We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 378
Columnist's note: About 30 miles east of Missoula on MT Highway 200, while taking a couple of my grandsons back to the Seattle area, I saw the sign for the turnoff to 'Garnet Ghost Town.' I'd passed the turnoff many times. I told the kids, "Today we're going to the ghost town." 'Ghost town' got a positive response from the ten and twelve year old boys. Established in 1895 Garnet became a ghost town in the late 1940's when it lost most of its population and businesses. Renovation and...
Columnist's note: Writing about Grandview Cemetery, south of the Hills and north of Galata, I learned that Agnethe Forseth donated the two acres that became, for 90 years, a children's cemetery. Toni Brown Dafoe, a great granddaughter of Mrs. Forseth, recently brought me a notebook with 71 letters written by Mrs. Forseth and her two daughters. Toni's mother, Mrs. Jeannette Brown, told me the letters were translated by "a friend of Mrs. Forseth in Norway who was an English teacher." Agnethe...
Columnist's note: I recently took my vehicle for a recall notice to a dealership, the nearest being in Cut Bank. Beforehand the shop manager said, "Be prepared to spend the day." Like most folks from this area, I've driven through Cut Bank on US Highway 2 several times heading over to Kalispell or on west. My wife and I rode Amtrak to Cut Bank from Libby to a church meeting several years ago and spent a weekend there. It was the dead of winter so not a good time to be walking around. The day I t...
I do about 30 chin-ups at the gym several times a week. I don’t like doing chin-ups, and I couldn’t do them for many years. I’d try and try and couldn’t quite get myself up over the bar. Then, a crazy thing happened one day: I did one. After doing one, I found that doing a second one was easier. In the space of a few weeks, I jumped from none to more than a dozen. I didn’t develop some supernatural strength or find a new training program. What changed was that I figured out that I could do chin-ups. Before I did my first one, I never believed I...
Column No. 23 Since moving to Whitlash I'd notice vehicles, usually pickups, with Canadian plates stopped at the local post office. Recently I came across a newspaper story out of northern Washington state that described how U.S. border cities have many Canadians who rent post office boxes and support a sizeable number of private "parcel and courier services" that cater to Canadians getting mail and packages in the U.S. I wanted to learn why U.S. Postal Service boxes were in such demand in...
Column No. 23 Recently I went back to Chinook to help in the Lions Club's pronto pup stand during the 2019 Blaine County Fair. I'm still a member of the club and proceeds from sales of pronto pups and cheesy fries support the community work of the club. They always need help during the fair. Pronto pups are the Lions' variation of a corn dog. Someone asked, "Do you know about the hot dogs you are cooking?" I'm a relative newcomer to the area so didn't know the history of the iconic wiener so...
I am a procrastinator by nature. Though I’ve gotten better about it over the years, when I was in college, I turned it into an art. I began by waiting until a few days before an assignment was due to start working on it. Then as time went by, the starting point moved to the day before. Eventually, I began setting my alarm early on the due date and rushing through the work. There were times I would print up papers and run to class to turn them in with seconds to spare. As I have grown older and begun to look back at those days with a little m...
Column No. 22 Columnist's note: The Corps of Discovery never reached the Sweet Grass Hills. But Captain Meriwether Lewis explored much of the Marias River in southern Liberty County and recorded observations about the Sweet Grass Hills. During the expedition's westward trip in 1805 and the return trip in 1806, Captain Lewis' explorations along the river helped answer critical questions during the trip. Lewis himself named the river in June, 1805, in honor of a cousin, Maria Wood. Understanding...
This morning, I read an interesting op-ed written by a woman who is a lawyer and mom. She talks at length about the difficulty she has in that role and the hard truth that she often chooses her work life over her family because it fits her priorities. She laments the fact that she skipped birthdays and phoned in her participation in her kids’ school activities because her work was more important. I disagreed with the author on several points, but found myself identifying with her perspective because the same struggle often plagues folks in m...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: Are the stories true of people dying, going to Heaven, and then coming back to tell about their experiences? A: Best-selling books and blockbuster movies have been read and seen about people dying and coming back to life and telling about Heaven. There was much excitement, curiosity and confusion. Someone said, “No one has ever come back from the grave to speak of Heaven.” This is true with one exception. His name is Jesus Christ. He left His glorious home in Heaven with God the Father and came to...
Column No. 21 Columnist's note: My wife and I have been in Whitlash just over six months. After 20+ columns related to the Sweet Grass Hills I decided to write about a couple of interesting stops we've made in Montana outside the Hills during the same period. On my bucket list to visit for some time, we finally stopped in the town of Fort Shaw to see where the 1904 "world champion girls' basketball team" was launched. Since reading "Full-Court Quest...," a 2004 book about the school and the...
I am allergic to dandelions. Every spring, my lawn begins to grow, the dandelions show up, and I start to develop headaches and sinus problems. When it gets tiresome enough, I mow in an effort to beat them back. Every home owner knows that mowing won’t solve the problem. In fact, it can make the dandelion problem worse by spreading their seeds out. The new seeds take root and new dandelions sprout up. I could certainly solve the problem, but I don’t really want to put the effort in. The issue is the roots that sit under the surface. Cutting the...
Q: Why does it seem suffering gets worse when we have more conveniences and more scientific breakthroughs than all of history? A: In every country throughout the world there are people suffering—it has been like this since the beginning. Personal pain has been with us since God told Eve she would have pain in childbirth. Some pain is visible, and some is intensely private. Suffering comes in all forms—physical, emotional, spiritual. Some people have their share of pain more than others, but all experience it; it’s part of life. Every gener...
Column No. 20 Columnist's note: With the onset of spring in the Sweet Grass Hills there's a profusion of wildflowers along the roads and in the fields. I've always had an interest in wildflowers and decided to do a column about wildflowers in my adopted home around Whitlash. I equipped myself with a couple of well-respected wildflower guide books, did some looking on the internet for resources to help me identify wildflowers and hooked up with Bob Thompson, a third generation rancher in the...
By Steve Edwards BCJ News Columnist's comment: Before we moved to the Sweet Grass Hills several people told me, "Be sure and visit that park in southern Alberta. I think it's near Whitlash" There'd be some finger-snapping as they tried to recall the park's name, then, "It's something about 'words on rocks' and it's really fascinating." Turns out they were talking about Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, less than an hour's drive from Whitlash. With summer now on us, my wife and I decided to spend...
Good morning friends and followers of the Lord Jesus. I trust this day finds you rested and in full devotion and love to our Lord and Savior. A few weeks ago, we had a post about searching the Scriptures, which was quite profound. It talked about the careful study of Scripture or searching as in seeking a treasure. The greatest treasure we can find is the Lord Jesus. I recently came across a study of the Cities of Refuge that Moses appointed for the children of Israel when they established themselves in the land of Canaan after they left...
Q: My grandson served in the military and is now back in civilian life. He feels defeated when he sees so many Americans against our flag. Can our nation turn itself around? A: (From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham) America has gone a long way down the wrong road. We are blessed to have brave citizens serve this country, but no one person can turn a nation around. For Christians we must remember that our allegiance is first to God, and then country. When a nation humbles itself before God, He blesses. Only by His power does a nation...
Columnist's note: In 2006 my wife and I moved from North Dakota to Libby, Montana. Traveling along US 2, to our new place, we saw the official, green signs east of Chester identifying the 'bumps' on the north horizon as the Sweet Grass Hills. I asked in Libby and no one really knew much about the Hills, they had their own mountains at their front door. We moved back east to Chinook, on the Hi-line. Folks there said, "Oh, the Sweet Grass Hills are all private land, there's nothing to do there."...
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This quote, from motivational speaker Jim Rohn has made the rounds in the world of self-improvement for years, and it’s worth taking a moment to consider, because it has a great deal of truth imbedded in it. The way we think and view the world is shaped by what we read, hear, watch, and interact with. Our attitudes rise or sink to the level of the folks we associate with. This is an unconscious drift that is built into people as a byproduct of being social creatures. We na...
Q: Is belief in God the same as the belief the devil has in God? A: The devil and his demons know God exists; certainly Satan stands before the throne of God accusing mankind, as seen in the book of Job. The demon world also believes in the facts of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. But their belief is not a saving belief because it does not lead them to turn to God in repentance. A saving belief in God is what happens when sinners turn from sin to Christ and put their trust and faith in Him, the Savior of sinners. This is a saving f...
South of the Border, Column No. 17 Columnist's note: Several weeks ago someone asked if I'd heard of the Sweet Grass Hills Family Camp. They explained several local people were involved and that two members of Whitlash Presbyterian Church, Jeanette and the late Irvin Brown, were the folks who initiated the family camp. The camp was a four-day event that brought families together to worship, recreate and fellowship in a casual setting. My wife and I attended a similar event in the mountains...
South of the Border, Column No. 16 Columnist's note: The topic for this week's column is from nearby Chester, a town my wife and I visit regularly for shopping. In Chester I noticed a large, brown building with a tiny sign over the door that reads "RNA Hall." I flashed back to childhood when my mom, grandma and aunt were all involved in a group called Royal Neighbors of America (RNA). I recalled being dragged to RNA meetings as a preschooler to watch the goings on at the "hall" above Hobson's...
South of the Border, Column No. 15 Columnist's note: My wife and I have lived in Whitlash since mid-December, 2018. Living only six miles from Canada our intent was to visit our northern neighbors as soon as practical. During the winter, still thinking about going to Canada, I decided I would walk there in the spring. In early May the weather finally cooperated and I "walked from Whitlash to a foreign country." Here's some of what I saw and learned about the area north of our new home and the...
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese word referring to their cultural understanding of beauty. It’s an interesting perspective that is very different from what we generally accept in the west. Whereas we tend to look at things that are perfect as beautiful, in wabi-sabi, beauty is based on the idea that all things are constantly changing and nothing is perfect. Wabi-sabi looks at the imperfections as the source of beauty. This doesn’t mean that Japanese craftsmen and artists don’t work to improve. In fact, Japanese craftsmen are often meticulous in their...
Column No. 14 Columnist's note: A tractor sitting by a shed near the Whitlash Post Office drew my attention when we first moved to town. It was a Belarus, which sure sounded Russian to me. Some stickers and name plates on the tractor stated the tractor was built at a factory in Minsk, the capital city for Belarus. Belarus is an eastern European country once part of the old Soviet Union. Turns out the tractor is owned by Urban Kultgen and his son Dan. Between the two of them they own three of...
