Things You Didn't Know About Montana

Trivia for a day:

The largest snowflake ever observed was 38 cm wide and was recorded in Montana on January 28, 1887.  That's just darn near 15 inches!

Montana holds the world record for the greatest temperature change in a 24-hour period.  On January 14-15, 1972, the temperature went from -54 F to +49 F in Loma, Montana.  That's a whopping 103 degrees!

(This is a good one:)  It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. (eeww!  ickky!!)

In Montana, it is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.

The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England.

It is a misdemeanor to show movies in Montana that depict acts of a felonious crime.  (Now why do I think that one's not enforced??)

No state in the U.S. has as many different species of mammals as Montana.

The average square mile of land in Montana contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer (minus one deer that I know of!)

 Montana is the fourth largest state in the U.S. but is 44th in (human) population.  The elk, deer and antelope populations outnumber the humans.

In Helena, Montana the law states that a woman cannot dance on a saloon table unless her clothing weighs more the 3 lbs 2 oz. (???)

In Fort Benton, Montana a cowboy once insisted on riding his horse to his room in the Grand Union Hotel.  When the manager objected, they exchanged gunfire.  The horseman was killed before reaching the top of the stairs.  Fourteen .44 caliber slugs were later dug out of his body.

Well, I can't say that I knew all of that, either!

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Montana Gold

We're certainly not going to let a lil' ol' deer strike dampen our enthusiasm for history though!  I'm beginning to believe there is gold in EVERY state!!  Who knew... 

"About 1 1/2 miles downstream from this point a creek flows into the Clark Fork River from the southwest.  In 1852, a French half-breed, Francois Finlay, commonly known as "Benetsee," prospected the creek for placer gold.  Finlay had had some experience in the California gold fields but was inadequately equipped with tools.  However, he found colors, and in 1858 James and Granville Stuart, Reece Anderson and Thomas Adams, having heard of Benetsee's discovery, prospected the creek.  The showing obtained convinced them that there were rich placer mines in Montana.   The creek was first called "Benetsee Creek" and afterwards became known as Gold Creek.

The rumors of the strike reached disappointed "Pikes Peakers" as well as the backwash of prospectors from California and resulted in an era of prospecting that uncovered the famous placer deposits of Montana."

(Placer is Spanish meaning shoal or alluvial/sand deposit.  This gold can be found in the gravel and sand deposits from glacial ice flows that created and filled streams and rivers.)

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Deer Crossing Next 56 Miles

Caution.  Some images may be graphic.

We get a nice comfy place in Missoula, Montana for the night and grab the road atlas to see how we want to proceed in the morning.  Option #1:  Straight shot north on US 93 past Flathead Lake (as in Flathead Indians), through Kalispell, to the town of West Glacier.  Option #2: Jog to the right and take Montana 83 through Evergreen and Hungry Horse to West Glacier.  If you get to the campgrounds too early most campers will still be packing up to leave and we'll just have to sit around waiting.  We opt for the longer route through Hungry Horse.

It's really a beautiful drive.  Good road, even if it is a State Highway rather than a U.S. Highway.  We pass a couple of critters by the side of the road.

Then we come to a sign that says, "Deer Crossing Next 56 Miles."  Well, now.  We see these kinds of signs all the time - but FIFTY-SIX MILES!?!  Yeah, sure.

So, Granpa is rolling along about 60 mph, and in the space of less than two seconds I see a deer streaking toward the edge of the highway like lightening.  I barely can say, "We're gonna hit..." before WHAM!  and I do mean WHAM!!







Yes, folks, that's exactly what it looks like all over the side of our car - blood, guts, and gore...
and a little poo just for good measure.

Bada-boom, bada-bing!  Busted our wheel cover, blew up the headlight, mangled the front bumper, fender, door and hood.  $4,000 + just like that.  In the blink of an eye.  Bummer.

Granpa took a pocket knife and cut the mutilated front bumper off - it was just plastic.  Then he took some twine and put a sling around what was left and looped it to the radiator.  Then some passing locals pitched in and changed the tire while I scurried around and played insurance adjuster (The more pictures the happier the insurance company is.)

I'd say that's proof positive...

I call 9-1-1 and TEXAS Highway Patrol answers.  ????  I call again.  Same thing.  Must be linked to my iPhone area code.  I go to the little diner across the road and find a local number.  "Mmm-hmmm.  Yes.  Mmmm.  Okay.  Go into Kallispell, find the police station, get a 'white form,' fill it in and send it to us.  No, no need to wait for us.  Happens all the time on this stretch of the highway.  If YOU aren't injured, just mail it in."

We make it to Kalispell, find the Toyota dealership, they sign us up, loan us a car to go get some brunch (breakfast/lunch scrunched together like a car accident = brunch), and to find the local police department.  What's kinda funny is that no one at the restaurant knows where the police station is.  It's a small town for goodness sake!  We have to get iPhone GPS to find it for us!!

Our plan is to get a new tire and the front end aligned and then head for Texas to have the body work done by folks we can follow up with more easily.  Guess where we end up spending the night?  Right back in Missoula!  Bummer.  Bummer.  Bummer.  But Granpa and I were not hurt in the slightest and the car will be fine.  Very sorry about the deer, though.  Bummer.


 

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Gotta Go!

Well, our time in Washington state is drawing to a close.  We have a possible contract in Maryland, but are still waiting for confirmation.  Rather than hot-footing it back to Texas we think we will head just a tad north to Glacier International Peace Park.  It's one of our favorite National Parks, and we haven't been there in awhile.  We'll camp there a few days and see if we are in fact headed for Maryland or back to Texas.

John gets off at 4:30.  We're not sure we can make it all the way to a campsite in Glacier before dark, so we might have to find a hotel.

We head up US 12 toward Lewiston, Idaho.  That's how we came into Walla Walla, and it is a beautiful drive.  It's getting dark.  The road is full of curves and highs and lows.  Our headlights are excellent on this vehicle.  We both are alert for night critters and whatever else might be lurking in the road or on the side.  

Oh!  My goodness!  Is that... ?  It IS!!!  Oh!  My!  Goodness!!  It's a mountain lion!  We've never seen a mountain lion - much less in the wild!  It's just standing there on the side of the road.  His tale seems twice as long as he is!  He's taller than our son's Great Dane.  Oooo!  He's magnificent!  Golly!

There was zero time to get an iPhone or camera for a picture, though the image is forever in our minds.  He was there, and then he was gone.  Golly gracious goodness!  How absolutely cool is that!

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The Dalles, Oregon

Eureka!  We found it!  THE END OF THE OREGON TRAIL!  We made it!  The Dalles!  (pronounced dolls)  Praise the Lord!

Native Americans have been camping here for ten thousand years.  Lewis and Clark camped here in 1805 and 1806.  Everyone from pioneers to soldiers, miners, adventurers, gun-slingers, floozies and scallywags became the norm during the time of the Oregon Trail emigration.

Now, more decisions need to be made:  continue west by river? by road? or just stay put in The Dalles?

• By boat was expensive and the Columbia River Gorge was extremely dangerous - but it was the fastest way.
• By road was less expensive, but slow, and they, their equipment, and their livestock were worn out.  Winter was fast approaching, so to continue to travel meant snow, extremely cold nights, and lots of mud and muck.
• Staying put was always an option, but you must remember the kind of folks that embarked on this epic journey in the first place.  They were looking for a better life, the best land, and the very best opportunities for success that America had to offer.  Hardship was no obstacle.
• They might choose to "winter over" in The Dalles and continue on in the spring.  It would be just as cold, but they wouldn't be on the move, they could use the time to rest, repair, refresh the livestock -- but then those that do go on would have first pick of the land...

Even so, they had made it.  Good Lord!  They made it to the end of the Oregon Trail !!

******************

A friend had told us of The Dalles and the Columbia River Gourge years ago.  "Dalles" is French for flagstone or slab.  It describes the large, smooth, flat slabs of basalt rock at this point in the Columbia that formed a narrow channel in the river.  He said it was a must see piece of amazing beauty.  The Gourge was carved by the Missoula Flood 15,000 years ago.  The ice dam at Glacial Lake Missoula broke and a 400 foot wall of water traveling at Interstate speeds of 65-70 mph scooped out everything in it's path.  This scenario repeated itself several times.

It was about 13,000 years ago that Mongols began crossing the land bridge at the Bering Straits and humans established themselves in what would become known as the Americas.  (Just think, Gengis Khan might be in your DNA somewhere!)

In 1579, the famous Sir Francis Drake is said to have landed here.  Was he the first European to see the west coast?

Throughout the 1700's there were numerous explorations of the northwest by the Danes, Russian, Spainish, English...  It was Captain James Cook, the English sea captain that discovered the Hawaiian Islands in the 1700's, that landed at Cape Foulweather in 1778 and discovered the wealth of furs waiting there for the trappers.

Then, of course, President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase which reached all the way up here, and sent Lewis and Clark on their incredible Expedition in 1804.  Fur trappers began trickling in and a flood of pioneers soon followed.  And now, we're here!

Our 2004 vacation

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The Forts Trail

Instead of the Oregon Trail, it could have been called the Forts Trail.  Forts were built by fur trading companies or by the military.  There were a total of 40 forts, camps and military stations built on or within a day's ride of the Oregon Trail.  Unfortunately, they were not often oasis's of civilization:

Fort Hall, in 1847, Chester Ingersoll wrote that Fort Hall was "the worst place for emigrants that we
    have seen -- they are almost destitute of honesty or human feelings."  In 1850 it was  reputed to be
    "hospitable," but by 1851 it was again "a desolate place and filled with thieves."
Fort Walla Walla (originally known as Fort Nez Perces after the Indian tribe) built in 1818
Fort Bridger built in 1843 by the famous mountain man, Jim Bridger
Fort Laramie, 1/3 of the way to Oregon it was the first structure west of Missouri
Fort Kearny where several trails converged and anchored the eastern terminus of the emigrant route on the
    Platte River, also serving the Pony Express, overland stages, and the telegraph
Fort Boise, built in 1834 and presided over by the very amiable Francois Payette - very hospitable and kind

Even Fort Boise had it's troublesome characters, though.  In 1845, Stephen H. L. Meek persuaded a wagon train with nearly 1,000 emigrants to turn west at the Malheur River.  Meek looked like a veteran guide and talked like he knew the region, convincing the leaders that they "could avoid all trouble and danger by taking his route."  The untried trail led the emigrants into the high desert of Oregon and ultimately into the lava lands of Deschutes.  Thirty deaths later and two or three months of delay, the hungry, thirsty, battered survivors regained the Oregon Trail near The Dallas - and they still had the Columbia River to contend with!

But today, in the year 2012, we are still fascinated by the romance surrounding the word "Fort."

A List of Possessions

Oh, my!  I hope you can read this, but just in case, I'll type it out for you.  As you read down this list, imagine where you might find room for it in the wagon (maximum 16' bed and as wide as two horse's behinds), and pack that wagon so you can get to things without having to unload everything else.  Figure $500 (in 1840 dollars) per person.  There are NO convenience stores or Wal-Mart's on this road!

Food
Keg of apple vinegar
Linen sacks of flour and corn meal
Cloth bags of dried fruit, beans, rice and sugar
Coffee for browning in the skillet
Tea
Salt
Pilot Bread
Molasses
Hardtack
Eggs
Corn
Horseradish, fresh

Cook and Eating Utensils
Dutch Oven
Reflector oven
Cast iron skillet
Coffeepot
Six quart pan
Table
Tablecloth
Churns (one for sweet milk, one for sour)
Earthen and tin dishes
Knives, forks and spoons
Water keg
Teapot
Coffee pot
Matches

Clothing
Overalls
Jeans
Barn-door style britches (drop-front pants)
Cotton and flannel shirts
Boots
Moccasins
Soft hats and top hats
Wool blanket coat
Chintz, calico, and gingham dre4sses
Pantalets
Sunbonnets
Aprons

Weapons
Rifle
Shotgun
Powder and powder horn
Lead
Hatchet
Knife
Bullet mould and bullet ouch
Holster

                  Luxuries

Fine china and silverware (packed in barrels)
Linens
Books
Dolls
Jewelry
Furniture
Musical Instruments
Iron stoves

Other common items
Medicine chest
Candle molds
Tallow
Lanterns
Needles, pins, thread
Eyeglasses and look-glasses (mirror)
Combs and brushes
Washbowl
Fishhooks and tobacco (for personal use and trade to Indians)
Feather bed
Feather pillows
Comforters
Blankets
Tent
Stakes, poles, and ropes

Tools and Equipment
Axe
Shovel
Augers
Handsaw
Cross-cut saw
Plough moulds
Ropes for tying up horses
Hammer
Hoe
Chains
Spare wagon tongue
Whetstone

Hey!  I didn't see "spinning wheel" on that list anywhere !!  Oooo, the man is gonna be really unhappy that someone snuck that baby on here - 'til he reaches the Blues and wants a sweater or scarf to get him through the winter ...

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Titles

There are SO many things to see at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at the top of Flagstaff Hill just outside of Baker City, Oregon!  Outside they have a circle of wagons with interpretive signs explaining the different kinds of wagons (innumerable!) "Traditionally the wagon beds were painted blue and the undercarriages red..."  Who knew?  I mean, on the TV shows and movies I don't think any of them were painted - and how many of us get our history from those sources!

Inside there are sign titles like:

The Free Soil Party
African American Homesteads
Railroads and the Homestead Movement
Oh Give Me A Home (The ballad of the homestead movement, original lyrics, 1873)
Starving to Death On My Government Claim (a bachelor's story)

and stories of entire families:
The Chandler Family (A Century of Ranching in Baker Valley)
Arthur and Ray Boyd
The Warner Family
The Baldock Family (One of Baker County's First Homesteads)

Stories on "Speculation and Fraud, Unintended Consequences and Cheating," Barbed Wire, the Song Don't Fence Me In...

Standard homesteads were 160 acres.  How big is an acre?  There's an interpretive sign to explain that:
One acre is almost as big as a 100 yard football field.  A standard homestead was 1/2 mile in length on either side.  The sign also explains the process of homesteading.  (In Texas, we still get a Homestead Exemption on our county taxes if we apply for it.  That law is based on the federal law, but there is no federal land in Texas, no Bureau of Land Management, so if you homesteaded in Texas it was by Texas law.)

Once again we were treated to a rare event:  a musical historian and her brother put on a show for us playing different instruments and music from the 1850's.

I'm tellin' ya' folks, you gotta take vacations and stop at every museum you can to find the true history of America!  I am a HUGE fan of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, but the true history of America is it's people.  You find that in spades here!

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Mountain Climbing in a Wagon

Coming from the east into the Rocky Mountain portion of the Oregon Trail was a breeze.  No, really!  The rise into the Rockies was so very gradual that usually the emigrants didn't even know that they had cleared the continental divide and were on the Pacific drainage side.  The Blue Mountains, however, were a whole different experience.

The ascent up the Blues - the first forested land and mountain terrain they encountered in the 2,200 miles that they had crossed - the ascent was heartbreaking for man and beast.  The shallow wagons were stacked with goods and furnishings to their canvas-covered ribs and were therefore very top-heavy.  Top-heavy wagons didn't take too well to trying a spiral route up the mountains, so the emigrants took the Blues head on.

Some inclines were so steep that it took 20 or more oxen to pull the fully loaded wagons up to the tops.  Going down the other side was terribly dangerous because of gravity pulling the heavily loaded wagons down faster than brakes and men hauling back on ropes and animals standing in the way could control.  The shattered remains of out of control wagons were found at the bottom of many ravines.

Unbelievably thick and tall old-growth trees covered the Blues.  At high noon in the forest it was almost as dark as night.  If a traveler lost sight of their wagons for even a minute they may never find their way back.  If their livestock wandered out of sight - absolutely essential for hauling these wagons up and down the Blue Mountains - they might be lost forever.  The howl of wolves and the snarling of panther set traveler's nerves on edge all night long.

Diaries were kept by travelers of every sort.  To me, these diaries are more fascinating than any work of fiction ever produced.

I suppose this blog is my diary of the 21st century.  It details the places Granpa and I go and the things that we do - from snorkeling to canning bread and butter pickles to, well, suffice it to say, there is LOTS more for me to share!

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Day Trip !

The wagon train we chanced upon at Fort Walla Walla started out from Baker City, Oregon.  Since coming to Washington we've heard of that place several times.  We figure if a wagon train could make it to Walla Walla in two weeks we ought to be able to make it to Baker City in a day trip.  So off we go!

The Blue Mountains have been a backdrop for us since arriving in Walla Walla.  Today we will drive around, through, over, and behind them.  The area is very sparsely settled - most of western Washington and Oregon is.  It's very arid here with very, very low humidity.  Every vineyard and wheat field we see is constantly being irrigated, but with water things are a deep rich green.  There are wind farms on the Oregon border;  we can see them from our lodgings.

We drop down through Milton-Freewater and Pendleton to pick up Interstate 84.  There is a world famous wool manufacturer in Pendleton.  (Wait a minute!  I thought the sheep manufactured the wool!)  They have a museum there, and I would LOVE to go through it - maybe I could see someone actually spinning wool into yarn - but they're only open Monday through Friday.  Bummer.

Picking up the Interstate we travel through the Umatilla Indian Reservation and into the Blue Mountain Forest State Scenic Corridor.  There are small campgrounds up and down this area of the highway with interpretive centers at each one detailing wagon train daily activities, with quotes from actual diaries of the 1800's emigrants.  Very nice!

In the beginning I said that we could make a day-trip of this.  Well, not if we stop and read all of these!  So we stop at several, I take some iPhone shots of the interpretive signs, and while John drives on down the road I read the photos to him.  Best of both worlds!

The Summit

We reach the base of the summit.  The National Park Service has graciously built a beautiful visitor center here.  The view is spectacular.

And as we leave, Granpa can't resist stopping for one last picture.

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Mount Rainier Wildlife

We are always on the look out for anything from crickets, to chipmunks, to bear, bison, and moose.  We're not seeing much around here.  Then, in the blink of an eye as we approach a bridge, a bear ambles up into the road and begins walking across the bridge like he has all the time in the world.  I'm frantically trying to get a camera of some kind and get it on and focused before this guy gets to the end of the bridge.  I barely accomplish it.

I think it's a hoot that the wildlife uses people bridges to get across rivers and streams!  Really, why should they get their feet wet if they don't have to?  Smart critters!

Look closely at the photo below.  Mr. Bear is getting ready to step up onto a fallen log and walk across it, too.

This is our FOURTH bear on this Walla Walla contract trip.  That's so cool!

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