Explorer 2019

e h T

Explorer Yellowstone County

Where to Go

2019

Carbon County • Stillwater County • Big Horn County • Fergus County

What to Do

What to See

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 1

The Explorer is published by Yellowstone Newspaper Group.

415 East Main Street, Laurel, MT 59044.

Phone: 406-628-4412 Email: publisher@laureloutlook.com Managing Editor: Kathleen Gilluly Designer: Evan Bruce Advertising: Linda Swaggerty Copyright © 2018 by Outlook Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, mechanical or electronic, without the expressed consent of the publisher. Cover photos and the photos on these two page are courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.

Yellowstone Newspaper Group is the publisher of the Laurel Outlook and the Welcome! Visitors Guide, weekly publications that serve the communities of Laurel and Billings, Montana. Over a century old, the Laurel Outlook is published every Thursday. It contains general news of local happenings in Laurel, Park City, Molt, and Joliet, as well as information from other communities around the Laurel trade area. The Welcome! Visitors Guide is a weekly entertainment and information publication that is distributed in hotels and motels in Billings, Laurel, Columbus, and Hardin. It is published weekly in Laurel and distributed on Thursdays. Both the Laurel Outlook and the Welcome! Visitors Guide are available online. For the Outlook, go to www.laureloutlook.com, or find us on Facebook!

(Note: Yellowstone Newspaper Group. is not a regulatory agency and, therefore, has no control over the information provided from outside agencies.)

Yellowstone County

Billings............................................................................ 2 Laurel........................................................................... 10

Stillwater County

The Stillwater Area...................................................... 16 Stillwater Events........................................................... 18

Carbon County

Beartooth Hwy............................................................. 20 The Carbon County Area....................................... 21,26 Red Lodge.................................................................... 22

Big Horn County

The Big Horn Area...................................................... 27 Hardin Events.............................................................. 29

Fergus County................................................... 32

Have We Met? See Me In:

Joe Scheuerle and His Remarkable Indian Gallery September 6 through December 2019 Become a member and see this and other exhibits free!

Montana’s Museum and Museum Store Open Monday–Saturday, 9-5 Closed Sundays and State Holidays 225 North Roberts Helena •

2 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication Photos courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.

Yellowstone County

Billings

Billings Is “The Magic City”

Shaped by the Yellowstone River and sheltered by the sandstone Rimrocks, Billings is a place of forever views and forever memories, where urban amenities and modern convenience meet the edge of the genuine frontier. Where the adventure of the untamed wilderness and history are out your front door.

Conveniently positioned in the region as the largest city between Calgary and Denver, Spokane and Minneapolis, Billings proudly serves a trade area of over 500,000 with diverse shopping, award-winning cuisine, arts and culture.

Warm genuine people take the time to welcome you and greet you with a smile. Unparalleled access to some of the most breathtaking and historic wonders in the United States including Yellowstone National Park, Beartooth Highway, Bighorn Canyon, Little Bighorn Battlefield, and Pompeys Pillar make Billings an idyllic destination for connecting to the best that Montana offers.

About Billings

The Billings area with a population of around 160,000 is located in south-central Montana. The county seat of Yellowstone County and largest city in the state, “The Magic City,” is the region’s economic hub. Major industries include agriculture, energy, healthcare, education and tourism.

Popular attractions include the walking brewery district in Historic Downtown Billings, Montana’s only zoo and botanical park, contemporary and western museums, several theaters, music venues, a state-of-the-art public library, and a countless number of outdoor community festivals.

The weather can range from over 100 degrees in the summer to below zero in the winter, offering ample opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to experience all four seasons. More than 5,000 hotel rooms along with recreational, cultural and adventurous experiences, as well as numerous retail and restaurant offerings and several hundred thousand square feet of flexible meeting space are ready to accommodate any traveler’s needs and preferences.

Billings Events

SpringFest

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2019 Moss Mansion 914 Division Street, Billings MT 59101 SpringFest is an outdoor festival featuring juried arts and crafts, antiques, collectibles, food, and specialty booths.

Live music, local entertainers, art and craft demonstrations, and children’s activities make the day truly memorable and fun for the entire family.

SpringFest, a benefit for the Moss Mansion Historic House Museum, is held on the beautiful lawn of the Moss Mansion at 914 Division Street in Billings, Montana.

Montana Renaissance Festival

SAT JUN 1,2 2019 Opens 10 a.m. both days ZooMontana, 2100 S Shiloh Rd Welcome, Lords and Ladies, to the Montana Renaissance Festival! Step back to a time when romance and chivalry abound. Enter a magical world where Knights, Lords, Ladies, and Fairies play, a time where people took pride in their craft and trade.

Come thee hence and explore the Renaissance Festival! The most significant event of its kind in this area, the Montana Renaissance Festival is a time to revel in the atmosphere of a 16th Century European Country Festival. Explore the bustling market

place. Mingle and interact with costumed characters and enjoy their endless merriment and mayhem. The Festival will host the Knights of Epona in full-contact armored jousting tournaments! Watch gallant Knights defend their honor until the last man is left standing! Cheer your favorite knight to victory as he competes for his Lady’s honor in this thrilling full armored Joust. Renew your vows or be joined in matrimony by Priestess Wendy in our beautiful Sensory Gardens with the King and Queen presiding! The lanes are bustling with storytellers, musicians, singers, dancers, and villagers welcoming you to a festive day of living history.

The air is filled with the scents and smells of foods from the Renaissance period. Feast like Royalty on juicy roasted turkey legs, royal Scottish eggs, steak on a stake, and more!

Visit one of our pubs and quench thy thirst with a flagon of ale or a goblet of the King’s own mead! Sit back and enjoy belly dancers, sword swallowers, aerial acrobats, and other performers on three separate stages! On the main stage and throughout Billingshire there are bards, jesters, sword fighters, wizards, poets and those who will provide merriment for all ages! The royal beastiary will be open so be sure to visit all the beasts of the kingdom!

Visit the Montana Renaissance website for more details. It will be updated as entertainment and vendors are confirmed!

Amenities:

• Heated Salt Water Pool • Fitness Center • Free Hot Breakfast • Free Wi-Fi All of our rooms are suites with fully equipped kitchens.

Enjoy your morning coffee in our luxurious seating areas.

2480 Grant Rd, Billings, MT • (406) 652-7106

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 3

Summerfair

JULY 12-14 Summerfair is the region’s largest arts & crafts festival featuring some of the best artisans, craftspeople, and entertainers in the area.

This exciting event attracts more than 10,000 people over three days and is a wonderful way to share the joy of art with friends and family. Summerfair is one of the largest annual fundraising events for the Museum’s education programs and yearly operating costs.

More than 100 artists, community groups, and food vendors will participate every year. Artist booths at Summerfair include painting, pottery, art from nature, glass, wood, metal, fiber art, photography, body products, and artisan foods. Summerfair is a great place to find that unique gift for yourself or someone special while supporting the Billings Community.

Big Sky State Games

JULY 19-21, 2019 The Big Sky State Games is an Olympic-style amateur sports festival for people of all ages and abilities who reside in the great state of Montana.

Residents in bordering states are invited to participate. The Games are a member of the National Congress of State Games and recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.

All events are subject to change.

Check online for updates.

Signature Event

JULY 25TH A day commemorating when Captain Clark visited and carved his name on the Pillar. Free admission and refreshments. Pompeys Pillar National Monument. 3039 Highway 312 Pompeys Pillar, MT. www.pompeyspillar.org

MontanaFair

AUGUST 9-17, 2019 MontanaFair is an agricultural celebration in the historic tradition of fairs. It is the region’s largest event with attendance of nearly a quarter of a million people each year. Held at MetraPark in Billings, MontanaFair celebrates for nine days beginning the second weekend in August. Nearly 10,000 people will earn cash and ribbons for their entries which range from beer, wine, bunnies, crocheting, horticulture, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, petit-point, pickles, to hobbies, and arts and crafts.

The Thomas Carnival operates the midway featuring rides and games. A shady park for kid’s rides accommodates families and the free Kid’s World exhibit nearby offers free games and activities for small children. Food choices are abundant at the fair featuring the traditional corn dog, BBQ , corn on the cob, ‘Vikings On a Stick’, fresh lemonade, and beer gardens.

Stages around the grounds provide free entertainment that can include music,

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4 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication horse sales, horse futurity shows, and the Northern Range Ranch Roping comedy, hypnosis, kid’s entertainment, Finals. 406.256.2495, thenile.org variety acts, draft horses, and more.

Visit the Free Acts page to see this year’s free entertainment lineup. You Festival of Trees at the can catch them all with your gate MetraPark admission to MontanaFair. And make NOV. 29 - DEC. 1, 2019 sure you catch the incredible local This is the holiday event of the season! talent on the Community Stage.

The Festival of Trees is the major fundNight Shows include concerts in the raiser for The Family Tree Center.

Rimrock Auto Arena and supercross The Festival has become one of the and PRCA Pro Rodeo in the finest community activities, garnering Grandstands. support from banks, hospitals, churches, non-profit organizations, local businesses, schools and scout Fall Festival troops.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 Begun in 1985, the Festival of Trees 5k Fun Run, pancake breakfast, has become synonymous with the display booths, food trucks, rock holiday season in Billings. For many climbing wall, and much, much more.

Family fun! Pompeys Pillar National residents and visitors, the holidays would not be complete without at least Monument. 3039 Highway 312 one visit to view the trees or participate Pompeys Pillar, MT. in the weekend activities. www.pompeyspillar.org Each year, the Festival of Trees provides an opportunity for community members to help prevent NILE STOCK SHOW AND child abuse and neglect in Yellowstone RODEO County and the surrounding area.

OCTOBER 12 - 19, 2019 Donating or buying a tree, sponsoring The Northern International Livestock the event, or participating in one of Exposition (NILE) Stock Show and the many weekend activities during Rodeo are held each year at MetraPark the Festival helps raise money and in Billings. The NRA-sanctioned awareness; both help The Family Tree rodeo is one of the first opportunities Center. for professional cowboys to qualify All dollars raised at the Festival go for the National Finals Rodeo in Las where they are needed most—toward Vegas. The Western Expo is also the many child abuse prevention held in conjunction with the NILE programs in place at The Family Tree and showcases cowboy collectibles, Center. clothing, Western art, and farm/ranch equipment. Livestock events include breeding cattle shows and sales, two

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Repeating Events

Yellowstone Valley Farmers Market

ArtWalk Downtown Billings

EVERY SATURDAY 8 A.M. - NOON Late July to Early October

JUNE 7, AUG. 2, OCT. 4, DEC. 6 All ArtWalk events are free to public.

The events are organized and paid for by season members, one-time participants and generous sponsors.

Featured artists frequently attend.

Food and beverages are often served and live music offered.

In addition to the many fine arts and crafts offered for sale, ArtWalk has grown to include opportunities to make art, hear gallery talks, and see dance and theatre performances. Host sites include galleries, art studios, businesses, a downtown Billings church, non-profit entities, restaurants and other venues valuing the creative spirit that thrives in downtown Billings.

ArtWalk is “weather-resistant.” We don’t cancel our events for rain, thunder or hailstorms in the summer.

Nor do we cancel if there are blizzards and below zero temperatures in the winter.

For more information, contact: Virginia Bryan, Director Artwalk Downtown Billings 2815 - 2nd Avenue North Billings, Montana 59101 406.690.1662 virginiab@downtownbillings.com

Live Music

Billings residents are music lovers and it’s reflected in the number of venues throughout the city and the concerts that happen every day of the week.

You can find what bands are playing and where online and in the Welcome!

Visitors Guide. If you want a rock concert, check out the Pubstation. If you want dance and techno, check out The Loft. The Garage at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. has rock, country and bluegrass. MetraPark periodically holds concerts throughout the year with national bands and performers.

Check out the Welcome! Visitors Guide through out the area for weekly events.

All events are subject to change.

Check online for updates.

Truss & Floor Design

• Plan Design • Builder References • Product Selection

• Estimating • Building Knowledge • Project Consultation

• Financial Arrangements • Delivery Coordination • Follow Through

BILLINGS

1009 Mullowney Ln 406-256-0740

LAUREL

501 E. Main 406-628-8224

BILLINGS

6915 Entryway Drive 406-256-1540

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To Roundup (49 Miles)

Motorsports Park (Mile Marker 16)

Pemberton Ln

Skyview High School

Wicks Ln

Barrett Rd

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Bench Blvd

FWP Statiton

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S e caves were home to generations of Av d Montana Fish, Wildlife & r prehistoric hunters. A loop trail allows 3 Parks Region 5 Office visitors to view the rock paintings, known Broadwater Ave The Region 5 office is located at 2300 as pictographs, that are still visible in Lake Elmo Dr. From Highway 87 or Pictograph Cave. Start your visit at the Main Street, turn west on Wicks Lane. visitor e center.S www.stateparks.mt.gov/ South v A Lake Elmo Drive is90 the first street.

Turn ve apictograph-cave/ Josephine A Park n S S S S (north). The office is at Lake st ta e 1 e right Elmo e Park n e v v v v A A A A h Mo h d h 5t 7t 3r 9t State Park. Learn more at 406-247-2940 MetraPark State e MetraPark - an arena pavilion, expoAve or fwp.mt.gov.

Av e Western at center and fairgrounds - is a community St Sugar Co-Op 450 Lake ElmoExitState Park facility hosting events from ice shows, Bring your family and friends Lake sporting events and concerts, to large Elmo State Park, 2300 Lake Elmo Drive. trade shows, and the annual August This 64-acre reservoir inside the city MontanaFair and rodeo. The Rodeo limits of Billings is a great place to swim, Hall of Fame, with its memorial bronze Wilson boat, sailboard, fish, picnic, birdwatch sculpture and wall of champions, Park or stroll on the 1.4 mile hiking/nature survived the June 20, 2010, Father’s Day

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www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 5

More listings on next page…

trail. A special feature of Lake Elmo is its Dog Park. The 200-square-foot fenced in area includes a water area and is located on the west side of the lake. Each visitor is allowed a maximum of two dogs in this special area. Dogs must be four months or older. Dogs must be on a leash in all other areas of Lake Elmo State Park. The park is open daily all year from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Two Moon Park

Two Moon Park, named for the Northern Cheyenne chief who fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, borders the Yellowstone River on the south and a steep, forested bluff to the north.

A grand loop trail runs around the park, but it is intertwined with numerous other paths and trails, some through open meadows and others ducking under Hansel-and-Gretel-like bowers.

On the downstream end of the park, the

Weeping Wall, shot through with seeping springs, attracts a great variety of birds and mantles the cliffside with sheaths of ice in the winter.

At the upper entrance to Two Moon Park, you can hop onto the paved Dutcher Trail, which continues north to the far end of the Heights and upstream to Coulson Park.

Boothill Cemetery Monument

The Boothill Cemetery Monument, on the corner of E. Airport Road and Route 87, is a burial ground for two score residents of Coulson - a rough and ready forerunner of Billings - most of whom “cashed it in with their boots on.”

Buried here is Muggins Taylor, the scout who carried the news of Custer’s Last Stand to the world. The last burial at Boothill was in 1882.

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Par 3 Golf Course

Daniel St

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King Ave West

Downtown Brewery Trail

Mountview Cemetery

S 20th St W

S 24th St W

Rimrock Mall Monad Rd

Downtown Billings is home to several breweries and each one is walking distance of each other.

Spend the day going to each one and experience a taste of Montana.

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Central Ave

Central Ave

Regal St

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Billings West High School

Centennial Park

Shiloh Crossing

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Gabel Rd

Dehler Park, on the corner of 10th Avenue North and N 27th Street, is the home of the Cincinnati Reds baseball farm team, the Billings Mustangs.

Get tickets at BillingsMustangs.com or 406-252-1241.

Rose Park

Lewis Ave

MSU-B City College

The 66,000 square foot Billings Public Library, designed by Will Bruder + Partners, opened Jan. 6, 2014. Features include a radiant atmosphere full of natural light, a story time tower, King Ave W easy-to-use checkout systems, public computing areas for children, teens and adults, free public wifi, comfortable seating throughout, community meeting rooms, study rooms, cafe - and much more. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to 510 N. Broadway or www.billingslibrary.org

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Yegen Golf Club

Billings Public Library

Dehler Park

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The two-story Babcock Theater building, at 2812 Second Ave. North, covers 1/4 of a city block in the center of downtown Billings. Built in 1907, it houses a 750-seat performing arts theater, apartments, and main floor retail spaces. The building has had only three owners in over 100 years and has recently undergone extensive internal and external restoration. The building has been accepted for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

Look for events at babcocktheater.com.

Shiloh Road

Babcock Theater

Grand Ave

Rocky Mountain College

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Alberta Bair Theater

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Zimmerman Trail

Be sure to stop by the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, 815 South 27th St., near I-90 Exit 450. Enlist the help of one of the knowledgeable To Molt and Phipps Park Rimrock Rd volunteers, pick up a map, a phone book, and a variety of visitor guides and begin your trek through Billings, Montana’s Trailhead. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.

Poly to 5 p.m., call (406) 245-4111, or check Vista out visitbillings.com.

Park The Alberta Bair Theater for Performing Arts (ABT), at 2801 Third Ave. North in Billings, opened in January of 1987. It is the largest performing arts theater between Minneapolis and Spokane and is home to the Billings Symphony and Community Concerts.

Learn more by calling 406-256-6052 or visit albertabairtheater.org.

State Highway 3

Zimmerman Park

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Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center

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can park on any of the side streets, but mind the one ways. Come and enjoy the guided tours through the house.

Explore the mansion and see original artwork, clothing, and artifacts showing the history of the historic Moss family.

Then swing through the massive garden used for several yearly events. www. mossmansion.com Tues.-Sun.: Noon - 3 p.m.

Downtown Billings

Garden Ave

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Josephine Moss Mansion Historic House Park At 914 Division Street, you Museum.

Downtown Billings has something for everyone. From Montana Ave to 6th Ave N. and from Division St. and N 20th St., experience the best food in town. See the best shows that Billings’ own actors put on throughout the year. Shop two of the state’s biggest antique shops. Stay at nearby hotel and spend the whole day experiencing Downtown. www. downtownbillings.com

Yellowstone Art Museum

The YAM was founded in 1964 in the former Yellowstone County Jail building. The YAM is a nationally recognized accredited museum through the American Alliance of Museums–one of only 2% of museums in the country to share this honor. The YAM hosts a contemporary art auction in the spring and a summer arts and crafts fair each year. The YAM is open year-round, six days a week. It is closed Mondays and selected national holidays. The YAM continues to retain its place as the leading contemporary art museum in the state of Montana. www.artmuseum.org

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A hidden treasure western history enthusiasts will delight in discovering, the Yellowstone County Museum has exhibits dedicated to ranch life, historic firearms, and one of the largest collections of American Indian artifacts in the region.

Stop by on you way out of the airport parking lot (on your right before you leave Terminal Circle.)

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The Montana Audubon Conservation Education Center strives to help sustain the natural heritage of the Yellowstone MetraPark River watershed Center through education and Expo research. From Interstate 90, take Exit 447 traveling south on South Billings Exit 452 Boulevard for just short of a mile.

The center is on the right, 7026 South Billings Blvd. Free admission. Check 5 Miles to online for events and guided toursPictograph that happen year around.

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8 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

2018 Alive After 5 Schedule The Downtown Billings Alliance & Valley Credit Union present the 2019 Alive After 5 summer concert series. The eight-week Alive After 5 concert series will open with a Monsters of Rock Tribute with Kicking Karma on Thursday, June 6th from 5pm-8pm at the Pub Station, 2502 1st Ave. N. Alive After 5 takes place weekly, Thursday evenings, from 5pm -8pm at different outdoor venues in downtown Billings, starting on June 6th and continuing through August 1st. There will be no concert on July 4th, in observance of Independence Day. The entertainment line-up ranges from local and regional favorites to nationally touring bands. Each concert will include various food vendors with outdoor food menu options to choose from.

Admission for Alive After 5 remains free for the public, however, individuals 21 and older consuming alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband.

New to the concert series this year is the Valley Credit Union V.I.P. Area. Each concert will have a special V.I.P area with chairs, tables and easy access to one of the event bar locations.

There will be a limited number of $10 V.I.P wristbands sold each week. The limited number of V.I.P wristband will be available weekly for purchase, in person at the DBA office located at 116 N. 29th Street or call the DBA office at (406) 294-5060, each Thursday from 9am - 1pm.

Details and band information can be found at www.downtownbillings.com

Date Location----------------------------------------------------Band June 6 Pub Station:---Monsters of Rock Tribute w/ Kicking Karma facebook.com/kickingkarma June 13 Daisy Dukes: -------------------------------------------------- Exit 53 exit53band.com June 20 Uberbrew: ---------------------------------- Cole and the Thornes coleandthethornes.com June 27 Hooligan’s Sports Bar:----------------------------- Tim Montana timmontana.com July 11 Montana Brewing Co.: ---------------------------------El Wencho elwencho.com July 18 Tiny’s Tavern:---------------------------------------- Arterial Drive arterialdrive.com July 25 Walker’s:-------------------------------John Roberts y Pan Blanco johnroberts.net August 1 McCormicks Cafe:-Chubby Carrier and Bayou Swamp Band chubbycarrier.com

Please Don’t Feed the Bears:

Close Encounters with Yellowstone Wildlife Western Heritage Center, 2822 Montana Ave., Billings, Mt. February 28 – December 28, 2019

Nature Education Along the Yellowstone Summer Camps

Family Programs

Birdwatching

Hiking

Birthday Parties

Field Trips 7026 South Billings Blvd 406-294-5099

www.mtaudubon.org/center

The relationship between Yellowstone Park visitors and resident wildlife is a complicated one. At one time, visitors could pet and feed park animals including marmots, elk, and of course, the bears. Please Don’t Feed the Bears: Close Encounters with Yellowstone Wildlife tracks the park’s transition from a visitor playground where these interactions were encouraged to today’s wildlife preserve where visitor behavior is closely monitored. The exhibit is highly interactive and includes family-friendly activities.

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 9

The front of the Chief ’s House (Photo by Donaldson)

2019 PROGRAM SCHEDULE For more information on any of Chief Plenty Coups State Park’s programs, please call: (406) 252-1289.

SAT., JUNE 1ST

National Trails Day

Enjoy a family-oriented guided hike through the park to learn about the plants and animals that live along Pryor Creek. Attendees will also be introduced to stewardship principles.

11 a.m.

FREE Visitor Center SAT., JUNE 15TH

Plenty Coups Picnic Day

Kickoff the summer at Chief Plenty Coups State Park’s 5th annual picnic day. Come out and explore the park while enjoying a free hot dog picnic.

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

FREE SUN., JUNE 30TH

Chief Plenty Coups State Park Chief Plenty Coups State Park holds many attractions. The Visitor Center hosts interactive exhibits about Crow culture and on the Chief’s life along with a book/gift shop. Chief Plenty Coups’ National Historic Landmark house and store are preserved. There is a ¾ of a mile walking trail that winds around the park going past the sacred spring, the Chief’s apple orchard, Pryor Creek, and the grave site for the Chief, his wives and adopted daughter. Many people come to the sacred spring to enjoy the tranquillity. There are picnic areas with barbecues, a playground, and horseshoe pits for pleasant afternoon picnics.

The creation of this State Park was part of Chief Plenty Coups’ dream to have a space where all peoples could come together to learn about each other. Chief Plenty Coups’ life encompassed a period of transition from a nomadic to a sedentary way of life for the Crow Tribe. There is a rich history here, preserved and protected by the Crow Tribe and the State of Montana.

The Park hosts several cultural community events throughout the year. There are programs at the Park on select days during the summer months, and a Day of Honor and Heritage Day during September. In addition to public-welcome events, Chief Plenty Coups State Park also hosts teacher trainings and school field trips with standards-based curriculum, as well as tours for groups.

During the summer, the park is an excellent choice for a day trip, a stop on a further road trip to Yellowtail Dam, or a stop-over point for travellers heading into the Pryor Mountains. Birders enjoy the park in both summer and winter as the Park hosts a stunning variety in both seasons. Winter sport lovers come to the Park in the winter time to cross-country ski or snowshoe.

Bison Hide-Working

Learn how early Native Americans tanned and processed buffalo hides with anthropologist Billy Maxwell.

1 -3 p.m.

FREE Visitor Center SAT., JULY 27TH

Scavenger Hunt

Explore the park’s vast cultural, historical, and ecological resources by participating in a scavenger hunt. Open to participants of all ages and abilities!

1-4 p.m.

FREE Visitor Center

SAT., AUGUST 10TH

Native Plants Presentation

Plants have cultural and biological significance in Crow Country.

Discover how to identify native plants and the historical and present use of those plants. A guided walk will follow the presentation.

10 a.m. - Noon FREE Visitor Center SAT., AUGUST 31ST

25th Annual Day of Honor

This annual day of cultural sharing includes speakers, artists, drummers, and dancers. It concludes with a free buffalo feast.

Begins at 11 a.m.

FREE FRI., SEPTEMBER 27TH

Native American Heritage Day

Enjoy a parade and pow wow hosted

by St. Charles Mission School.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

FREE SAT., SEPTEMBER 28TH

National Public Lands Day

Volunteer to help improve your public lands! We will identify invasive weeds in the park and complete a weed pull. Email AmeriCorps member Kate at Kate.Yeater@mt.gov for more information and to sign-up for this event.

9 a.m. - Noon FREE Visitor Center DECEMBER 1ST-24TH

Christmas Gift Shop Sale

View Christmas lights at Chief Plenty Coups’ house. Enjoy special sales in the gift shop & enter to win door prizes.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

FREE Visitor Center

Native Heritage Day (Photo by Fontana)

10 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Laurel

Crossroads Community

Laurel is at the center of Explorer Country. From here, travelers have several exciting options to choose from for their trip to adventure.

Laurel’s city center Interstate 90, Exit 434 is one of the busiest in Montana.

It’s no wonder, for this exit allows people to travel south to three extraordinary highways that go over the top of the world and into Yellowstone Park.

Choose the adventure you want. Travel to Cody, Wyoming, then take Highway 20 to the East Entrance over Sylvan Pass. Or, before Cody, take the ultra-scenic Chief Joseph Highway north of Cody and join up with the Beartooth Highway to Cooke City and Silvergate at the Northeast Entrance. The adventurous won’t want to miss the opportunity to climb above timberline on the majestic Beartooth Highway south of Red Lodge, which leads to the Northeast Entrance.

Laurel is also at the crossroads of the Mountain West and the Great Plains. It is the west entry to South Central Montana’s beautiful high plains prairie vacation land. And, it is the east entry to the majestic Yellowstone Country of South Central and Western Montana. No wonder people say it’s easy to go anywhere you want in Montana from Laurel.

Laurel’s city population is around 7,000 in the city limits and

approaches 10,000 within its school district, making it one of the largest Class A school districts in Montana.

Events in Laurel

Rock the Block | June through August June 7th, June 21st, July 5th, July 19th, Aug. 2nd, Aug. 16th, Aug. 30th Downtown Laurel comes alive with music and fun all summer long at “Rock the Block.” On select Friday evenings each month, the Laurel Alive organization sponsors popular bands for informal concerts in Laurel’s downtown Town Square. There is no admission fee. Beverages and food are available for purchase.

Music gets started at 6 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m. Town Square is in the middle of downtown Laurel on First Avenue North.

Fourth of July | July 4 6 a.m. Jaycee Pancake Breakfast at Fireman’s Park 6:30 a.m. Chief Joseph 2, 4, and 8 mile runs 10 a.m. Food and Craft Fair 10 a.m. Kiddie Parade | 11 a.m. Parade LVFD Fireworks at dusk at Thompson Park This is the biggest fireworks show in the state. Be in Laurel on the Fourth of July to see the state’s largest, most spectacular fireworks display! You won’t believe that this extravaganza is free.

The Fourth of July is a fun-for-all celebration in Laurel.

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Your hometown real estate office since 1982 (406) 628-7905

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Doug Woerner, DO

Kellie Depuydt, NP

Activities begin the night before on July 3, with the Street Dance.

Starting at 7 p.m. great music will fill the streets of downtown Laurel at this long-standing event.

The morning of the Fourth finds the Jaycees going strong, cooking pancakes for a community breakfast. Breakfast starts at 6 a.m. and continues until 11 a.m.

Also on the morning of the Fourth, the Laurel Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Chief Joseph Run. This popular event is in its 19th year. It follows the route that members of the U.S. Cavalry rode in pursuit of the Nez Perce Indians in 1877 that led to the Canyon Creek Battle, north of what is today’s city of Laurel. Runners may choose from an eight-mile run, fourmile run or two-mile run. Early registration deadline is June 20.

Participants may enter beginning at 6 a.m. on race day. The run begins at 7 a.m.

At 10 a.m., the Laurel Jaycees will host a Kiddie Parade. Then the Grand Parade begins at 11 a.m.

Throughout the day, beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until 9 p.m., the Laurel Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a food and craft fair on First Avenue North between the 700 and 800 blocks near Thomson Baseball Park.

Music in Thomson Park begins at 6 p.m. Then stretch your blanket and lawn chairs under the sky at dusk. When it gets dark, the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department presents an amazing display of fireworks. It’s free. It’s dazzling. It’s one of the biggest fireworks shows in the Northwest. Don’t miss Laurel’s signature event.

Healing Field | September 11-14 The Healing Field® is an inspirational and uplifting display of one thousand American flags standing in a solemn and magnificent formation to remember and honor those killed in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, those that served our country then and now, whether veterans, active military, first responders, police, firefighters and ALL of the Heroes in Our Lives.

The field next to South Elementary School along S. 5th Street, Laurel, will be transformed into a panorama of red, white and blue that cannot be adequately described, but once experienced it is not to be forgotten. You can honor your own Hero by sponsoring an individual flag for as little as $40! Please visit www. healingfield.org/LaurelMT19 for more sponsorship options. All profits will go toward local non-profit organizations serving the Laurel area.

There will be no charge to visit the Healing Field® display.

Christmas to Remember Parade and Craft Fair December 1st Laurel is brilliant at Christmas time. The business community lights, Santa’s workshop in the city center, and lights from the countryside make Laurel a true holiday jewel.

On the first Sunday in December, a Parade of Lights down First Avenue in downtown Laurel at 5 p.m. features a lighted parade. Fireworks herald the arrival of Santa at approximately 5:30 p.m.

All events are subject to change.

Check online for updates.

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www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 11

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(8733)

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815 East Main Street | Laurel, MT • 406-628-4515

OFF EXIT 437

12 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Facilities

Laurel Chamber of Commerce | 108 East Main St., 406-628-8105 Stop at the Chamber of Commerce office for directions and information. The log cabin office and museum structure is a historic Department of Transportation building.

The chamber cabin is located in a beautiful park known as Firemen’s Park where a statue of the famous Nez Perce Chief Joseph points the way for travelers to the site of the Canyon Creek Battle of 1877.

Inside the chamber building is a collection of historical photographs of Laurel. Also, the chamber serves as a visitor information center with maps, brochures, and more about Montana, Wyoming, and Yellowstone Park. The Laurel Garden Club enhances the park with a flower garden. They have planted native wildflowers and plants around the interpretive displays. The old North School bell and school marker are part of the garden display.

Airport | Three miles north of downtown.

Laurel Municipal Airport-6S8 • 406-628-4595 The Laurel Airport is the busiest non-towered general aviation airport in the state and is located three miles north of Laurel at an elevation of 3,500 feet. The airport has three runways, two paved and one grass. The longest runway is 5,200 feet by 75 feet. Hangar building sites are available. Self-service fuel is available 24 hours per day. The fixed base operator at the Laurel Airport is Northern Skies Aviation, offering Part 141 Airplane and Helicopter flight training, charter, sightseeing, and general aircraft maintenance including annuals and repairs. Learn more at 628-2219 or northernskies.com.

Licensed • Bonded • Insured Accepting All Major Cards Residential • Commercial • Industrial New Construction • Remodeling

808 W. Main • Laurel, MT • 628-8886 www.aceelectricmt.com

Parks

Laurel has a wonderful children’s playground in Kiwanis Park 1, located in the north side of town. Follow First Avenue North (Laurel’s main north/south route) to Mountainview Lane. Turn west and drive two blocks to Kids’ Kingdom playground.

The municipal swimming pool is located near the center of town at Thomson Park 2. The park also has an events shelter, picnic tables, playground equipment, softball fields and volleyball areas.

Thomson Park is also the location of the American Legion baseball field. Visitors can catch a game throughout the summer when the local baseball team, the Laurel Dodgers, is in town.

A nice attraction at the edge of town is Laurel Lions Family Park 3 at South Pond. It has walking trails, a picnic shelter, restrooms, a graveled parking area and a paved area for handicap parking. Turf and irrigation systems have been added, thanks to the efforts of the Lions Club, the City of Laurel, and Montana Department of Transportation.

Montana fishing licenses are required to fish for the pond’s trout. Snags are few. It’s perfect for kids.

If fishing or boating is more your thing, check out Riverside Park 4.

There you will find with a camp ground (closed this year for repair,) a boat ramp access to the Yellowstone River, recreational buildings, horseshoe pits, a volleyball field, and picnic area.

Green Bluff Ave

Alder Ave.

rest Ave. ll C Hi

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 13

W 14th St.

r. ey D Vall

W 13th St.

Murry Park

Round House

Kiwanis Park

W Maryland Ln

W 9th St.

Locust Ave.

Juniper

Fir Ave.

Elm Ave.

Cottonwood Ave.

Alder Ave.

Birch Ave.

Washington Ave.

Wyoming Ave.

Pennsylvania Ave.

E Railroad St.

SE 4th St. Cedar Ave.

Woodland Ave.

Yellowstone Ave.

Durland Ave.

West Ave.

Colorado Ave.

1st Ave.

Montana Ave.

4th Ave.

3rd Ave.

5th Ave.

6th Ave.

7th Ave.

8th Ave. S 8th Ave.

Forrest Ave.

South Elementary K School

W 6th St.

Ave.

3

... shin Wa

South Poud

o Idah

S 3rd St.

W 5th St.

W 8th St.

sy...

Fireman’s Park

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Fireman’s Memorial Park

na nta Mo

W 1st St.

Ohio

W 4th St.

2nd Ave.

W 5th St.

Wood's Powr-Grip Co, Inc

Laurel Sports Complex

Thompson Park

W 6th St.

W 2nd St.

Middle W 8th St. School

Idaho Ave.

2

W 7th St.

W 3rd St.

E Maryland Ln

High School

W 8th St.

West Elementary School

Yard Office Rd.

1

W 11th St.

9th Ave.

11th Ave.

E Ridge Dr 12th Ave.

Che rry

Dr.

W 12th St.

W 9th St.

Exit 433

To Yellowstone National Cemetery & Laurel Cemetery

90

S 4th St. S 5th St.

Exit 434

To Red Lodge and Yellowstone National Park

4

CHS Refrinery

Riverside Park

B e s t P r i c e s a n d Q u a l i t y i n M o n t a n a Dually Flatbed

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14 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Paddling the Yellowstone River

By CHRIS MCCONNELL Laurel Outlook staff writer

The Yellowstone River is a national treasure and the longest free–flowing river in the United States (outside of Alaska). Recreational opportunities abound and include rafting, canoeing, kayaking and even inner-tubing near Billings. Of the 678 miles from its source in Yellowstone National Park to the confluence with the Missouri, 554 river miles are in Montana.

The bird watching is phenomenal between Big Timber and Pompey’s Pillar and paddlers can expect to see bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey and great blue herons on every trip. In the spring pelicans and Sandhill cranes are common as well. Whitetail deer, fox, coyotes, mink, black bears, beavers and river otters are also present but less common.

Some guidebooks call the river Class I (the easiest on a I–VI scale of difficulty) which is inaccurate for some sections of the river above Billings (especially in canoes), even at normal flows. Open Class II is a better designation between Big Timber and Park City, but during high water there are Class III wave trains and even Class IV holes. The Yellowstone takes lives nearly every year and there have been many rescues from log jams and sweepers/strainers.

An experienced whitewater rafter or kayaker won’t find many thrills during August and September flows (3,000–8,000 cubic feet per second at the Billings gauge) except closer to Yellowstone National Park in Yankee Jim Canyon. But for those in open canoes there are multiple spots where they can swamp, and tricky and pushy currents require canoeists to pay attention.

The summer season on the river for novice paddlers generally begins in mid– July and can extend through October if the weather holds. Late April to early May can afford good day or overnight trips in mild years. From mid–May to mid–July the river is generally too high (20,000–70,000 cfs) and combined with 40–50 foot cottonwood trees and smaller debris in the water, the river should be avoided no matter the experience level.

Practiced beginners in rafts, drift boats, canoes and kayaks can navigate the river safely at normal flows between Park City and Pompey’s Pillar but paddlers should still have a modicum of river–reading experience and watch out for sweepers and strainers on the outside bends. After particularly high runoff or flooding, large cottonwoods can be found in the center of the river and require the paddler to maneuver their craft through these potentially deadly hazards.

For those looking to take overnight or extended trips, traditional campsites can be found at some fishing access sites and at Itch–Kep–Pe Park (1) in Columbus (immediately below the Columbus bridge on river left), but the finest Yellowstone camping experience is had by simply stopping on any one of hundreds of islands found throughout the stretch. Wood is plentiful for fires on most islands, but be aware of any fire restrictions in the area.

BLM Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Dr, Billings, MT 59101 (406) 896-5000 waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 15 To Pompey’s Pillar

1: Itch–Kep–Pe Park 2: Duck Creek Bridge 3: Huntley Diversion Dam 4: Riverside Park 5: Riverfront Park 6: Coulson Park

Absarokee

Red To

Lod

ge

The USGS river gauge at Billings is best for the river on the 127 mile stretch from Big Timber to Pompey’s Pillar, but during runoff it is good to check the flows on the Stillwater and Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone as those, along with the Boulder river at Big Timber, are the major tributaries below Livingston.

Take special care when going under bridges as the currents are tricky in spots. The second bridge (lower) at the I–90 bridge west of Columbus has large standing waves year–round that can swamp a canoe. At higher flows the waves become huge (relative to the Yellowstone River below Yankee Jim Canyon) and can even flip rafts. The river–left channel coming into Columbus will push the boat into the left bridge abutment so it is best to take the right channel. The Duck Creek Bridge (2) below Laurel is at an angle to the main current so in medium or high water go under the bridge as far left as possible to avoid powerful hydraulics.

The Huntley Diversion Dam (3) below Billings is the most dangerous permanent feature on the river and must be avoided by taking the left channel. There is only one sign warning of the hazard approximately 2,000 feet upriver on the left.

Again, water level, paddler skill level (river reading and paddling skill) and the type of water craft are all factors in navigating the Yellowstone River safely, but with a bit of caution a day or multiple days on the river will not easily be forgotten.

River maps are available at the BLM office in Billings, 5001 Southgate Dr., which have mileage charts and geological and historical information. Current USGS water data for the Yellowstone River–and all of Montana–can be found at waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/current?type=flow.

16 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Stillwater County

Sheep Drive in Reed Point. Photo courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.

Located in southcentral Montana, Stillwater County consists of 1,793 square miles with geographic features that range from the Beartooth Absaroka Wilderness Area at the southern end of the county, to the Stillwater and Yellowstone river valleys in the central section, to the lake basins, coulees and rolling plains at the northern end. Stillwater County has it all!

Explore the Stillwater Valley, a 75-mile stretch of two lane roads that start at Columbus; travel through Absarokee to Fishtail, Dean and Nye. Discover our “Hidden Valley” where you’ll find the surroundings peaceful and the scenery breathtaking.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition covered more miles in Montana than in any other state, not because of its size, but because the Corps split into four parties for the 1806 return trip, each with a different assignment and route. Follow Clark’s return through Reed Point, Columbus and Park City to Pompeys Pillar National Historic Monument, the only surviving physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Travel to Rapelje and Molt where the wildlife outnumber the people! Visit the Hailstone and Halfbreed National Wildlife Refuges, unique recreational and sightseeing opportunities.

Park City

Park City is located along the Yellowstone River, southwest of Laurel on I-90, at Exit 426. The community was originally known as Young’s Point. Alonzo Young established a boat land-

ing on the Yellowstone River near this site and opened a post office named Young’s Point in 1878. A prominent sandstone butte west of Park City on the south side of the Yellowstone River still bears his name. A colony of settlers from Wisconsin, arrived in 1882, planted a grove of elms and maples, and established their post office which they called Park City. When the Northern Pacific Railroad’s main line passed through the community shortly after that, the railroad constructed a station, calling it Rimrock for the sandstone cliffs north of town. The name Park City persisted, however.

The homesteaders from Ripon, Wisconsin, came by covered wagon. They stayed in Park City and established prosperous farms and ranches, raising cattle, sugar beets, wheat, barley, and hay.

Park City has the nickname of the “Garden Spot.” It is located just inside Stillwater County in south-central Montana.

Park City has the lowest elevation in Stillwater County at 3,400 feet above sea level.

The first known account of Park City appeared in the journal of Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Clark and his men journeyed down the Yellowstone after they split with Captain Lewis’ party. Clark’s party took a route that put them on the Yellowstone, and they explored the valley to where it flowed into the Missouri River.

The notes of the party indicate that they spent a week in the valley where Young’s Point is located and hewed boats from the

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 17

giant cottonwoods that grew along the river.

You can get to the Yellowstone River at the Sportsman’s Park Access, also known as Buffalo Mirage Access. Sportsman’s Park is located east of Park City on the south frontage Road between Laurel and Park City. The fishing access there is a favorite with local sportsmen and recreationists.

Columbus

Columbus is the county seat of Stillwater County. The earliest reference to the site where Columbus now stands comes from Capt. William Clark, who entered what he called the Rosebud River here in 1806. The first permanent structure was an 1865 trading post, known as Eagle’s Nest. In 1879, the community moved and became known as Sheep Dip because the liquor distilled in the gulch north of town tasted more like insecticide than whiskey. In 1882, when the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived, the community moved a little closer to the confluence of the Yellowstone and Stillwater Rivers and changed its name to Stillwater. Columbus is at least the fourth name and location for this community. It was bestowed in 1893 by the NP Railroad.

Columbus is now a shipping center for the rich farm and ranch lands around it. Its greatest flurry of prosperity came when contractors chose the Columbus Quarry to furnish the stone for the state capitol building in Helena. This project and other contracts for the fine stone kept the quarries and the railroad busy for several years.

Stillwater County has the Bozeman Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail and the Yellowstone Trail running through it.

Columbus is situated at the mouth of the Stillwater River where it flows into the mighty Yellowstone. From here, travelers can drive up the beautiful Stillwater Valley to the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, the highest mountain range in Montana.

Elevation ranges from 3,400 feet above sea level near Park City, in the east-central part of the county, to over 12,000 feet above sea level near Granite Peak, the tallest mountain in Montana, on the southern boundary of Stillwater County. Columbus itself has plenty of outdoor recreation.

National Register The New Atlas Bar was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 2011. The 112-year-old building, known for its unusual architecture and unusual animal mounts draws curious visitors from all over the world. The walls would talk of the dance hall, a bit of a fire and its erstwhile bowling alley. See the Atlas at 528 E. Pike Ave.

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Local attractions Columbus is the home of the world-renowned Montana Silversmiths manufacturing headquarters. Other local attractions include a golf course, river rafting, fishing, horseback riding, city parks, tennis courts, swimming pools, public campground, churches, modern hospital, clinic and nursing home. You will also find an assortment of good eating places. Call 406-322-4505 for more information.

There are great camp sites near Columbus. One public access along the Yellowstone River is Itch-Kep-Pe Park.

This park has 30 tent and trailer campsites, a boat ramp, restrooms, and drinking water. Stays are limited to 14 days. Call 406-322-5313.

Museum of the Beartooths Visit the Museum of the Beartooths in Columbus for an understanding of area history, including artifacts of the Rosebud River Crow Indians, Northern Pacific Railroad memorabilia and World War II history.

The Museum of the Beartooths reflects Stillwater County’s corner of Montana history. The main museum building outlines local history back to the 1870s. It includes a gift shop and large exhibit area.

The collections reflect the cultural mix of miners, frontiersmen, cattlemen, homesteaders and Native cultures who called Stillwater County home.

On the museum grounds are the T.T. Brown Schoolhouse, the Albert Johnson Tack Shop, a blacksmith shop, a 6,000 square foot building that houses special large collections and a sizable outdoor area of farming equipment. Visitors may tour a 1960s Northern Pacific caboose, donated by Burlington Northern/ Santa Fe Railroad.

Also available is an extensive archive that includes the Jim Annin collection, thousands of photographs, local newspapers, oral histories, many original documents, and journals — all accessible for researchers.

Call 406-322-4588 or visit museumofthebeartooths.com. The Museum is at I-90 Exit 408 to Columbus. Follow Highway 78 south to Fourth Avenue North. Turn right to Fifth Street, right again and go one block to Fifth Avenue.

Museum hours are April 1 - December 30, Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Memorial Day thru Labor Day, Monday Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

18 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

The path of the Crow People

The Crow people lived for generations within the vast and beautiful Beartooth Front. By the 19th century, however, non-Indian influences began to push Indians from their homeland and by mid-century, the U.S. Government established the First Crow Agency at Fort Parker, near present-day Livingston. In 1875, the agency moved south and east, near what is now Absarokee.

For nine years, the Absaroka Agency, or Second Crow Agency, served as a place of transition for the Crow people. Abandoned in 1884, the place disappeared into the landscape, but not from memory.

Now a newly developed driving tour allows Stillwater County visitors to learn about the events and locations essential to the cultural memory of the Crow people. Informational brochures and an accompanying map are available free at the Museum of the Beartooths in Columbus.

A great way to enjoy this tour is in a vehicle filled with people: one to navigate, one to read the 10 points of interest, and the others to look and listen. Modern-day explorers will retrace the steps of Plenty Coups, his warriors, and white settlers from Park City as they attempt to reclaim stolen horses at the Rapelje/ Hailstone Basin Battle. Then make your way south to the Yellowstone River, a misinterpretation of the Crow words for Elk Crossing River, where you’ll view the former locations of the region’s first booming enterprise — supply forts, illegal whiskey traders, and river ferries. From there, historic homes of the valley’s first Crow farmer-ranchers mark the path.

Stillwater Events June 1, 2019 - 9 a.m. - Absarokee

Stillwater Run & Ride

Registration is now open for the Stillwater Run & Ride!

Don't miss out on this charity event directly benefitting numerous Absarokee area non-profit groups!

Runners, walkers and bikers of all ages are invited and encouraged to participate.

The 5K and 10K run is a mostly flat, very scenic course along the Stillwater River. The 25 and 51 mile gravel bike ride winds through the hilly backroads of southern Stillwater County and includes a jaunt through the renowned Tippet Rise Art Center. www.absarokeecommunityfoundation.com

June 16, 2019 - 12 p.m. - Columbus

Montana 500

The Montana 500 is an annual 500 mile endurance run for minimally modified Model T Ford cars. It is held each year in a different town in Montana. www.facebook.com/ Montanafivehundred June 21-22, 2019 - 6 p.m. -Columbus

Nitro National Hillclimbs

Get up close and personal with the 2019 lineup at the Nitro National Pro

Hill Climb! Round 3 of the NAHA Pro Hillclimb Series! Join us for two days of hillclimbing, camping, FMX, fireworks and fun! /www.facebook. com/nitronational/ Click here for more information: http://nitronational.com/ or contact Tyler at 406-861-0288 June 22, 2019 - 7 a.m. - Fishtail

Fishtail Family Fun Day

Events begin with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. The infamous “two-mile parade in a one block town” begins at 11 a.m. The day's events include vendors, events in the park, auction and a duck race.

For more information please contact Fishtail General Store at 406-3284260.

June 23, 2019 - Noon - Absarokee

17th Annual Montana BBQ Cook-Off

The Montana BBQ Cook-Off is a judged competition for cash and prizes.

There is also a open competition!

Bring your best BBQ recipe, and let the best cook win! Sample microbrews and food, listen to some music, join in on the activities and have fun! www.facebook.com/pg/ MontanaBBQFUN

Home of the Crystal Blue Crab

On the banks of the Beartooth Mountains

Hatch Bone Enterprises • Dances with Rocks Studio

Dean, MT: Call Marty at 406-328-7733

10% Discount on your Next ticket.

Tell them you saw this ad in the Explorer.

406.322.4511 842 E. Pike Ave. Columbus, MT

July 11, 2019 - 6 p.m. - Absarokee

Thursday Thunder Rods & Hogs Car-TruckMotorcycle Show

Have a vintage, modern, old or new car, truck or bike? Check out Thursday Thunder Rods & Hogs and consider displaying your vehicle through entry with Kruizin’ 4 Seniors!

Held each Thursday in July from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Register at the booth in the First Interstate Bank parking lot, a weekly entry fee of $15 is required.

Each week, a winner will receive a $100 VISA gift card! Come join for BBQ , Drawings, Games and Tricycle Races! *All proceeds will be used to brighten the lives of the area elderly at Christmas.* Hosted by Kruizin' 4 Seniors 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in Absarokee For more information contact Michele at 406-328-4666 July 12-14 2019 - Columbus

2019 Yellowstone Boat Float

The 56th annual Boat Float https://www.facebook.com/ groups/134142730656/ Please follow the boat float group for any questions or comments.

Over 50 Fantastic Mounts

July 13, 2019 - 4 p.m. - Nye

Nye Goes Nuts

Nye Goes Nuts, the annual fun in the sun community wide event and fund raiser, will be held on July 13, 2019 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Volunteer Fire Department in Nye, Montana.

This event is free to attend and offers many free and fun activities. Some of these include: the chicken chase, a climbing wall, archery, water balloon launch, a petting zoo, face painting, a bouncy castle, horse-drawn wagon rides, and an original Yellowstone and Glacier National Park touring bus which offers rides through the Nye area. www.facebook.com/nyecf July 18, 2019 - 6 p.m. - Absarokee

Thursday Thunder Rods & Hogs Car-TruckMotorcycle Show

Have a vintage, modern, old or new car, truck or bike? Check out Thursday Thunder Rods & Hogs and consider displaying your vehicle through entry with Kruizin’ 4 Seniors!

Held each Thursday in July from 6 to 8:30 p.m.. Register at the booth in the First Interstate Bank parking lot, a weekly entry fee of $15 is required.

Each week, a winner will receive a $100 VISA gift card! Come join for BBQ , Drawings, Games and Tricycle Races! *All proceeds will be used to brighten the lives of the area elderly at Christmas.* Hosted by Kruizin' 4 Seniors 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in Absarokee For more information contact Michele at 406-328-4666

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 19 July 25, 2019 - 6 p.m. - Absarokee Sept. 1, 2019 - 10 a.m. - Reed Point Thursday Thunder

Rods & Hogs Car-TruckMotorcycle Show

Have a vintage, modern, old or new car, truck or bike? Check out Thursday Thunder Rods & Hogs and consider displaying your vehicle through entry with Kruizin’ 4 Seniors!

Held each Thursday in July from 6 to 8:30 p.m.. Register at the booth in the First Interstate Bank parking lot, a weekly entry fee of $15 is required.

Each week, a winner will receive a $100 VISA gift card! Come join for BBQ , Drawings, Games and Tricycle Races! *All proceeds will be used to brighten the lives of the area elderly at Christmas.* Hosted by Kruizin' 4 Seniors 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in Absarokee For more information contact Michele at 406-328-4666 July 26, 27, 2019 - 7 a.m. - Absarokee

Absarokee Days July 26-27

Sept. 14, 2019 - 7:30 p.m. - Fishtail

The 31st Annual Great Montana Sheep Drive 2019

Fun for all Ages! Car Show, Parade, Running of the Sheep, Street Dance, Food, Drinks, Live Auction Hundreds of sheep take to Reed Point’s Main Street during this Labor Day weekend staple. Events begin at 10 a.m. and include a street fair, parade and street dance. Sheep Drive info: Parade Info: Norma 780-1074 Cook off Info: Gayle 326-2187 & Maggie 326-2327 Booth Applications: Caryn 326-2293 November 9, 2019 - 2 p.m. - Absarokee

Kruizin' 4 Seniors Fundraiser Auction

Join us at the 5 Spot Bar in Absarokee, MT. Auction begins at 2 p.m. *All proceeds will be used to brighten the lives of the area elderly at Christmas.* Hosted by Kruizin' 4 Seniors All events are subject to change.

Check online for updates.

Kruizin' Dayz & Sippn' Nightz Fundrasier

Hosted by Kruizin' 4 Seniors Cowboy Bar in Fishtail. Live music

by Montana Sun from 8 p.m. - Noon.

Balloon pop beginning at 7:30 p.m. with lot of prizes and giveaways! *All proceeds will be used to brighten the lives of area elderly at Christmas.*

• CoLD BEEr • PoP

Several Very Unusual

• Liquors • CAsiNo

528 E. Pike Ave. • Columbus, MT 59019 • 406-322-9818 • Hours: 10 AM - 2 AM ——One of the Oldest Licensed Bars in Montana ——

20 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Photos courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.

Drive to the top of the world The Beartooth Highway was the brainchild of Dr. J.C.F. Siegfriedt, a local doctor who wanted to lure tourists to the Red Lodge area which was financially suffering from a waning coal industry.

To obtain federal aid, Siegfriedt teamed up with O.H.P. Shelley, founder of Carbon County News, and Congressman Scott Leavitt. Together, the men successfully lobbied for the passage of the Park Approach Act in 1931.

The act allocated funds to build roads to national parks. The pass was opened in 1936. The Beartooth Highway begins in the mountain town of Red Lodge and quickly starts climbing steep switchbacks. After winding 20 miles through 50-60 million-yearold mountains, you come to a pullout that provides excellent panoramas of the Beartooth Plateau.

From here you can see the Hell Roaring and Silver Run Plateaus to the north. Glacier Lake is also visible, and if you look hard enough, you might even spot a mountain goat or other wildlife. From here, the road keeps ascending and reveals magnificent canyons carved by the Clark’s Fork River.

Thirty miles from Red Lodge, you reach the summit of the pass at 10,974 feet. Shortly after, you come upon the only service area along the entire highway at the tiny settlement of Top of the

World. The descent provides views of many mountain lakes.

Besides breathtaking landscapes, look for wildflowers and wildlife. Wildflowers grow below treeline in the summers. Indian Paintbrush, monkeyflower, senecio, buttercups, lupine, arrowleaf, balsamroot, beardstongue, and forget-me-nots are among the wildflowers that carpet the country along the Beartooth Highway.

Drive with caution and keep your eyes peeled for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bears, grizzly bears, and moose.

When you decide to drive the Beartooth Scenic Highway, take your time. There are many excellent recreational opportunities along the way. There are numerous hiking trails off the road, including some that lead to Island Lake and Beartooth Lake. You can take off for a short day hike or a long multi-day trek. The Beartooth Loop National Recreation Trail is an excellent 15- to 20-mile hike that goes past the original site of Camp Sawtooth, formerly an exclusive vacation retreat. Cross country skiing is also possible in early June and July. The pass is closed to cars in the winter but is groomed for snowmobiles.

For Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road email: info@ beartoothhighway.com

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 21

Carbon County

Red Lodge Main Street. Photo courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.

The Montana legislature created Carbon County from portions of Park and Yellowstone counties in 1895. The name honors the abundant coal at Bearcreek and Red Lodge, the county seat. Because of its outdoor recreational opportunities and proximity to the Beartooth Mountains and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Carbon County’s village towns are now popular tourist destinations.

Roberts

Originally named Merritt, Roberts began as a Northern Pacific Railroad siding in 1893. The town was platted in 1902, at which time residents adopted the name Roberts. Two stories explain its naming. One says that the town was named for Northern Pacific surveyor W. Milnor Roberts, who promoted the Yellowstone River route for the railroad. The more accepted story among locals is that it was named for Frank Roberts, the railroad express manager between Billings and Red Lodge at the turn of the twentieth century.

There is a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fishing access on Rock Creek near Roberts, and the community gives travelers headed for the Beartooth Mountains and Yellowstone Park an excellent stop for services and supplies.

Roscoe

Roscoe was first known as Morris, named after one of the founding families in the area. However, the name was changed after the post office experienced difficulty sorting mail for Norris and Morris, both in the old Madison County. Mrs. Morris, the postmistress at the time, took the name of one of her horses, Roscoe.

Roscoe is located 14 miles south of Absarokee and 19 miles northwest of Red Lodge along Highway 78. It is approximately 60 miles southwest of Laurel.

A great campsite near Roscoe is the Jimmy Joe Campground.

Jimmy Joe Campground is located in Custer National Forest in South-central Montana.

Joliet

The famous Bozeman Trail crossed Rock Creek near Joliet.

Early day trappers plied their trade along the banks of the Clark’s Fork River and Rock Creek in this area.

The construction of the Rocky Fork & Cooke City Railway in 1892 made Joliet a shipping point for agricultural products.

Named for Joliet, Illinois, in 1895, the town unsuccessfully vied with Red Lodge to become the county seat of the new Carbon County.

Joliet is situated along the banks of Rock Creek, which tumbles from the high Beartooth Mountains, then winds through ranching and agricultural land on its way to its confluence with the Clark’s Fork River.

22 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Red Lodge

Red Lodge is a resort and ranching community with a colorful coal-mining past. At the base of the highest mountain range in Montana, the Beartooths, there are several mountain peaks rising over 12,000 feet, visible from Red Lodge. Red Lodge is surrounded by Custer National Forest. Its elevation is 5,555 feet.

According to the 2013 census estimate, the population of Red Lodge is 2,125. Including the surrounding area, the population exceeds 2,500.

Red Lodge, county seat of Carbon County, was established as a coal-mining community to fuel Northern Pacific Railroad locomotives after 1883. The name is derived from the Red Lodge clan of Crows who inhabited the valley at the time of Euro-American dominion of the west.

Production of coal from the Rocky Fork Mines began in 1887, although Yankee Jim George is credited with making coal deposit discoveries in the area as early as 1866.

In 1889, the Northern Pacific built a branch line from Laurel to serve the new coal mines and the growing community. Dr. J. M. Fox, a friend of Northern Pacific president Henry Villard, ran the first mine, and by 1903 the town boasted a population of 3,000.

By the mid-1930s, it was famous as a stopping point along the Red Lodge–Cooke City highway.

Area Attractions

Historic downtown Red Lodge features businesses built from the 1880s to 1915.

At the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary, you can view and pet native wild and domestic animals. Wild animals are at the sanctuary because they cannot be returned to the wild. See elk, deer, pronghorn, bears, mountain lions, wolves, bobcats, foxes, and farm animals.

The Carbon County Museum invites all those who are interested in the spirit of Montana’s pioneer heritage to view its exhibits.

Recreation

Red Lodge offers a variety of year-round recreation opportunities. Just don’t forget the downtown shopping area.

Red Lodge Mountain Ski Area, six miles from Red Lodge, is 9,416 ft. elevation with 65 trails; 17 percent are beginner, 45 percent are intermediate and 38 percent are advanced. Ski equipment rentals, sales and a child care center are available.

The scheduled opener for skiing is November.

Outdoor activities include snowmobiling, cross country skiing, fishing, hunting, hiking and camping in the Beartooth Mountains, horse-drawn wagon rides in summer and sled rides in winter, and swimming.

Foster & Logan’s Pub & Grill 17 S. Broadway, Red Lodge • 446-9080

20 Beers on Tap Full Bar ‘til 2 a.m.

Grill Open

11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. Daily

Come e the gam njoy e on of our 7 one f screen T lat Vs!

Red Lodge Events Red Lodge Music Festival

DATE: JUNE 1-9, 2019 Red Lodge Civic Center 215 14th St. SW, Red Lodge Website: www.rlmf.org Phone: (406) 252-4599 E-mail: eloiserkirk@yahoo.com The 56th annual Red Lodge Music Festival features five faculty concerts during the week and student concerts on the weekend. Student concerts free and open.

2019 Summer Shredfest

DATE: JUNE 17-21, 2019 Beartooth Basin Ski Area With some of the continent’s steepest in-bounds terrain and virtually no infrastructure, Beartooth Basin is the only summer-specific ski area in North America. There’s no warming hut or anything resembling a lodge. Two portapotties that sway in the mountain wind serve as restrooms. A generator supplies electricity for the two minimalist lifts, which pull skiers and snowboarders up the glacier-carved Twin Lakes Headwall.

Red Lodge Songwriter Festival

DATE: JUNE 20 - 22, 2019 Time: 4 p.m. to midnight Downtown Red Lodge P.O. Box 830, Red Lodge Cost: free-$100 Website: www.redlodgesongwriterfest.org Phone: 406-690-5988 E-mail: mike@beartoothbiz.com The Red Lodge Songwriter Festival brings hit Nashville Songwriters and the

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 23 best songwriters from Montana to perform and network with each other in the mountain community of Red Lodge.

For three days the streets, bars, cafes, and parks of Red Lodge become a gathering place for songwriters from Montana, Nashville and around the country.

This is when Red Lodge displays songwriting at its highest level in a fantastic setting. Park benches, bar stools, hotel lobbies, and parks become picking sessions.

Red Lodge 4th of July Parade

DATE: JULY 2ND,3RD, AND 4TH, 2019 Time: Noon Downtown Red Lodge Website: www.redlodgerodeo.com Phone: 406-446-1718 As always, the parades will begin promptly at noon on all three days.

For more information, visit www.redlodgerodeo.com or direct questions to Glory Mahan, Parade Director, (406) 446-1232 or gloryb@vcn.com.

Home of Champions Rodeo

DATE: JULY 2-4, 2019 Home of Champions Rodeo Grounds Website: www.redlodgerodeo.com Phone: 406-446-1718 Join us for the 90th Home of Champions Rodeo featuring some of professional rodeo's top cowboys and cowgirls. 90 Years of Ropin' and Ridin'.

Tickets available at www.redlodgerodeo.com

4th of July Fireworks Show

DATE: 4TH OF JULY, 2019 Time: 10 p.m. or Dark The fireworks are shot off on the East Bench and can be seen all over town Cost: Vip area available-call the Chamber Phone: 406-446-1718

Get away to the Hideaway Your Year-Round Getaway & Destination Location!

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24 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

51st Annual Beartooth Run

DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 13TH, 2019 Time: Race starts at 8:30 a.m.

Beartooth Highway Website: www.beartoothrun.com Phone: 406-446-1718 The Beartooth Run is Montana's famous hill climb road race, and this year, it has a 10K course at 10,000-ft elevation on the top of the scenic Beartooth Pass.

The new "10 at 10" course showcases incredible views from the top of Line Creek Plateau, including the prominent Bear's Tooth, which the area was named after.

Along with its incredible vistas, this course is all above 10,000 feet, making it one of the highest road races in the United States. Runners can choose between a 5K and 10K distance.

This is one of Montana's most beautiful road races with its amazing views and challenging course. Though all runners are encouraged to strive to challenge themselves 10k at 10,000 isn't your typical community "fun run." Note that there isn't a walking category, (though many runners end up walking) and that there is a time limit on this race of 1 hour at 50 minutes.

25th Annual Beartooth Rally

DATE: JULY 19-21, 2019 Website: www.beartoothrally.com Phone: 406-425-3451 Plan on the 25th Annual Beartooth Motorcycle Rally being better than ever!

As always this weekend promises lots of rides, food, and fun and dancing under the stars!

Stop by BONEDADDY's to pick up an official rally shirt and check out all the cool clothes and accessories.

The whole town opens its arms for this annual event.

July 21st: 25th Annual Iron Horse Rodeo at noon. Home of Champions Rodeo Grounds. Rodeo begins at 1 p.m.

Cruisen Red Lodge Car and Bike Show DATE: FRIDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 26-28, 2019 Red Lodge Website: www.cruisenredlodge.com Phone: Brian 406-545-9979 or Rick 406-426-0027 E-mail: randrframes@gmail.com

Red Lodge's premiere summer car show! Ogle over your favorite classic cars as you share your favorite "auto" biography stories!

10th Annual Cruisen Red Lodge Car & Bike Show Schedule of events: JULY 26 Pre Registration and Barbecue (free for participants) At Pride Park (12th & Broadway) 4 – 8 p.m.

Parade on Main Street at 7 p.m. (line up at Civic Center at 6:30 p.m.)

JULY 27 Car Show on Main Street 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. **parking begins at 7 a.m.** Poker Walk for Participants 11 a.m.

Awards at Pride Park 2 p.m.

JULY 28 Drag Races on the Airport Runway Races run from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. **Racers: $5 per race or $40 unlimited races** **Spectators: $5 per person 12 & under Free** *** Limited bleacher seating & concessions available*** Contacts: Brian 406-545-9979 or Rick 406-426-0027

Beartooth Rendezvous BMW Motorcycle Rally

DATE: AUGUST 15-18, 2019 Lions Beartooth Mountain Youth Camp (10 miles south of Red Lodge) Cost: TBA Website: www.beartoothbeemers.org Phone: (406) 696-2114 E-mail: registrar@beartoothbeemers.org 21st Annual Beartooth Rendezvous BMW Motorcycle Rally held at the Lions Camp south of Red Lodge off U.S. Highway 212 (the Beartooth Highway The Beartooth Beemers welcome all motorcyclists. Join us in riding the last best place.

40th Annual Labor Day Arts Fair DATE: SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2019 Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Lion's Club Park and Depot Gallery 11th West 8th St, Red Lodge

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1.800.926.1601 or 1.406.446.1601

Pets Welcome

www.chateaurouge.com info@chateaurouge.com 1505 S. Broadway, Redlodge Montana

---- Heading to the Beartooth Pass… we’re the last on the Right! ------- Coming from the Beartooth Pass… we’re the first on your Left! ---

Cost: Free www.carboncountydepotgallery.org Phone: 406-446-1370 carboncountyartsguild@yahoo.com 40th Annual Labor Day Arts Fair Join us for our 40th year! Enjoy the art and fine crafts from 90+ artists for one day only, Monday, Sept 3rd, in Lions Park, Red Lodge. Stroll the park and stop in the artists' booths. Shop for original creations for yourself or everyone on your holiday gift list. Food vendors surround the gazebo and offer lots of choices. Entertainment from local groups at the gazebo all day. This is the last significant event in Red Lodge before the Fall and Winter seasons, rain or shine! Bring your family and friends! Free admission.

Oktoberfest

DATE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2019 Time: 2 - 9 p.m.

Red Lodge Ales Phone: 406-446-4607 Oktoberfest is a family friendly day with lots of kids games.

Enjoy the ever-popular Oktoberfest Olympics, freshly brewed German beers, German food and live music.

The Nitty Gritty Off Road Race

DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2019 Red Lodge Mountain Resort E-mail: redlodgeevents@gmail.com This off-road race will be held at Red Lodge Mountain Resort. In its sixth year running, the Nitty Gritty is starting to earn quite the reputation. And that is, that it’s, one nitty, gritty marathon with 14.7 miles of climbing (3,400-feet of elevation gain) all on dirt roads and single track trails.

With a September date, your summer of running and racing will be what prepares you for this "battle royal" event. Though all distances are based on a full marathon, you don't have to do it alone! Form a six, or three runner relay team to tackle the event, or if you have the grit, solo away for a full 26.2 miles! The Nitty Gritty is a tough race with a flair of a festival. After your run, you can relax at your team's camp in the resort's base lodge courtyard while you enjoy music and food, get to know other runners and plan out next year's race schedule.

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 25

Christmas Stroll in Red Lodge

DATE: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, DEC. 6 - 7, 2019 Time: 6 to 9 p.m.

Downtown Red Lodge Cost: Free Website: www.redlodge.com/stroll Phone: 406-446-1718 director@redlodgechamber.org If you have never been here for The Red Lodge Annual Christmas Stroll, your holiday season is missing some of its magic. For two evenings, our downtown shops open their doors late with goodies and treats, while the entire town turns out for the kind of holiday cheer and goodwill that keeps the hearth fires burning til spring. So bundle up the kids and bring your holiday shopping list. It is a perfect recipe for enjoying the holiday season: FRIDAY NIGHT ONLY 5 p.m.: Fallen but not Forgotten Blue Light Ceremony. An invitation to a short service to remember all Fallen Law Enforcement at the Elks Lodge 114 N. Broadway.

5:30 p.m.: Community Lantern Walk.

6 p.m.: The 13th Annual Blade Parade will Kick off the Stroll at with Santa leading the way. Both begin at the Carnegie Library and continue down Broadway.

6-8 p.m.: Alte Kameraden Band playing at the Carbon County Steakhouse 6 to 7:30 p.m.: Red Lodge dancers will be performing at Red Lodge Drug Time TBD Absaroka Mountain Thunder - Cloggers perform near Flash's.

SATURDAY NIGHT ONLY 6 p.m. Start your evening with the Christmas Costume Parade as it travels down Broadway.

6 to 7:30 Red Lodge Dancers are performing at the Dance Studio.

Both Friday and Saturday 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. "Santa Claus is coming to Red Lodge." He will be at the Elks Lodge located at 114 N Broadway. The elves have been very busy decorating and getting ready for his arrival, so please stop by and see the Christmas wonderland.

6:30 to 9 p.m. The Beartooth Wagon & Sleigh Rides will be offering free rides.

Our downtown shops are open and welcoming you to enjoy your evening stroll.

All events are subject to change.

Check online for updates.

Elk River Outfitters

Horseback Rides In Billings and Red Lodge

Horseback Rides • Pack Trips • Guest Ranch

Call for reservations: 406-860-3699 www.elkriveradventures.com

26 - Explorer 2019 - A Laurel Outlook Publication

Boyd

Boyd, near Joliet, was named for John Boyd, a homesteader on Rock Creek. It became a rural independent station in 1965. This is an irrigated area with crops watered by melting snow from the Beartooth Mountains flowing into Rock Creek. The area around Boyd is excellent farm and ranch country.

At Boyd is the turnout to Cooney Dam. This popular recreation area is a state park. Adventurous travelers can drive all the way to Columbus or Absarokee over the Shane Ridge Road north of Cooney.

The popular reservoir there is one of the finest walleye fisheries in Montana. It also is full of trout. It is a popular summer boating and camping destination and a favorite among locals during the winter for ice fishing.

Edgar

Edgar is in the lower valley of the Clark’s Fork River. It was named for Henry Edgar, one of the discoverers of gold in Alder Gulch in Madison County.

Edgar is located not far from the Crow Indian Reservation near Pryor, the home and gravesite of the well-known Crow Chief Plenty Coups. From Edgar, drive east on a gravel road approximately 17 miles to the Plenty Coups State Park. There is a display of Crow artifacts and history, and a scenic picnic area.

From Pryor, a paved highway travels 41 miles east to Saint Xavier and the blue ribbon Bighorn River.

Fort Rockvale

Fort Rockvale is a junction where travelers decide whether to take Highway 212 to Red Lodge or Highway 310 to Wyoming.

From Red Lodge, motorists can drive to the top of the world on the famous Beartooth Highway, which eventually enters Yellowstone Park at Cooke City/Silvergate, the Northeast entrance.

Should the traveler decide to head for Cody, Wyoming, here are two options for entering Yellowstone Park. North of Cody is one of the most beautiful mountain passes in America. The Chief Joseph Highway (296) winds up to Dead Indian Pass on its way to the Sunlight Basin. It eventually joins the Beartooth Highway on the Wyoming side and winds up at the Northeast entrance at Silvergate.

Travelers may also find their way to Yellowstone from Cody.

Driving west along the picturesque North Fork of the Shoshone River takes motorists to Sylvan Pass at the East entrance to Yellowstone.

Rockvale is also the junction to the route south to the Bighorn Canyon and the Pryor Mountains.

Silesia

Silesia was named after the mineral springs in the area and is located along the Clark’s Fork River. One of the early inhabitants, Julius Lehrkind of eastern Germany, named the springs after his homeland province of Silesia.

Fromberg and Gebo

Gebo, named after Sam Gebo who opened the first coal mines near present-day Fromberg, enjoyed prosperity between 1899 and 1912. The town in its heyday included a drugstore, café, boardinghouse, confectionery, laundry, barbershop, post office, newspaper, and five bars. The mines closed in 1912 after the discovery of better grades of coal at Bearcreek and Red Lodge. Most of Gebo’s residents took their buildings and moved to Fromberg. However, the Gebo cemetery is still intact and is listed in the National Register. Some 200 graves are marked with wooden or iron crosses, or granite tombstones.

Today, the area around Fromberg is a productive agricultural valley. Several farms have orchards with excellent apples available to the public for purchase. Irrigated crops include sugar beets and corn.

Fromberg’s Clark’s Fork Valley Museum displays the history of the Clark’s Fork Valley. It is in one of the last class four, small, rural area railroad depots in the country. The depot, which is listed on the National Register, was built in 1899. Exhibits at Clark’s Fork Valley Museum include a one-room doctor’s office and a traditional homesteader’s cabin.

Bridger

Bridger was named after one of the first white men to explore Yellowstone Park, Jim Bridger. Bridger scouted many of the trails and knew the mountains well. Bridger guided many people through the area. The area is best known for its farm economy.

The Pryor Mountains are located east of Bridger and cover about 300,000 acres. Bridger is the gateway to the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Drive southeast on US Highway 310 to Lovell, Wyoming, then north on Wyoming Highway 37 to reach Devil’s Canyon Overlook. This scenic view of Bighorn Canyon is where the canyon crosscuts a 1,000-foot-high segment of the fault that makes up the Pryor Mountains. This rugged, desert-like country offers hiking, birding, and backcountry driving.

Belfry

Belfry was named for Dr. William Belfry. The town was platted in 1905. The Yellowstone Park Railroad Company built into Belfry in 1906 and planned to continue the road up the Clark’s Fork Valley to Yellowstone Park, but this was never accomplished.

Belfry is along the banks of the Clark’s Fork River, just north of the Wyoming border. There is National Forest access. Drive west of Belfry on Highway 308 through historic Bearcreek to Red Lodge. The high school mascot is the Bats, as in the Belfry Bats.

Bearcreek

Bearcreek was named for the many bears that came to eat berries - and sometimes are still seen in town along the creek.

The town was founded between 1905 and 1906 on the wealth of vast coal deposits beneath it. The Brophy Mine, International, Bearcreek, Foster, and Smith were the big mines in this area. A devastating explosion at the Smith Mine on Feb. 27, 1943, killed 74 men in the first blast. After that tragedy, an exodus from Bearcreek left it almost a ghost town.

www.laureloutlook.com - Explorer 2019 - 27 Photo courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development

Big Horn County Welcome to Big Horn County, the sixth largest county in Montana, at approximately 5,023 square miles, and with a population exceeding 13,000. The local government was established January 13, 1913. Hardin is the County Seat.

Big Horn County is a land made up of varying jurisdictions. As you drive across the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Nations, be aware that each has its own unique regulations and law enforcement agencies.

The National Park Service maintains jurisdiction at Little Bighorn Battlefield and the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area.

The scenic Big Horn, Pryor and Wolf Mountain ranges are part of the Big Horn County landscape. Visitors may want to enjoy fishing the Big Horn, Little Big Horn, and Tongue Rivers which wind through this region. The spectacular Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area is host to water sports including boating, water skiing and more. Chief Plenty Coups State Park, at Pryor, contains much history of the Crow Indians.

Among the primary attractions within Big Horn County is the Little Bighorn Battlefield, site of the defeat of Lt. Colonel George Custer and the 7th Calvary by a combined force of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors in 1876.

Annual re-enactments of the battle occur each June . In August, Crow Agency, capital of the Crow Nation, hosts Crow Fair. The landscape is transformed by the addition of over 1,000 pitched teepees and thousands of people gathering for traditional dances, drumming and other events.

Big Horn County is rich in culture and time-honored traditions.

Hardin

Hardin, 15 miles west of Little Bighorn Battlefield, is situated on the banks of the Bighorn River. The town is surrounded by productive ranches and farms, and the area is rich in history.

General Custer meets his demise here every year.

Civilized fun and comforts include a pioneer museum, an art gallery, trading posts, a variety of interesting shops, a kiddie playground, an indoor swimming pool and exercise rooms, and a golf course.

All the Comforts

Motels, campgrounds, and restaurants will keep you comfortable while you explore the Little Bighorn Battlefield and Custer National Cemetery, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Yellowtail Dam, and the Bighorn River.

Besides being the home of Little Big Horn Days, Hardin has other events from rodeos and parades to street dances, art and craft shows, to quilt shows. See the calendar of events in this section, or call the Chamber of Commerce office at 406-665-1672 for details.

Historians say the town was named for Samuel H. Hardin, a cattle man from Wyoming who leased tracts of land on the Crow Reservation to range his cattle. Local industry now includes farming and ranching, surface coal mining, fishing and recreational opportunities.

You’ll see sugar beets, corn, wheat, and barley in the fields. The raising of beef cattle, sheep, hogs, and quarter horses is part of the livestock economic picture.

Just east of Hardin, where the Little Bighorn River joins the Bighorn, is the island site where the Far West sternwheeler boat anchored on June 27, 1876, to evacuate the wounded from the Reno and Benteen battles. It was the Far West that carried survivors with the story of Custer’s defeat to the rest of the world.

Museum and Visitor Center

Big Horn County Historical Museum and State Visitor Center is easily accessible off Interstate 90, or Exit 495 through downtown Hardin.

The museum is located on a 35-acre site, once a flourishing vegetable farm that includes the original farmhouse and barn. Through the years 26 authentic historic

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Fairgrounds Airpark Big Horn County Softball Fields

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structures from throughout the county have been moved to the site and restored. Each building features exhibits that represent that era. Along with the historic buildings, three structures were built on site to provide exhibit space for the horse drawn equipment, extensive collection of restored tractors and farm equipment, and a main exhibit building that serves as a visitor center, office and gift shop.

Recent restoration projects include the Will James studio and a homestead house.

This living storybook of early Montana shows the diversity of items that were used by early-day settlers.

Historic District

Hardin’s Historic District starts near Railroad Street and Center Avenue through the 200 and 400 blocks, plus buildings facing Third Street from Cheyenne Avenue to Crow Avenue. The District earned a listing on the National Historic Register in 1984.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

I-90 Exit 510, 406-638-2621. Open year round. Located near Crow Agency, on Highway 212 (I-90 Exit 510), Little Bighorn Battlefield is just 15 miles east of Hardin.

Events June 20-23, 2019

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Little Big Horn Days & Stampede PRCA Rodeo Little Big Horn Days is a four-day festival celebrating the sights and sounds of the past, with legends that surround it woven into various events. Dancers from around the world dress in period costumers to attend the 1876 Grand Ball.

Award-winning local quilters display their latest creations at the local library. Art exhibits are held in the Jailhouse Gallary and Historic Train Depot. Take your children to the Living History presented at the Big Horn County Historical Museum for handson fun featuring crafts of a bygone era!

Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are served throughout the four days and include Indian tacos and other ethnic foods. Wrapping up the festival’s events is the world famous Custer’s Last Stand Reenactment, drawing visitors from all over the world, both as participants and as viewers, as they recreate the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Come join the fun in historic Hardin, Montana!

June 21-23, 2019 Battle of the Little Bighorn Reenactment Battle of the Little Bighorn Reenactment celebrates the anniversary of the battle. Hold onto your hats! The Seventh Cavalry and Indian warriors will face off once again this summer in the annual Custer’s Last Stand Reenactment, six miles west of Hardin, Montana. The Reenactment celebrates the anniversary of the infamous battle between the boy general, George Armstrong Custer, his Seventh Cavalry troops and warriors gathered from nearly a dozen Indian tribes. The anniversary celebration is a pageant of Montana history, honoring the brave men and women on both sides of the conflict who lived and died during the early days of Montana territory. www.littlebighornreenactment.com

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Parade at Crow Fair, Crow Agency by Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development

Crow Fair Celebration Powwow & Rodeo

The 101st Annual Crow Fair Celebration Powwow & Rodeo will be at Crow Agency on August 14-19, 2019 at Crow Agency, Montana, includes parades, a four-day powwow, a rodeo and horse races. The Crow Fair Celebration is the largest Native American event in Montana, and one of the biggest powwows in the country. Held each year in Crow Agency, Montana by The Apsáalooke people of the Crow Indian Reservation just South of Hardin, Montana. Also known as the “Tipi Capital of the world”, Crow Fair begins on the third Thursday in August and attracts more than 50,000 spectators and participants from the around the world.

Crow Fair Celebration Powwow & Rodeo

Besides the pow-wow, there are many other attractions. Each year the fair holds a parade, which winds its way through the campsites. A large number of women on horseback using old-style saddles (many family heirlooms) of bone and rawhide, ride in the parade. The parade begins each morning of the Fair at ten o’clock.

The Color Guard leads the parade with retired veterans and active members of the armed services. Following the Color Guard are the President, Vice-President, and First Vice-President of the Crow Fair. The President carries the American Flag. In the past, the royalty of the Crow Nation would follow the Presidents; however, in modern parades the Crow Tribal Officials replace Crow royalty.

The parade includes contests for best traditional dress in more than half a dozen categories. Riders on horseback were followed by elaborately decorated cars, trucks and trailers. Some of the vehicles are decorated in memorial to tribal elders who have passed during the prior year. Others carry multiple generations from elders to newborns. Princesses, ranging in age from preschool to 18, ride along the route, on horseback or by vehicle, wearing traditional, elaborate dress with perfect, modest poise.

Crow Fair Pow Wow

The Crow Fair Pow Wow is much like pow wows throughout the west, except for more emphasis on traditional dance styles. You can pick out [the Crow tribe’s style] from hundreds of dancers because the dress ways are the same as the turn of the last century. The only additions are material things to decorate their regalia.

The pow wow grand entry begins at 1 p.m. sharp. It is led by the veteran honor guard, followed by all the dancers who will participate in the contests that have been held throughout the week. The announcer introduces competing drum groups that surround the arbor, each taking a turn keeping the beat.

In addition to the Crow people, members of other tribes come to dance and sing and sell their goods on the midway that surrounds the arbor. Dance contests, with substantial prize money, are held throughout the week with participants ranging in age from preschool to elders.

Crow Fair Rodeo

The Crow Fair Rodeo is sponsored annually by the Crow Nation.

The rodeo is a daily feature at the Crow Fair, offering a full day’s entertainment of youth events, professional Indian cowboys and cowgirls, and horse racing. Rodeos occur throughout the United States, through the various rodeo associations like the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The Northern Plains Indian Rodeo Association, organized under the Indian National Finals Rodeo, is the current association that sanctions the rodeo event.

The Rodeo is held at the Edison Real Bird Memorial Complex, in Crow Agency, Montana. The rodeo arena, race track, stables, and campgrounds are all part of this complex.

Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Crow Fair Celebration Powwow & Rodeo at Crow Agency in August.

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Discovering Montana’s Present In Its Past With so many modern day distractions, it’s easy to lose sight of what makes us Americans, let alone citizens of such a great state as Montana. Yet the seeds to our roots are readily available in sights and activities just down the road. Through visits to these places reflecting our heritage in southern Montana, we can re-discover many of the places & events which contribute to the state’s history.

Other Sites Of Note –

Bighorn County Museum (Hardin): Rich exhibits demonstrate military and civilian history from when this area was settled in the late 1800s.

Pompey’s Pillar (near Billings): A National Historic Landmark visited by Lewis & Clark and remarkable for the many LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD (East Hardin): General Indian petroglyphs still evident.

Custer and his men met their demise here in the most famous batBig Horn Canyon National Recreation Area (Ft. Smith): tle site of the 1870s’ Indian Wars. The U.S. National Park Service Adjacent to the Yellowtail Dam and Afterbay Lake (very popular offers a museum, gift shop, and guided and self-guided tours with with trout fishermen). the battle’s notable landmarks clearly marked and interpreted.

St. Labre Indian Mission (Ashland): This private Catholic Among them are the headstones of the troopers who fell here. high school embraces a predominantly Crow and Northern CheyCUSTER BATTLEFIELD TRADING POST & CAFÉ: enne student population. Don’t miss the big annual powwow held Across from the Battlefield entrance, this colorful landmark feaeach May. tures exceptional gifts - including beadwork and crafts made by loPlenty Coups State Park (Pryor): A museum dedicated to cal Crow Indian artisans - plus a hearty menu reflective of the Old the famous Crow leader Plenty Coups sits adjacent to a small park West. The mostly Crow staff will enrich your dining and shopping which is ideal for quiet camping and a home-base for day trips experience in this historic-looking log building that’s fashioned throughout the area. after the 1877 Old Fort Custer Hospital.

NATIVE AMERICANS: The Battlefield is located in the heart of the Crow Tribe reservation, and nearby is the Lame Deer reservation of the Northern Cheyenne. Both tribes sponsor powwows and native activities throughout the year. Especially popular is the Crow Native Days each June which includes the Ultimate Warrior Contest, a triathlon highlighted by bareback horse relay races!.

Crow Fair, with up to 1,000 tipi camps, is also hugely popular.

Held in August, it features nightly powwows and daily parades through the camp with participants and horses all decked out in their native best.

ROSEBUD BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK (Busby): Often overlooked, this engagement was every bit as important in shaping subsequent events as the Little Bighorn battle a few days later.

Here the balance of power between the army and Indians shifted with a dramatic victory by the Sioux and Cheyenne. Learn why the Cheyenne refer to this event as The Battle Where The Girl Saved Her Brother.

Photos courtesy of Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development Real Bird's Reenactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

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Lewistown

Lewistown Chokecherry Festival

Lewistown is a family-friendly community that combines the ambiance of Montana's natural beauty with the authenticity of our rural western lifestyle.

Lewistown has a true four-season climate, with an abundance of events, activities and recreation to keep you busy no matter what the weather. The surrounding farm and ranch lands provide a rich base for a solid agricultural economy.

A strong hub of construction and manufacturing businesses provide diverse opportunities for employment. A growing healthcare industry is stimulating a demand for jobs in the local medical markets.

With our spring-fed Big Spring Creek quietly meandering through town and five island mountain ranges encircling the community, a multitude of recreational opportunities are readily available.

Easy access to public lands and plentiful rivers, lakes and streams ensure world-class hunting, yearround fishing, and plenty of choices for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and more.

Whether planning a vacation or a contemplating a relocation, we invite you to enjoy Lewistown, the perfect place to find your center and experience the freedom and open spaces of true Montana!

Chokecherry Festival in Lewiston by Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2019 The first Saturday after Labor Day, central Montana ushers in the return of fall with the annual Chokecherry Festival, held in Lewistown, the geographical center of the state. When then Governor Stan Stephens came to Lewistown to witness the Festival in 1991, he enjoyed it so much he declared Lewistown the Chokecherry Capitol of Montana.

The Chokecherry, a small, maroon-colored fruit with a puckery taste grows wild in Montana. The plants begin to bloom in June and the fruit ripens in August. The reddish fruits are used in making syrups, jams, jellies, wines and many other culinary treats.

The Chokecherry Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is scheduled for Saturday, September 7th, 2019. The festival is attended by more than 5,000 people from far and near, enjoying the event and soaking up the beautiful scenery of central Montana. It's a time of wholesome fun for everyone from tiny tykes to Grandpas.

The day begins with the Kiwanis Club serving an outdoor pancake breakfast on Main Street and Second Avenue, complete with bacon, sausage and of course, chokecherry syrup!

From the Chokecherry culinary contest, pit spitting contest, and live entertainment to the children's activities and 5k run/walk and 10k run, the day is packed with opportunities for food and fun! Main street is literally lined with arts & crafts booths and food vendors offering a variety of gifts, baked goods, fresh garden fare, raffles and much more.

We hope you join us - take a walk down our historic Main Street and experience the hospitality of the area.

Don't leave until you've tried all of the food, enjoyed the entertainment, bought all you can carry and competed in the pit spitting contest. Bring a friend and enjoy central Montana at it's finest.

For more information, contact the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce, 408 N.E. Main Street, Lewistown, Montana. Phone: (406) 535-5436, Email: lewchamb@midrivers.com.

Charlie Russell Chew Choo Montana’s Premier

Dinner Train

Charlie Russel Chew Choo The Train Runs May 12th to October 5th Call for scheduled dates www.MontanaDinnerTrain.com

For tickets and more information (406) 535-5436 or (866) 912-3980.

A 14-day cancellation, no show, no refund policy does apply.

We can be reached by email at lewchamb@midrivers.com

• 31⁄2 -4 Hour Journey • Prime Rib Dinner • No Host Bar

• Live Entertainment • Wild Life Abundant

Price: $100 per Person $50 Per Child Ages 12 & Under 408 NE Main St, Lewistown, Montana

Big Horn County Historical Museum • 35 Acre Complex • Gallery and Gift Shop • Antique Tractors, Cars & Trucks • 24 Restored Historic Buildings • Guided Tours on Request Memorial Day to Labor Day

Open 7 days a week 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

LITTLE BIG HORN DAYS

JUNE 21 - JUNE 22

406-665-1671 www.bighorncountymuseum.org 1163 3rd St. East, Hardin, Montana 59034

Please Don’t Feed the Bears Our main exhibit for the summer

High Noon Lectures

3rd Thursdays at Noon.

Free Admission.

Check out our schedule ywhc.org

Hoof It with a Historian Tours Friday mornings at 10 a.m.

May 17 - Oct. Custom times available upon request.

Additional times & events

www.ywhc.org

2822 Montana Ave., Billings For more information call 406-256-6809

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Rimrock Village - 100 24th Street West - Billings

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Rimrock Village - 100 24th Street West - Billings - Phone: 406.656.4171