Much of Charlie’s most revered work featured the landscape in and around central Montana, and this community celebrates his legacy in a unique way. In 1994, the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce established the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, a premier dinner train that makes a 56-mile roundtrip journey from Kingston Junction to Denton.

What appeared to be a typical Montana fall morning, with hunters scattering across public lands and outfitters and guides escorting their clients to a selection of private land trophies, was actually much more than that. Paul, now in his mid-70s, served in the Vietnam War, where he was decorated for his bravery.

Dick is a well-loved coach and teacher who spent most of his career at Hardin High School.  When asked if there was one student who was a stand-out, someone he is especially proud of, he said there are too many to list. It wouldn’t be fair to call out one, he said, because they all were stand-outs, in one way or another.

Christmas recipes to warm you up.

Humble and polite in manner, David Riggs, 53, is grateful and content with a life dedicated to honoring and taking care of those who are worth honoring and taking care of. David is the founder and CEO of K9 Care Montana, a nonprofit agency based outside of Livingston that breeds and trains Labrador retrievers as service dogs for wounded veterans and others. 

The afternoon of June 30, 2018, became the date that life changed for them. On that day, the couple had chosen to climb south of Big Timber at the Natural Bridge area. Arriving mid-morning, they climbed multiple pitches before taking a break for a late lunch. By the time they decided to do their last climb, it was close to 5 p.m.

He’d drawn the horse Brazos Bash, a young mare with only one showing on the PRCA. When the clock started, she and J.R. came out of the chute strong. The mare had bucked a couple of times when suddenly she bumped back into the chute, reared straight up and flipped over backward. Her body crushed J.R. 

Along the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, near the base of Fishtail Butte, sprawls a beautiful cattle ranch where Ryan and Lindsey Clark are raising their cattle and their kids. A pasture full of cows and calves are scattered along the lane leading up to the ranch house. An immaculate place, the buildings are all painted and well cared for, the massive yard mowed and trimmed, the woodpile stocked and the garden bountiful. 

Amber Rose Mason is a woman who wears a multitude of hats. A ranch woman, horse trainer and actress, the petite woman is as much at home wrangling colts, roping calves and talking about grizzlies as she is in front of a camera.

It has been busy 11 years since Pam Gable took over the Blue Cat Bar & Grill. Over the years she has built it into a business that has fed and entertained folks from Billings to Hardin and from Roundup to Wyoming. Her watering hole is busy. It is one of Huntley’s main gathering spots and the place to be when events are happening.

Several years ago, the negatives of the photographic jaunts of John Lawrence Breum (1881-1981) were discovered by his descendants in a shoebox covered with dust. Capturing the towns of Fallon and Terry, and the adjoining Badlands, Johnny’s photos, which include a self-portrait purportedly from 1902, linger largely unseen.

Diana Scollard’s dream of becoming a veterinarian began at the tender age of 6 when she watched her first C-section at her parents’ cattle ranch outside of Bozeman. Her fascination blossomed into reality when she attended school at MSU and later in Colorado, where she earned a doctorate in veterinary science.

Nichole turned her hobby into a successful business. She’s the founder of Lazy Daisy Soaps, a skin care product company that prides itself on the fact that all of the products produced are made using only natural, organic ingredients, beginning with fresh, raw goat’s milk from goats that Nichole raises and milks herself.

In light of the romance of February, we asked several Montana couples what makes a successful marriage. What do they do to ensure their marriage is working and fulfilling, and is a partnership worth fighting for? There is wisdom in their words.

Heidi and her husband Gary are the parents of Garrett, Anna and 3-year-old Emme. In addition to sheep, they also run cows, both on tracts of leased land outside of Big Timber. As young ranchers they have high hopes for their future and the future of their children. The idea of owning their own ranch is a reality that seems far into the future, but the young couple are determined to see it happen.

The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub was started in 2017, when 11 producers brainstormed about ways to reach customers. They knew education was at the top of the list. They felt they could bring local producers and customers together and educate both sides: the customers on what is available locally and the producers on the specifics of what customers want.

Duncan has been breeding and training horses for more than 25 years. He specializes in versatility. His horses are capable of ranch work, driving, packing, pleasure-riding and competition. He also shoes horses, builds saddles and designs and sews fur coats.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildrye Distilling of Bozeman was briskly meeting the demands of restaurants, bars and liquor stores statewide. Once the immediacy and severity of the virulent disease became the new reality in Gallatin County, partners Ben Ganser and Philip Sullivan decided they needed to responsibly recalibrate their mode of production. 

When the pandemic hit, a local livestock video auctioning company stepped up to help area ranchers, ensuring them that despite the COVID-19 restraints, their annual production sale could still take place. Across the region, ranchers who had never utilized on-line auctioning turned to the internet to make sure their cattle sold. 

Commercially raising bees fits perfectly into Montana’s rich agricultural and ranching heritage. It just involves dealing with smaller livestock. But even with beekeeping’s significant contribution to the Montana agricultural scene, it’s not all honey and sunshine.