Lay of the Land

The small college that changed my life

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LBHC

LAY OF THE LAND: An occasional series on the spirit of Montana

Things change, and whether we like it or not, people change. I’ve changed. I’ve moved from a scared college student to a confident mother. From a budding journalist to a genuine teacher. From a mere thinker to a published author. The journey has been long and difficult, and it all started in Crow Agency.

Crow Agency is at the heart of our vast 2.2 million-acre reservation. The reservation, nestled snuggly between Billings and the Wyoming state line, boasts many natural wonders, including the castle rocks of the Pryor Mountains, the Big Horn Valley, the Big Horn and Little Big Horn rivers. Continue Reading →

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Culture

Billings Depot, riding high, rolls out new fundraiser

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Station

A week from Saturday, Billings Depot Inc. is throwing a black-tie Taste of Billings celebration that depot director Jennifer Mercer hopes will be “the most elegant, luxurious event Billings has ever seen.”

That’s quite a claim, and it’s all the more remarkable considering that the setting, the old Northern Pacific Railway Depot on Montana Avenue, was in wretched condition just 20 years ago, and had nearly been demolished 25 years ago. Continue Reading →

Prairie Lights

Recalling long-gone bars, and two survivors

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Crystal

When I first saw the subject line on the Billings Gazette website—“Retrospective: Closed Billings bars”—I was prepared to be unimpressed.

I didn’t want to be a sucker nipping at “click bait,” those tantalizing packages the Gazette has been running on a regular basis in hopes of generating a lot of Web traffic with a minimum of work. Continue Reading →

News

Thermal imaging offers high-tech look at wolf disease

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Mange

A high-tech method for detecting disease in domestic cattle is helping researchers in Yellowstone National Park learn more about how sarcoptic mange affects gray wolf survival and behavior during the park’s long, cold winters.

Mange is a contagious disease among canines caused by mites that burrow into the skin, resulting in infections that bring irritation, persistent scratching and fur loss. Mange alone isn’t necessarily fatal, but it can leave wolves more vulnerable to dehydration, malnutrition and hypothermia. Continue Reading →

From the Outpost

Zinke’s early votes not encouraging

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Crisp

During his run for Montana’s U.S. House seat, Ryan Zinke often seemed uncertain about exactly what positions he held. That’s a bad trait in a candidate but not necessarily in a congressman. Issues before Congress can be complicated, and remaining open to evidence is more helpful than going to Washington with a closed mind.

So it was reasonable to hope that now-Rep. Zinke would prove a more flexible and pragmatic House member than his predecessor. But early returns are not encouraging. Continue Reading →

Billings

Doc Harper’s adds a splash to downtown Billings

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Doc

A week later than planned, Doc Harper’s martini bar had a “soft opening” Wednesday, throwing open its doors at 4 p.m. By 5, the place was jumping, with nearly every seat on the main level taken and more people sitting in the mezzanine.

“I called some friends and texted some kids, that’s all,” Barb Harper said. “I’m amazed at all the people here.” Continue Reading →

Montana

A lesson for landowners: How to deal with an oil spill

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Alexis

Ah, memories. In July of 2011, my farm was flooded in oil from an Exxon pipeline that burst under the Yellowstone River. Landowners along the river grouped up pretty quickly since many of our families lived there for decades and together we went through months of dealing with cleanup workers, water and soil testing, chronic coughs and stress. Now we sit back and watch you go through an oil spill. Although the circumstances are different, I can tell you these things shake out the same way, all over the country. Continue Reading →

Culture

Cowboy singer playing rare Billings show Friday

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Bruce Anfinson, a cowboy-country singer from Helena, has played music in Germany, Taiwan, Japan and Costa Rica, and a tune he wrote is the theme song for the Montana PBS show “Backroads of Montana.”

He’s played with scores of big-name musicians, jammed with Doc Watson and appeared on “Mountain Stage,” the American Public Radio program broadcast from Charleston, West Virginia. Continue Reading →