an ag community,” Kyle said. “It’s the anchor here. Our people and businesses in Lewistown and the other communities in the area support one another. They are very giving when someone is in need.”

When the Denton fire broke out, within hours firefighters from communities across Montana began to show up and within days, truckloads of food, clothing and water started arriving and filled the town hall.

“It was overwhelming,” Samantha Wheeler, a Denton resident said. “Before the fire was even out, we had donations arriving.”

Samantha became the administrator of the Denton Fire Relief Auction Facebook page, which was started in December and quickly grew to over 4,000 followers. An online Facebook auction in mid-December and a Go Fund Me site generated tens of thousands of dollars.

Samantha also helped spearhead the Fire Relief live auction in Lewistown, drawing hundreds of people from all over Fergus County, and from as far away as Billings and Great Falls.

Already much of what was left of the burned buildings, including the grain elevators, has been hauled away. Necessary environmental studies have taken place. Businesses are moving forward and families are making decisions about future homes.

“Denton continues to move forward,” Samantha said. “We’re filled with hope that things will get back to normal and we’re thankful for everyone that has contributed in any way to help us.”