We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The children of Kent and Lois Gilge pose at daughter Katie's wedding a few years ago: (l-r) Jesse, Tim, Katie, Kody and Kirby. Tim Gilge, the youngest boy, recently wrote a book about the misadventures of his 'atypical' family. Katie died in October, 2020 from complications related to pneumonia.
This photo shows the Gilge family. Parents Kent and Lois came to Chinook in 1979. The family moved to Havre after their residence east of Chinook burned in 1996. Front row, left to right, is Lois, holding baby Katie, and Kent. Four boys behind are, left to right, Kody, Kirby and Jesse with Tim in the center front. Tim, the youngest of the boys, recently published "Snakecicles," a collection of stories about his "atypical" family.
A friend in Havre recently gave me a book noting, "I think you might enjoy reading this." The book was written by Tim Gilge. Locals may recall the Gilge family, Kent and Lois and their five children, who lived out in the valley east of Chinook in a house across the creek from and owned by Ken and Dawn Overcast. The Gilge family arrived in the area in 1979 when Kent became the first Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MT FWP) fish biologist assigned to this region of the state. And yes, I did enjoy reading the book and think "Journal" readers might find it interesting as well.
A bit of Gilge family history
Self-described as "geographically misplaced people" originally from the Chicago area, Kent and Lois Gilge moved their family to the Chinook area in 1979 as Kent pursued his dream to work in a field connected to fish and wildlife. The children grew up connected to the Chinook area where Kirby, Jesse and Kody participating in local sports. The children were all homeschooled and father Kent was active statewide in the homeschool movement. A house fire in 1993 destroyed the family's residence and they relocated to Havre where Kent's job was located. Kent retired in 2006 from MT FWP. He and Lois still live in Havre.
Giving an update on the Gilge children, author Tim wrote that Kirby still lives in Havre and his ex-wife and children are spread around the country. Jesse and Dani have two children and all live in Colorado. Kody lives in Havre, he and Amber have two children. Kody operates Bear Paw Paint and Amber runs Destination Travel. Youngest son and first-time author Tim and his wife, Juletta, live in Billings where they both work for the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch-he on the maintenance team and she as head therapist at the ranch. The only girl and youngest of the Gilge children was Katie, who died at age 26 in October, 2020, from complications related to pneumonia. She left husband Max and a young son.
It was at Katie's wedding celebration a few years earlier that the idea for the book first developed as the parents, grandparents and siblings shared family stories. Tim explained, "I wrote the book (with help from father Kent and others) to save family stories for future generations." He added in a cover note for the collection, "The book is the partial history of a family, a great family, but a weird family by some peoples' standards. Stories range from trapping skunks, napalm incidents, animal resurrection and much, much more." Ken Overcast who watched the family grow up next door in the valley wrote on the book's cover about the Gilge kids, "How any of them ever lived to puberty is a testament to some mighty tired guardian angels."
A brief peek at the stories and contents of "Snakecicles"
Without giving away too much from the book, the stories in the book have themes familiar to many families, particularly folks that spent time doing outdoor activities. I found Tim's story about 'googling' a map of an area around a creek where he and his brothers planned to fish quite humorous and familiar. Once on the water and encountering some unforeseen challenges not apparent on the map, Tim later wrote, "...it all looked great from the Google Earth map, as it always does." Reminded me of a few "great shortcuts" I'd taken over the years after "googling" a map and saw how easy the route looked before I actually tried to drive or walk it.
Many of the stories illustrate the life philosophy of Tim's father, Kent. Known for his belief that "a hobby should pay for itself," Kent regularly told his kids that if they planned to hunt, fish or trap they had "better bring home some meat" from the outing. After the fire destroyed the Gilge's residence out in the valley east of Chinook, Kent said he finally realized for the first time he had raised his sons right as, "they saved the photos and guns."
One thing I won't divulge is the basis for the book's title: "Snakecicles." Readers will have to get the book to read the story that was the basis for the book's title. Tim said the book is available on Amazon or can be purchased at Big Sky Images and Collectables in the Holiday Village Mall in Havre. You can contact Tim about other purchase options at: timgilge@gmail.com. Hope readers will find it as amusing and entertaining as I did.
