Barbara Fifer | Bad Boys of the Black Hills
… and some Wild Women, Too
In her new book, Barbara Fifer introduces readers to the Black Hills of the 1880s, and a wide range of rowdies ranging from madams to stagecoach robbers, and from tall-tale tellers to killers.
Bad Boys profiles more than 95 rascals, wild women and engaging events in this historic region of South Dakota, including such famous historical figures as Wyatt Earp and Gen. George Custer, and such wild and wooly types as killer "Persimmon Bill" Chambers and gambler and actress Lurline Monte Verde.
The author invites readers to meet "gunmen who were good with their weapons, robbers who did everything wrong, and women who made their livings beyond the pale of respectability." The book also includes 20 historical photographs, an extensive timeline of Black Hills events and a map of Deadwood in the 1870s, as well as a map of the Black Hills.
Fifer, a freelance writer and editor who lives in Helena, is the author of numerous books on regional history and geography.… Read more
Hamilton Performing Arts Series at critical crossroads
When it came time to offer support for the Hamilton Performing Arts Series, Jake and Mandy Barnings dug deeper than usual into their pocketbook this year. … Faced with challenging economic times and a change in its funding structure, there is no guarantee the series that’s brought Grammy-winning artists to the Bitterroot Valley will survive to see its sixth season. “We knew that this was the critical year,” Mandy Barnings said. “We knew that this will be the year to decide if it stays or it goes away." Read more
Josh Wagner | Fiction Clemens
Josh Wagner introduces his new protagonist, the laconic Fiction Clemens, in a series of three graphic novels, published from May-August. … “A futuristic western meets Alice in Wonderland or perhaps Oz, and that really doesn’t do the overall insanity of the book justice,” writes Newsarama. Read more
John Dunnigan | Jack’s Guitar
For at least 30 years, Whitefish musician John Dunnigan has been doing what bunches of other musicians have been unable to do: make music for a living. … His latest CD, Jack’s Guitar, proves why he’s been able to carve out a niche in Montana-made music. It’s chock-full of catchy homemade tunes (Dunnigan wrote all but two), and some of them are gut-busters. Read more • (1) Comments
“The Bison” celebrates and explores iconic critter
The bison are scheduled to roam once again at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, and this time they are sticking around for the new permanent installation, “The Bison: American Icon, Heart of Plains Indian Culture,” which opens in December to much fanfare. The exhibit fills three galleries (including one new space) with some 500 objects … Read more
Whitefish Theatre Company flies high with “Peter Pan”
Whitefish Theatre Company is flying high this December with a production of “Peter Pan,” Dec. 5-21 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Actors will literally take flight, aided by ZFX Flying Effects, which comes to town to rig up the O’Shaughnessy Center and harness cast members for flying lessons Thanksgiving weekend. Read more
Hikers, bikers welcome on Sun Road
Hikers and bicyclists may now venture the entire 16 miles between Avalanche Creek and Logan Pass, as well as between Jackson Glacier Overlook and Siyeh Bend, amid vibrant fall colors from ground level through the treetops. All other park roads remain open for motorized vehicle travel except for the road into Cut Bank Valley, the Chief Mountain Road and a small portion of the Inside North Fork Road. Motorists are urged to be alert for patches of ice on roads, especially in shaded areas. Read more