Fallon honored that character trait in Cole and as a junior in high school, she began a program through Family Consumer Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) in the hopes that local children who might otherwise go without, be provided with a backpack of food for the weekend.

Like the wafting snow outside, my mind drifts to another cold December nearly 25 years ago when I sat beside another woodstove, visiting my parents in Montana over Christmas.

For the holiday’s dessert and snacks are the two essentials. Both recipes are included this issue!

We think it’s time to simplify in some areas of our lives and be more intentional in other. Perhaps you are feeling that as well. Our stories reflect that. 

Trees literally exploded as fire raced skyward through superheated air as towering plumes of smoke punctuated a clear Montana sky.  The Robertson Draw fire made its presence known on a historic trace called the Meeteetse Trail which runs along the flanks of the Beartooth Mountain Front.  

Weather has always been a main topic of discussion across Montana. This year was no exception.  Old timers are saying it was the hottest, driest summer they remember. Comparisons are being made to conditions in 1988 and 1931. What little snowpack there was melted early, and without June rains, rivers dwindled down to creeks. Farmers harvested 10 to 30% of normal. Ranchers were forced to either downsize their herds, buy expensive hay, or do both.

It was August 4, 1961. Roger was 22, and he and his wife, Rita, had a 2-month-old son, Rodney. On a rotating list of 30 jumpers, he knew he was close to the top and would be jumping again soon. He loved his job. Jumping out of planes and fighting fires lit a fire in him. With a degree in wildlife biology, Roger had yet to secure a job in the field, and being a jumper not only helped him support his family, it also fed his adventurous spirit.

If you see a grizzly sauntering across a wheat field outside of Big Sandy or playing with a flag on the greens of the Marias Valley Golf & Country Club in Shelby, rest assured, you are not crazy. Moving from their long-held mountain stronghold more bears are heading to the eastern plains they once called home. While the recovery of the grizzly bear is one of the great conservation success stories, it’s not without conflict, particularly when cows, sheep, and humans inhabit the same area.

Scott Black, owner of Mark’s In and Out in Livingston says “nostalgia never goes out of style.” For over forty years, he has been in style selling ‘“Famously Fresh”, 100% Pure Beef Burgers out of the landmark 1954 drive in located at the corner of West Park and 8th Streets. The craving for nostalgia is obvious with long lines found in front of the red and white building with neon lighting.

The Richard Spring fire in eastern Montana drew national attention when it roared to life in mid-August. Quickly consuming mountainous terrain and sweeping across prairie grasslands, the fire was vicious in its attack as it greedily devoured entire ranches in its path. 

Tucked within the forested North Moccasin Mountains lies central Montana’s best-preserved ghost town, Kendall. The town site makes a great destination for a scenic drive and a chance to wander through century-old stone buildings. A kiosk at each ruin provides historical information about the building and a picture of it during the town’s boom years.  

We thought 2020 was a hard year but it turns out 2021 has been even more challenging. Across our state, farmers and ranchers facing drought, grasshoppers, and wildfires, are making tough decisions about how to keep their operations afloat. Small businesses across the state are struggling with labor shortages and rising costs.

Long before canning was the go-to preservation method, people preserved foods through drying. I started with dried apples and kale chips. Both barely made it out of the dehydrator before being eaten. Now I use the dehydrator to stay ahead of the zucchini by slicing and seasoning to make a wonderful snack.

Fall favorites including a pasta with fall harvest vegetables and, of course, apple pie.

When the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall & Wall of Fame (MPRHWF) was organized over 16 years ago, the mission was severalfold. They were dedicated to preserving the western and rodeo heritage of Montana, as well as contributing financially to Montana high school students set on continuing their education.

When Codi talks about Jasper, there’s pride in her voice. He’s been a huge part of her life. Codi purchased him as a weanling, and over the years she trained him and has shown him in competitions across the state and nation. If ever there was a story of a girl and her horse, it’s Codi and Jasper.

It’s Monday morning at Cowboy Meats in Forsyth, Montana, and all hands are on deck. In the processing room, a team of eight is custom-cutting a beef carcass. As the quarters of beef come in from the hanging room, they are broken down into smaller portions and then laid atop two tables where butchers are standing shoulder to shoulder.

Often referred to as the “lazy gardener’s” time, planting for fall harvests is a way to make the most of our short growing season. The beauty of planting a fall garden is that you can plant a second crop of your favorite spring vegetables with barely any pest pressure, since it’s out of sync with their lifecycles, along with not needing to weed or water nearly as much. 

Seven years ago, Jordan Grindheim would never have believed that one day she would be raising pigs to sell to 4-H and FFA kids. Jordan started showing pigs when she was 9, purchasing them from a breeder and finishing them in time for the county fair.

Labor Day 1952 was a particularly deadly holiday weekend, when six people lost their lives in traffic accidents near Missoula. Floyd Eaheart, of Montana American Legion Hellgate Post No. 27, wanted to do something about it, something to recognize these tragedies that would also help prevent more grief in the future. The result is something Montana drivers see as they travel on state highways, city streets and side streets: cross-shaped fatality markers.