Ed Kemmick

Ed Kemmick has been a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist since 1980. Except for four years in his home state of Minnesota, he has spent his entire journalism career in Montana, working in Missoula, Anaconda, Butte and Billings. "The Big Sky, By and By," a collection of some of his newspaper stories and columns, plus a few essays and one short story, was published in 2011.

Recent Posts

Already a treasure, buffalo jump now national landmark

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Cliffs

Stephen Aaberg had already done a fair amount of research at the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park near Great Falls when he was hired to do a systematic survey of the area in 2008 for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. It was known from earlier research that it was an important place, one of the largest “bison mass procurement sites” in North America. But after just a couple of days of surveying, Aaberg, assisted by a crew of five or six workers and a few volunteers, realized the site was even more significant than anyone had previously suspected. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, News, Charles Haecker, First Peoples Buffalo Jump, Fish Wildlife and Parks, Jack Fischer, Montana State University, Sara Scott

What in tarnation? Maps track ‘bad words’ on Twitter

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Montanans—at least those of us who use Twitter—are a fairly tame lot, according to a British linguist. Jack Grieves, a lecturer in forensic linguistics at Aston University in Birmingham, England, has published a series of maps showing the comparative usage rates of “bad words” in the continental United States, as they appear in Tweets. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Diversions, Montana, Jack Grieves, linguistics, Twitter

At Your Service: ‘Coming out of the godless closet’

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Parlor

Billings Association of Humanists, meeting at First Congregational Church, 310 N. 27th St. Meeting: 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014
Length of meeting: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Length of sermon: none. Scouting through the Gazette’s “Faith & Values” section, trying to decide what church to visit next, I came across a notice for the Billings Association of Humanists’ Socrates Café, apparently a regular discussion group. Continue Reading →

Filed under: At Your Service, Billings Association of Humanists, Billings Gazette, Danny Choriki, First Congregational Church, Pachyderm Club, Richard Dawkins

Prairie Lights: A tragedy, a book, a family connection

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Notes

I hope you all read Brett French’s story in the Billings Gazette last Sunday about the connections between Norman Maclean and a Billings couple, Tom Tollefson and Jane Moses, and Tom’s brother Pete Dexter. I’d go into more detail, but you can read the story yourself. The thing is, the piece was so interesting (it helps that I know Brett, Tom and Jane and have read all of Dexter’s books) that it made me want to write about my own connections with the author of “A River Runs Through It.” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Brett French, Dick Hughes, Jack Hughes, Jane Moses, Mann Gulch fire, Norman Maclean, Pete Dexter, Tom Tollefson

‘If the states were bar patrons’—a hit and a miss

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Bar

You’ve probably all seen the latest list by now—”The 50 States of America if They Were Actually People in a Bar.” I know it’s been racing around the Internet. Based on my not particularly astute knowledge of this country, is seems fairly accurate. Two of my favorites were right next to each on the list:

“Texas is singing karaoke about how great Texas is.” “Utah is the designated driver, sipping on water and making sure nobody gets too crazy.” Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Montana, Texas, United States, Utah, Wyoming

Remembering Jane Estelle: ‘She saved our lives’

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Jane

Paula McClave had been seeing therapists on and off for almost 25 years when someone suggested she try C. Jane Estelle, whom everyone knew as Jane. It took her a year to call and make an appointment, she said, “but it was the best thing I ever did.”

“I had seen a lot of therapists, and I had given up,” she said. “But I walked into her office and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I have met my soulmate.’” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Billings, C. Jane Estelle, Carl Jung, Dr. James Hollis, Jim Jensen, Pacifica Graudate Institute, Pratt Institute, Yellowstone Art Museum

Roundup rapped for allowing booze in city-owned fire hall

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Fire station

ROUNDUP—The Roundup Volunteer Fire Department has come under criticism for allowing firefighters to drink alcohol in the city-owned fire station. The issue was made public by Roundup resident Mark Higgins, who said he was out riding his motorcycle a couple of weeks ago and saw the vehicle of a friend, who is with the local Disaster and Emergency Services, outside the fire station, across the street from City Hall at 33 Third Ave. W. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: News, Bob Hanson, Jason Hagstrom, Keith Salthe, Mark Higgins, Musselshell County, Randal Spaulding, Roundup Volunteer Fire Department

Fromberg museum salutes 50 years of Bridger Youth Rodeo

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Butch

FROMBERG—Butch Bratsky and Monica McDowell are standing inside the Clarks Fork Valley Museum, surrounded by photographs and memorabilia paying tribute to the Bridger Youth Rodeo. Bratsky, now a senior executive with Stockman Bank in Billings, grew up in Bridger and went on to become the national collegiate bull-riding champion in 1974. McDowell is the wife of Sam McDowell and the mother of Heather McDowell, both of them serious rodeo competitors. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Culture, Diversions, Annette Anderson, Bridger Saddle Tramps, Bridger Youth Rodeo, Butch Bratsky, Little Britches Rodeo, Monica McDowell

At Your Service: Surprising simplicity at Harvest Church

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Harvest

Harvest Church, 1235 West Wicks Lane
Service: 9 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014
Length of service: 1 hour, 19 minutes. Length of sermon: 38 minutes

It’s difficult to live in Billings and not know something about Harvest Church. That’s the one that raised a huge church building up near Skyview High, the church with the climbing walls in the lobby. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: At Your Service, Castle Rock Park, Faith Chapel, Harvest Church, Justin Bieber, Vern Streeter