Contents REAL ESTATE LISTINGS Havre Hi-Line Realty Flynn Realty Ruff Real Estate LLC Koefod Agency FEATURES Hiking ...Glacier National Park Kitchen Cache ...Not your Easter Lamb Ironclad Hobby ...Mud Lake Iron Works Havre Beneath the Streets
Unlock the possibilities!
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406-945-9039 • www.havrehilinerealty.net Let me, Kim Cripps, help you with your homework!
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849 5th Street N $88,800 3 Bedroom, one level
824 16th Ave. - $168,900 Newer kitchen, walk out basment, fenced private yard, original hardwood floors.
20-24 26-27 826 1st Ave. ~ $129,900 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
OFFICE
(406) 265-6795
PUBLISHER EDITOR
Stacy Mantle smantle@havredailynews.com
COPY EDITOR
Pam Burke
PHOTOGRAPHER
Colin Thompson
DESIGN
410 11th Ave. ~ $134,900 3 bedrooms, 2 baths,
116 2nd Ave. SE ~ Harlem $64,900
716-718 3rd Ave. ~ $78,800
Stacy Mantle Jenn Thompson
ADVERTISING SALES
1235 7th Street ~ $70,000 2 bedroom, 2 bath. VA Approved Lot + Home
20 Saddle Butte Dr. $189,900 3 Bedroom, 2 bath
Melody Roberts
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Jodene Leeds jleeds@havredailynews.com
SOLD!
Tim Leeds tleeds@havredailynews.com
826 5th Avenue ~ $179,900
For advertising information, contact Havre Daily News 119 Second Street / P.O. Box 431 Havre, MT 59501 406-265-6795 Please be aware that due to the time lapsed between publications some Real Estate listings may have changed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
120 Centurian ~ $145,200
1326 Ford Ave. ~ $170,900
Box Elder - $26,000
I GET MY HOMEWORK DONE! APRIL 2018 | LIVING Havre and the Hi-Line MAGAZINE |
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1637 Rich St W~$299,900
1108 Bullhook Dr. SE $530,000
4 bedroom, 3 ½ bath single level home located on approx. 7.34 acres that includes 2 fish/duck ponds, landscaped yard and outdoor fireplace/patio. This beautiful home is approx. 4500 sq ft with attached oversized double heated garage and includes a separate oversized unheated double ga-
PRICE REDUCED!
rage/shop. Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 406-390-4900 or Nick Pyrak @ 406-390-2867
Holland Apartments - 407 4th Ave.
14-Plex. Spacious Apts. - Good cash flow. Close to downtown. 8 1 Bedroom. 6 Studio.
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595
Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 390-4900
Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 265-9400
18 Pike St. ~ $199,900
Beautiful, updated 2 bdrm, 2 bath home with single car garage in private cul-de-sac. Updates include new siding/roof/plumbing/ bathrooms. Beautiful hardwood floors, covered patio, hot tub, & single car garage. Also, walk out basement apartment for that extra income. Move in ready!
6907 43rd St. W. ~ $264,000
Large 5 bdrm, 2 bath home on nearly 1 acre located West of Havre. Open kitchen, fenced back yard, attached double garage with garage with large parking pad and detached double garage.
4 bdrm, 3 bath Ranch style home located near Schools and Park. Open floor plan, lots of updates, large backyard, double garage and great views from 2 decks.
230 14th St. W.~$275,000
Call Kristi Parrotte @ 390-4912
Newly listed in Prime location-This 5 bedroom, 3 bath home, close to both the Hospital and College. Property offers 3040 sq ft of living space, master suite & gorgeous high ceilings. Your family & loved ones will enjoy the spacious back yard, perfect for family gatherings.
Call Kristi Parrotte @ 390-4912
3155 9th St. E. ~ $399,000
60' x 90' Shop on 2 Acres! 5400 sq. ft. Shop. Includes air compressor, oil heater, radiant heat system & 2 post hoist. Very Motivated Seller. Will consider Contract for Deed with acceptable down payment.
Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 390-4900
910 7th Avenue
Are you looking for the perfect starter home? Look no further. This 3 bedroom, 1 bath home is waiting for you to fix it up and give it your personal touch. Call today for details.
820 1st Avenue ~ $228,000
Charming 4 bdrm, 2 bath home with all new windows, floor coverings and interior paint. Fireplace, lots of built-ins and deck with a view. Private fenced back yard, rock gardens, underground sprinklers & double garage.
Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 265-9400
Call Kristi Parrotte @ 390-4912
709 9th St. ~ $92,000
Cute 2 bedroom, 1 bath single level home. Single detached garage. Perfect starter home or Income Property.
Call Nick Pyrak @ 406-390-2867
595 Jefferson Ave. W. Chester, MT ~ $110,000
Bullhook Bottoms Casino ~ $650,000 A large Commercial property that includes a Casino & Liquor License on 1st Street/ Hwy 2 frontage in Havre, MT.
Call Ken Nelson at 406-439-0595 or Larry Martinson @ 390-1509
3 bdrm, 2 bath home in Chester, MT. Single car garage.
Spacious 3 bdrm, 3 bath home with open kitchen, main floor utilities, deck, fenced back yard & double car garage. Short sale.
Call Kristi Parrotte @ 390-4912
Joplin Bar ~ $210,000
Casino-Food-Lounge! Nice small town business in the Hi-Line farming town of Joplin, MT. Located halfway between Havre and Shelby. Includes full Liquor License & large dining area for restaurant use.
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595
Call Derek Fraser @ 262-4603
720 9th Street ~ $159,900
Shop For Sale ~ $85,000
843 5th Street North ~ $72,900
NEWLY LISTED!! This is the 1 Bed 1 Bath home perfect starter home listed at only $72,900 and ready for you to come in and unpack!! Newly remodeled kitchen, and bath, new windows, updated electrical and some updated plumbing. Large spacious yard with single car garage are just added bonuses!
Don't miss out and call Kristi 390-4912 for your personal showing today!
Good location- 2 Bay Shop with Hwy 2 Frontage. Oil change pit, office, rest room & new siding to cover bldg.
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595
Oil City Saloon 132-134 W. Dawson Shelby, MT ~ $145,000
Nicely remodeled Bar with full liquor license and 6 rental units. Busy location at crossroads of I-14 and Hwy 2.
Call Ken Nelson @ 439-0595
(2) 3-Plexes~(4) 3 bdrms and (2) 2 bdrms Good occupancy rate with approx. $28,000 gross yearly income.
Call Derek Fraser @ 406-262-4603
• +/- 640 Acre Farmland located N. Joplin, MT ~ All Farmed • +/- 1280 Acres Farmland located S. Inverness, MT - All CRP • +/- 160 Acres Farmland located N. Joplin, MT - All Farmed • +/- 2390 Acres Farmland located N. Havre, MT - Nearly All Organic • +/- 400 Acres Farmland located S. Gildford, Mt - All CRP Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595 or Larry Martinson @ 406-390-1509
237 New York St. ~ Chinook ~ $79,000
Income Property 410-422 W Harrison Ave~ Chester, MT~$250,000
Land for Sale
3 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath home in Chinook, MT. Large lot, 2 large garages & closes to downtown.
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595 511 2nd Ave E Joplin, MT $14,000
3 bedroom, 1 bath single level home in Joplin, MT.
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595
Building Lots For Sale
2 (+/-.36 Acre) City Lots for Sale in Glo Ed Area. City Water/Sewer to curb & electrical run into back of each lot. May be combined or sold separately. Lot #2~$37,000 • Lot #7~$39,000 Call Janis Flynn Pyrak @ 406-390-4900
Acreage For Sale
106 Acres. Flood frigated. Hay land for sale. Located near Chinook, MT
Call Ken Nelson @ 406-439-0595
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HIKING
a new appreciation for Glacier National Park
STORY & PHOTOS BY GEORGE FERGUSON
As a native Montanan, I’ve always known how truly special Glacier National Park is. Growing up in the Treasure State, you can’t help but be drawn to Glacier. There’s truly no place else like it. And with Glacier sitting just three-and-a-half hours away from Havre, I’ve always felt lucky to have such an amazing and alluring place so close to home. Because Glacier is so close, visiting it in the summer has been something I’ve done — literally hundreds of times. When I was a kid, my family pretty much made trips to Glacier one of our summer vacations, every year. In fact, I can’t recall a single summer from my childhood I didn’t spend at least a weekend in Glacier. Fast forward to adulthood and nothing has changed. My wife and I have been married for going on 18 years now, and not one summer since we started dating has come and gone in which we didn’t make at least one trip to Glacier. In other words, Glacier National Park has always been a part of my life, and no matter how many times I have visited it, it still amazes me, it still takes my breath away. That’s no exaggeration either. Every single time I’ve visited Glacier, even if only for a
few hours, I have been in awe. It just doesn’t go away. Having said that, there came a point in my life when I realized something, and that realization has changed my world in a very profound way. Six years ago, I realized, that Glacier is an overwhelmingly big, place. Okay, I knew that Glacier is huge but what hadn’t really sunk in was that, though I had been there hundreds of times, I had actually seen very little of it. I had seen so little of Glacier for
one reason and one reason only — I had never hiked. I had never so much as stepped foot on anything that so much as resembled a backcountry hiking trail. Of course, that’s not unusual. For many, many people, the Glacier Park experience is exactly like the one I had always had. You drive Going to the Sun Road, you drive into Many Glacier, you visit Apgar Village and Lake McDonald, you walk the roadside nature trails, or get ice cream at St. Mary’s, you stay on
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boardwalks or beaches at St. Mary’s Lake and others. You stop and take pictures at the roadside turnouts and view all of Glacier’s splendor from a car and through a camera. For millions of people, that’s the Glacier Park experience, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s amazing, beautiful and spectacular, and even if that’s all you do in Glacier, it would still end up being a trip of a lifetime for many people. For a long time, that type of Glacier experience was good enough for me. In recent years, though, something started changing inside me. Something started pulling at me. I have known plenty of people who hike the thousands of miles of trails in Glacier Park, and listening to them share their stories, I had always envied them. But the envy was never enough for me to start doing it myself. In the end, it wasn’t envy which led to my awakening. Instead, it was something more. It was an intense desire to see things in the park I love so much, see things and discover things for myself that I hadn’t and, at many points in my life, thought I never would. The urge to experience Glacier in a way that only comes if you decide to get out of your car started to grow inside me, grow to a point where everything I feared about Glacier, everything I was hesitant about when it came to hiking started to go away. It became a calling, it became something I absolutely needed to do. It was, for lack of a better term, a true awakening. So in the summer of 2015, on a perfect July day, the kind you see in Glacier postcards and documentary films, my wife Amy and I rode a shuttle from the Loop parking lot to Logan Pass. I’ve been on top of Logan Pass so many times I can’t count them all, but that trip up there that morning was going to be different. That visit to Logan Pass was going to change my life forever. On that day in July, under an endless blue sky, which was showing off Glacier in all her majesty, we set out and hiked the 11.7 mile Highline Loop. Yes, our first real hike in Glacier
SIYEH PASS
was the most popular one in the park. It was, as I reflect on it now, one of the greatest challenges and experiences of my life. But it was also a turning point for me, and though it was hard, hot, sweaty and strenuous, when I had finished that hike, there was no going back. I was hooked. Actually, with the splendor the Highline hike provides, I was hooked before I had even gone a mile. Again, it may sound dramatic, but that long, hard day, in a place I had visited hundreds of times, altered my life in a way I never thought possible. It was emotional and it was spiritual. And it gave me a new purpose, a new focus and, most of all, a new appreciation for Glacier National Park. It gave me something I never thought I’d have in my life: a desire to hike in the wilderness, a desire that burns stronger and stronger with each passing summer. Since that day in 2015, my wife
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and I have returned to Glacier as often as possible. We’ve logged hundreds of miles and spent chunks of our summer knocking off new hike after new hike. While hiking has certainly helped me become a healthier person, because I now spend six days a week in the gym preparing for the next summer, that really isn’t the payoff. It’s a nice bonus, but the payoff for me is the emotion, excitement and wonderment of returning to a place I’d been to so many times, for so many years, but now each time seeing something I’ve never seen before. It’s an indescribable feeling hiking a trail in Glacier for the first time because, literally, with every step you take you see something brand new. With every mile you log, you see a majestic piece of nature that you’ve never seen before. And for a native Montanan like myself, it’s an incredible feeling because this is a
place that’s figuratively right in my backyard and yet, each time I return to Glacier to hike, a whole new world opens up for me. So now, four years into my Glacier hiking experience, it’s simply become a way of life for me. I spend my winters planning, reading and, most of all, day dreaming about the summer to come in Glacier. Hiking has become so special and important to me, that I can honestly say, there isn’t a day that goes by that it doesn’t cross my mind, if only for a minute. That’s what getting out on the trails in Glacier Park did for me and, I imagine, it’s done for millions of people just like me. It was something I never thought I’d do, for a variety of reasons, including grizzly bears, being caught in dangerous thunderstorms, and falling off a 1,000-foot cliff to name a few. But on that fateful day in 2015, every fear or reservation I had disappeared with every step I took on my first trip over the Highline traverse. That’s not to say I don’t have a healthy respect for all my former fears. Safety is of the utmost importance when you’re hiking in a place such as Glacier. My worst fear has already been realized in what was just my second summer of hiking. My wife and I en-
countered a sow grizzly with a cub on the Grinnell Glacier hike. That was another eye-opening, incredible and exhilarating experience, while also being pretty scary, all at the same time. But that, or any of the other dangers that come with deciding to hike Glacier, are not and will never be a deterrent. In fact, they’ve made me a much smarter and perceptive person, and they’ve also helped me respect nature, the wild and the environment even more than I already did. That’s the special part about hiking Glacier. It does those types of things to you. It changes you. It fundamentally changes who you are, in so many ways. It opens doors and gives you experiences that you can’t find anywhere else. It challenges you, it lifts you up and, once you do it, you realize you’re doing things that you’ve never, ever done before, and for me, things I thought I never would. Like I said, hiking in Glacier has changed my life. It’s given my wife and me a new purpose, and a new outlook on not just our summers but also how we see Glacier, Montana, and the world in general. Yes, it may sound dramatic, or one may think I’m writing these words for effect. But I can assure anyone reading this, it’s not for effect. These words and my feelings
on Glacier are coming straight from the heart, straight from the soul. So, for as long as I’m upright, as long as my legs and knees and lungs can take it, I’m going to keep going back to Glacier to hike. I’m going to keep making new memories, I’m going to keep pushing myself, challenging myself and, most of all, I’m going to keep experiencing a side of Glacier National Park in a way that I never dreamed I would. For Havreites, and for Montanans in general, Glacier Park is ours, it’s right here for all of us to enjoy. I’ve always appreciated that and have never taken it for granted. But if you have the means and the capabilities, I recommend taking advantage of that special place that is Glacier, in a different and rewarding way. See the Glacier you can’t see from the car. While I’ll admit, hiking Glacier is never easy, in fact, it’s downright hard, I can promise you two things: If you start hiking in Glacier, you won’t stop. And, on so many levels, once you start hiking Glacier, you will forever be changed. —— Note: Havre Daily News sports editor George Ferguson has spent the last three summers hiking the majestic trails of Glacier National Park. Following are the Top 5 hikes he’s already done, and the Top 5 he wants or plans to do in the future.
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5
TOP 5 HIKES DONE Iceberg Lake (9.7 miles RT)
One of the first hikes I checked off my list, Iceberg is everything you read about. The destination is the payoff, as the lake truly does have icebergs floating in it, and the color of the water is an intense blue, as icebergs float in an emerald lake surrounded by cliffs rising more than 2,000 feet above the water. This trail is popular for a very good reason. Although the first 0.2 of a mile has a steep angle, it quickly mellows out to a nice, gradual grade as you break out into breathtaking views. Located in the incredible Many Glacier Valley, the views are stunning, but the payoff is the lake itself.
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Ptarmigan Tunnel (10.5 miles RT)
The hike to Ptarmigan Tunnel is a tough one and is actually part of the hike to Iceberg Lake. So be prepared because at the junction to the tunnel, it’s pretty much all uphill. The 250-foot man-made tunnel that goes through the edge ridge of Ptarmigan Wall is a treat, with breathtaking views on both sides. Just reaching Ptarmigan Lake is a tough haul, but then the real fun begins with three long switchbacks to the top. However, the payoff is amazing, as views of the Many Glacier Valley are amazing, before crossing through the tunnel. The views on the other side of the tunnel are breathtaking. The trail on the other side was hewn from the red rocks and offers staggering views to Elizabeth Lake and the Belly River drainage.
Grinnell Glacier (7.6 miles RT)
The hike to Grinnell Glacier, the most famous of the remaining glaciers in the park, is spectacular, though daunting. It’s one that, beginning at Lake Josephine, is a constant elevation gain to the top, with the most difficult being the last .8 of a mile to the foot of the glacier. But it’s all worth it. From passing above beautiful Grinnell Lake, to massive waterfalls, and walking on a trail that’s sheer cliff, the entire journey is stunning. And of course, the glacier itself is other worldly and spectacular. There are also a couple of choices to shorten this hike. The full length is from the Many Glacier picnic area, which takes you past Swiftcurrent Lake to Lake Josephine. Or you can cut off almost two full miles, by taking the boat tour across Swiftcurrent and then across Lake Josephine to where the trail up to the glacier actually begins. Also, in the four-plus hours we spent on this hike, we saw eight total grizzlies, including a harrowing encounter with a sow and cub. Still, the majesty of this hike is worth the climb and the chance of running into a grizzly.
Siyeh Pass Loop (10.4 miles)
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One of the most amazing things I’ve done is this hike. We started at Siyeh Bend and ended up at Sunrift Gorge. Doing it in reverse requires much more climbing, but either direction you choose this hike is a challenge. However, you will see two completely different sides of Glacier while also having the distinction of having hiked the highest maintained trail in the park. And while it’s an extreme challenge from end to end, especially the final set of switchbacks after you reach the saddle of Siyeh Pass, the beauty of this hike is indescribable. On both sides of the pass, the views are stunning with the majestic peaks of Glacier staring down on you in every direction. It’s also an incredible feeling to know that at the very top you’re standing at an elevation of 8,100 feet, and once there, you are so close to the peaks it seems as though you can reach out and touch them. Aside from the massive views, passing through flower-covered Preston Park, and amazing viewpoints of Sexton Glacier are also major highlights on this adventure.
Highline Loop (11.7 miles)
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It’s probably every Glacier hiker’s number one, and it should be. The Highline trail is an experience not to be missed. You hike along a cliff almost the entire way, including the first .5 miles where you have to traverse the infamous “ledge.” Once across it, you travel along the Garden Wall all the way to world famous Granite Park Chalet. This hike, while at an extremely high elevation, is not as strenuous as some of the others on my list, though the 4-mile finish down the famous Loop can be a challenge. There’s only one major ascent, up to Haystack Butte, but again, any of the challenges this hike offers are also nothing compared to the payoff. And that payoff is the views. The entire way to Granite Park, you will have views of the Rocky Mountains that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. And, of course, visiting Granite Park Chalet is another amazing experience. Yes, there’s a reason this is considered one of the best hikes, not just in Glacier but in the world, and you have to see it and do it to understand why.
TOP 5 HIKES YET TO DO
5
Gunsight Pass to Sperry Chalet to Lake McDonald 19.9 miles one way
4
Piegan Pass 9.2 miles RT
3
Cracker Lake 12.6 miles RT
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Highline Trail to Swiftcurrent Pass to Many Glacier 15.2 miles one way
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Dawson/Pitamaken Pass Loop 15.4 miles RT
HIGHLINE TRAIL
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GRINNELL GLACIER
HIGHLINE TRAIL
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1333 County Road 800 NW
This gorgeous Ranch has River & Creek frontage only a few minutes from Havre. With farm & ranch land and an incredible custom built 4 bedroom 4 bathroom home, partially heated shop, 2 barns and large storage building for machinery. Contact Ed Ruff for your private showing.There is also 224 +/- acres of pasture land and irrigated hay land. Asking Price $980,000
1207 Lincoln Ave. ~ $159,000
This home has new flooring and new paint throughout with newer siding, newer roof shingles and spacious double garage.
45 Saddle Butte Drive ~ $249,000
The views of South Havre & the Mtns. from this beautiful home are incredible. This home has been meticulously maintained, with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on the main. The downstairs entertaining is fabulous with the walk out access to the finished court yard area. An attached heated double garage with mature yard and lanscaping.
1918 1st St. ~ $420,000
This lovely 21+/- Acre Ranchette has a huge riding arena with a spacious 8 stalled finished barn, hay barn, large shop with work area. Complete with 3 bedroom, 2 bath home recently updated.
1151 26th Ave. W.~ $359,000 Custom built this awesome home boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, double heated garage with radiant floor heat throughout a must see to appreciate.
Hall Ranch Chinook, MT
Hall Ranch, Chinook, MT, 1,929+- Acre Ranch consisting of 289+- Acres Irrigated land, 80+Acres Fallow land and the remainder in pasture land, with Headquarters that are well maintained and are set up to accommodate 150+- cow, calf herd with all the Barns, Corrals, Shop, Home & Garage to run such an exclusive operation.
929 2nd Street ~ $115,000
Newly remodeled 3 bedroom home with alley access to large garage. This one won’t last.
Bad Lands Car Wash 413 2nd Street
Downtown car wash, building & car wash on 2 downtown city lots. This is a nice little cash cow.
520 Tracy Lane~ $220,000 536 New York St. ~ $108,000
Newer 3 bedroom 2 bath home all on one level with utilities on the main floor, an attached double garage.
This pretty home has been meticulously maintained with newer kitchen, bathroom and main floor all in neutral colors. There is a kitchen nook as well as a formal dining room, the oversized garage is attached and heated with a little doggie door and fenced area for Fido.
Hi-Line Motel
Own your own business!!! This well kept jewel has new roof overlayment and siding with 14 units total, living quarters in office area and everyone of the units have had recent updates. This Motel shows a great cash return and the old Radio Shack (an extra large building) could be used for another business. Contact Edward Ruff for more information.
1305 Ike Dr. ~ $144,000
CREATIVE LEISURE - COMMERCIAL BUILDING PRICED AT $650,000
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This great home has underground sprinklers for maintaining this large lot that borders the hospital, the utility room is on the main floor and a walk ramp to the front door.
Christy Smith Loan Officer NMLS #813203
Some of life’s greatest rewards start with
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Not Your Easter Lamb STORY & PHOTOS BY PAM BURKE
Some people eat lamb regularly, especially at Easter, but it was never on the menu at my home growing up, so it didn’t occur to me to cook with it as an adult either. My first taste of it didn’t change my mind. I ate lamb roast at a relative’s house when I was in my mid-20s. I was underwhelmed by its semi-strong flavor and dry texture. Although, to be fair to the cook, my husband and I traveled horseback to the lunch and arrived a little late. The lamb didn’t taste like wild game, but it certainly was not my standard beef, pork or chicken fare. And a few decades rolled by before I tried the other red
meat again. My husband had been reading about the nutritional qualities of the lamb and asked me to try cooking some. Turns out I now like it in the menu rotation. Lamb, in general, is a little fattier than beef, part of why it has a stronger flavor, but food experts say that up to about 50 percent of the fat is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid which makes it heart healthy like extra virgin olive oil. And the protein is more nutritious than most beef because lamb is grass fed. It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, along with a sulfur-
containing amino acid called taurine that is important for metabolizing fats and for cardiovascular, muscle, retina and nervous system function. A lot of energy drinks have taurine as an additive. Or you can have a tasty, healthy lamb-meat gyro. I love gyros and was interested in figuring out a recipe to make them at home. The lamb fit in with that desire. Plenty of recipes online recommend making the gyro meat as a meatloaf. For this, you have to put the ingredients in a mixer or food processor to really break down the meat until it’s a paste, before shaping
it into a loaf and baking it for about 60 to 75 minutes. The pasty texture helps the meat bind and allows you to shave off thin slices to fry like the gyro meat in a restaurant. It’s great, but I’m too lazy for this. Seriously. I am morally opposed to foods that have to be cooked twice to make a meal. They take too much time and make too many dirty dishes. That said, if you don’t mind the two-step process and prefer having the sliced meat — which does stay in the gyro better — this is a good way to go. But for me, one of the beauties of lamb is that it cooks fast, and you can get that little bit of crispy sizzle and flavor on the ground meat, too, by frying it a little bit longer. You can be eating your meal in under 30 minutes cooking it my way.
Tips
on substitutions and safetying up
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If you are worried you won’t like the lamb flavor, you can make the gyro meat by substituting ground beef or maybe trying half beef, half lamb. Pita bread is incredibly tasty and very filling, so if you are trying to cut back on quantity but still want pita, you can make this as a salad with half of a pita on the side. If you are cutting back on refined flour foods, you can also skip the pita bread altogether and serve the meat over quinoa or kamut. Quinoa can be cooked in 20 minutes, but the kamut takes a little forethought with overnight soaking and 50 to 60 minutes cooking, but it is tasty. If you go the whole-grain route, I suggest coarsely chopping your tomato and adding it to the cooking meat with the spices. Serve the meat over a bed of your cooked grain of choice and top it with a sprinkling of cheese. Don’t skip the tzatziki sauce — serve it on the side. Even my husband who isn’t normally a cucumber fan says that the tzatziki sauce ties the meal together (which is my translation of his “this would be boring without that cucumber stuff”). The feta cheese — one of what I call “the stinky cheeses” — isn’t for everyone. You can go with a milder cheese like queso fresco crumbled over top or grated mozzarella. (Yes, I know the one is a Mexican cheese and the other Italian. It still works.) I am a big cheese fan, but absolutely not fond of strongflavored cheeses. That said, I learned to love the feta on gyros, so maybe try a little adventure. One last note about lamb is that it can be kind of hard to find in north-central Montana if you don’t know someone who raises and/or butchers sheep. The grocery stores tend to have it soon after the local 4-H livestock auction but not at this time of year — even the grocery in Saco, which has a large butcher shop. Talk to the meat department manager in your grocery, and they can, generally, order it for you. Also talk to local meat shops and butchers. I have found lamb burger at Bear Paw Meats in Havre every time I’ve looked for it, and Max Hofeldt in Chinook raises sheep and sells all cuts of lamb as a licensed seller at his feedlot facility. Big Sandy Meat Shop owner Jim Dumas said he can hook up customers with lamb producers to buy half or whole lambs. Dumas said that, wrapped properly air tight, lamb can stay fresh up to a year and a half in the freezer. Other area meat processors likely have sources, as well. The point here is, make sure you have the lamb in hand before planning a whole meal around it.
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THE GYRO
Lightly toast a pita on both sides in olive oil on a hot, flat pan. If making more than one gyro add oil as needed. Assemble the gyro ingredients on top of the pita, fold the pita bread around the ingredients, like a taco, and eat. The recipes below will give you enough for 5 or 6 servings. My husband and I love our meats, but we feel the balance of flavors comes out best without heaping lamb meat on the gyro. Tzatziki Sauce 1 medium cucumber, peeled, sliced thin (about 2 cups) ¾ cup onion, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon salt, divided 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 ½ tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon celery seed ¾ cup Greek yogurt Peel and slice the cucumber, then place in a bowl, sprinkle with about one-third of the salt and stir. Let this sit for about 15 minutes and drain off any fluid from the cucumbers. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Let sit in refrigerator while cooking the lamb. Gyro Meat 1 pound ground lamb ¾ cup onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground rosemary ½ teaspoon dried marjoram ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper water, as needed
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Gyro Assembly Pita bread, lightly pan-toasted with olive oil Prepared gyro meat (see recipe) Lettuce Sliced tomato Tzatziki sauce (see recipe) Sliced onion, optional Feta cheese, optional, or a milder white cheese of choice
Brown the ground lamb at a medium to medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. When it’s about half cooked, spoon out or drain off the grease and add the onion and garlic. Continue removing the grease as it builds up. When the meat is about three-quarters cooked add spices, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, and at this point stirring regularly, until about half the meat has a crispy brown color. If the pan gets “crusty” with browned meat and juices, dribble water into the pan and stir until the stuck bits loosen — this will keep them from burning before the meat is done.
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STORY BY PAM BURKE • PHOTOS BY COLIN THOMPSON
Mud Lake Iron Works started from Liz McIntosh’s simple desire to have a decorative flag holder that wouldn’t fall over or fall apart or lose its flag and her husband, Don’s, simple metal frame design that fulfilled that need. Though Liz describes their metal sculptures and decorations as Don’s hobby, it has grown into a business that takes them all over the state. Liz said that more than a decade ago she had become frustrated with store-bought flag holders she was using to decorate the grave sites of close family members. Not long after Don came up with a durable design, the cemetery superintendent contacted the McIntoshes to say that other people were interested in knowing where their sturdy flag holders came from. For many years all they made and sold were flag holders, Liz said. “We never intended this to be a business,” she said. But an idea she had for a rusty barbed wire Christmas tree took off with sales, too, Liz said, and then the husband-wife team kept coming
up with ideas for other decorations. About five years ago, she said, they started approaching their hobby more as a business. The McIntoshes, who farm and ranch north of Havre near Mud Lake, have built with old farm equipment, found items or some basic metal materials like rebar, she said. Their supply of old farm equipment became more scarce about five years ago when scrap iron prices went up and a lot of local farmers sent their stockpiles of old parts and equipment in for money. Since then, she said, they have come up with more designs that use new materials. Liz said she found a way to make new metals look aged by applying a
vinegar solution to start the rusting process and stopping it with an application of oil, usually furniture polish, once the metal has developed the perfect rust patina. “It’s fun to do what we do, because I probably come up with the majority of the ideas then he’ll run with it,” Liz said, adding that Don will often put his own stamp on the idea. Along with the flag holders and trees, their designs include some large decorations like snowmen, flowers and shepherd hooks — all 6-foot tall and built to withstand eastern Montana weather. They also have angels, smaller shepherd hooks, a table with a base made of concentric star shapes,
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reindeer and funky tricycles made from vintage farm implement wheels and seeder bins, as well as smaller hanging items — stars, crosses and more. They have also made custom designs. The more they have designed and made, the more they can see how things can be repurposed, Liz said, but the creativity doesn’t come to play only in imagining new creations. Their popular flag holder has transformed over the years to a four-legged frame with pegs on each foot to secure it better to the ground, and their angel got a clever modification after Liz ran into a problem at a sale. One year at the Fort Benton summer celebration, she said, someone stopped at her booth before the sale even started and bought all the angels that were plant pot holders, leaving her at a summer sale without planters. When she got home, she said, she told her husband that they needed to modify the angel to be multipurpose. Don came up with interchangeable attachments so the angel can hold a pot, a flag or a wreath, using the different attachments. He also designed a mechanism that helps in the making of their popular trees, which are constructed with barbed wire wrapped around a four-sided frame that tapers to a point from a wide base. The wire has to be tack-welded to the frame as it is being wrapped, and it was pretty much a two-person job, Liz said. Then Don came up with a mechanism that rotates the tree and holds it steady while he welds. They have been approached by retailers asking if they would sell their decorations wholesale, but they just couldn’t see how that would work out for them or the store owner, Liz said. They don’t have a big markup on their items, so either they would lose money selling wholesale or the store owner would lose customers because their necessary markup would price the items
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well beyond what McIntoshes sell at. They nixed ideas about websites, as well. Websites can attract customers from a great distance, but shipping their metal work is cost prohibitive, she said. That leaves selling face to face, and Liz said they have negotiated the steep learning curve in the past five years to understand which sales and shows suit the style of their creations and their farm and ranch schedule. While Don takes the lead in the shop, Liz heads up sales, hitting two Saturday Market sales in the summer and Havre’s major seasonal sales, along with traveling to shows and sales in Billings, Lewistown, Fort Benton, Virgelle and Great Falls. Some of the shows she attends are juried, so the McIntoshes have to pass approval to be allowed to sell at them, she said, like the fundraiser for the Moss Mansion in Billings that had 12,000 attendees the first year they went. Whether it’s a juried show or a sale open to anyone who rents space, the application fee and the travel can be very expensive, she said, so they have to be smart about where they go. In general, that means they stay in state and east of the divide, she said. Out-of-state shows mean more travel and they come with sales and income tax issues that the McIntoshes don’t want to deal with, she said. Liz said they also found that their design style hasn’t played well in western Montana where farming isn’t as big a presence, so they stick mostly to eastern Montana. Plus, she said, they have other priorities to factor in as well. “We’re selective on shows because farming comes first,” she said, adding that even their manufacturing schedule follows this philosophy, with Don putting in peak shop time in January, February and March when he has to be at home for the cows anyway. The McIntoshes’ approach to marketing is both savvy and downhome, so it’s not surprising that their advertising strategy is smart and hometown-centered. They have a storefront at Holiday Village Mall that allows them to store their creations where people can see them, and they get their name out further by donating items to various fundraisers in the area. That list includes the Boys & Girls Club
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of the Hi-Line Festival of Trees, 4-H Foundation, Montana State UniversityNorthern Lights Scholarship Foundation, Havre Wrestling, Golfing for a Cure and more. She said their most recent contribution to the Festival of Trees was a large stand-alone star that was essentially the design for the base of their glass-top table, and it sold for $1,000. “We try and contribute to a lot of fundraisers ... contributing to things that mean something to us,” Liz said. “Havre is a wonderful market,” she added. “They’ve really supported our business.”
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Story by havre daily news • photos courtesy of helmbrecht photography
People who go beneath the streets of Havre enter a different time. Havre Beneath the Streets Inc., a nonprofit corporation, re-created displays of old Havre businesses in spaces connected by a series of tunnels underneath downtown Havre. The attraction offers guided underground tours. Visitors will see period displays of a saloon, dental office, drug store, barber shop, meat market, office of businessman C.W. “Shorty” Young, bakery, laundry, opium den and bordello complete with a wax figure of a madam made by retired railroader Jack VanKoten of Havre.
VanKoten also completed a figure of Young to display in the office re-created for the tour. This was the office from which Young, touted as a charitable and kindly man, operated saloons and dancehalls and possibly other more illicit operations. VanKoten has created five other wax figures for Beneath the Streets, as well as two figures for the Railroad
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Museum. Havre Beneath the Streets makes every effort to make the displays as authentic as possible. Though, little to no documentation exists about the businesses, the nonprofit has collected information from people who remembered the times and conducted other research. The displays beneath the street
are of actual businesses from the past, like Holland and Son Mercantile, Wright’s Dental Office, the Sporting Eagle Saloon, the Pioneer Meat Market, Gourley Brothers Bakery, Boone’s Drug Store, Wah Sing Laundry and the Motor Services Co. These displays were created with items loaned or donated by people in the area. Some were found during the cleanup and reconstruction of the underground. The gift shop in the Frank DeRosa Railroad Museum, which houses the above-ground offices for the site at 120 Third Ave., has period memorabilia for Beneath the Streets as well as railroad items. Visitors can purchase decorative tins, hard candy, histories of the area and more. The railroad museum has a selection of items showing the history of the railroad in the area. The coming of The Great Northern Railway was instrumental in the creation and growth of many towns on the Hi-Line. Summer hours at the railroad museum and Havre Beneath the Streets’ ticket office are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Tours in summer go out regularly, starting at 9:30 a.m. with the last tour starting 3:30 p.m. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday with tours at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. After-hours tours are available by appointment. The costs for a tour are $17 for general tickets, $9 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and younger. The museum also has group rates. Admission to the railroad museum is free. For more information, call (406) 265-8888.
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