Big Sky Blog

MONTANA

Montana, Montana
Glory of the West
Of all the states from coast to coast,
You’re easily the best,
Montana, Montana
Where skies are always blue
M-O-N-T-A-N-A,
Montana, I love you.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Griz to the core, but I take my hat off and shall always be mindful of sacrifices my Bobcat colleagues have made for us all. Here’s another reason why I love Montana….

The Ultimate Sacrifice:

The 1946 MSU Football team was special for more than its accomplishments, however. When it reassembled following World War II, its special mission was to carry the Bobcat banner after 11 members of Montana State’s previous team, the 1941 squad, were killed during World War II. The only pre-war regular to play in the Harbor Bowl was Bill Zupan, whose brother Al was among those ‘Cat gridders making the ultimate sacrifice. Others were Orin Beller, Newell Berg, Dana Bradford, John Burke, Bernard Cluzen, William Coey, Karl Fye, John Hall, Joseph McGeever, John Phelan, Richard Roman, Wendell Scabad and Alton Zempel, according to the outstanding centennial history of MSU, “In the People’s Interest”.

May they rest in peace.

Thanks to everyone that posted and emailed. Well I got the good
and bad and am still confused…lol. Maybe some more info would
help. I spent years in Pocatello, Idaho. (It too, gets many
negative comments when only seen from the highway.)Agriculture/Ore-Ida
factory etc. Yet Pocatello had a university and so a mix of ages, colors,
beliefs etc (a huge plus and getting more necessary as I age). I
enjoyed the unversity (professional student for years) so I was
looking forward to the influence of MTTech., but my roots have me
very comfortable around blue collar.

Haven’t experienced much of Oregon’s “liberal” attitude. Have felt like an outsider since I moved here. How exactly is Montana and specifically Butte
conservative? Thought you had a Democrat Gov?

Also, I currently live in a self described “retirement” town.
That is definitely a deal breaker re: Frank P’s comment and the
extensive elderly population in Butte. Anyone else to support
or refute?
Again, Thanks for all the input. Difficult to move
to a new place based on facts and figures. Haven’t the resources
to do a lot of recon before the move. Also, would really like to
be day trip “able” to Pocatello due to relatives for child. Now,
that’s a conservative town…lol.

PS Sorry if this message appears twice – got a bizarre error msg when I tried to post a response. Thanks again, Kate hannahs_mom@hotmail.com

A man decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read “$10,000 per call”. The man, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.

The man thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta . There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. ” O.K., thank you,” sa id the man.

He then traveled to Indianapolis , Washington DC , Philadelphia , Boston ,and New York . In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same “$10,000 per call” sign under it. The man, upon leaving New York decided to travel out west to see if western states had the same phone.

He arrived in Montana , and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read “40 cents per call.” The man was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. “Father, I’ve traveled all over America and I’ve seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I’m told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the east and south the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?

The priest smiled and answered, “You’re in Montana now, son,… it’s a local call”.

Now, hold on all you Miles Citians. No doubt you have pride in your community. And with good reason. Having competed against Miles City teams, attended the Buckin’ Horse Sale, worked through it for the Ol’ Milwaukee and enjoyed Denton Field and the nearby public swimmin’ hole, it’s completely understandable. But, let me point out what is fast becoming a public misconception about a complete list of the cities of importance in the state. The original blog talks about the ‘Seven Sister’s of Montana. Noteworthy without exception. But I take particular shine in hailing from one of the ‘Tri-Cities’ of which every Montanan wells with pride. You know……the Tri-Cities. What ‘Tri-Cities’ you ask? Great Falls, Billings and Baker, of course. This source of pride comes from a number of facts about the community of Baker. Let me share a few. To start, Baker and a lot of her sister communities of eastern Montana (Glendive, Sidney, etc) produce a huge percentage of state tax revenue that seems to be redistributed primarily to western Montana. It frequently makes the national news as ‘the coldest place in the nation’. It is renown for the quality of its area hunting territories. It has one of the most storied high school football programs in the State. It’s the home of the ‘World’s Largest Steer’ which can still be viewed in the Fallon County Museum. My grandfather was mayor longer than FDR was president. And I was at one time the section foreman of the nearby hamlet of what is now known as ‘Joe, Montana’. Yes, there is alot to be proud about in being a Montanan. But, of the ‘Tri-Cities’, I prefer Baker.

I’m so excited, I’m moving to Montana this summer with my honor roll teenager. Butte seems to be calling my name, but nothing is carved in stone yet…I would appreciate any info on Butte and the rest of Montana, the good as well as the bad. A good high school is important.

I’m mid forties and politically liberal and didn’t really fit in with this small town on the oregon coast. It seems I would fit in Butte, am I right? Also, want a town large enoughto make a living and small enough to be homey. I do a lot of admin work, never had a problem with employment, would love to hear about employment, wages, housing etc. What sort of sun is there in the winter (lived in Idaho and Alaska, cold isn’t a problem for me….really looking forward to a “real” winter!)

Thanks for all your information and help. Kate ~ my email is hannahs_mom@hotmail.com

finding cheap airline information on the internet will not be a problem anymore, with the us airlines creating a database for every american airline, from information on airline tickets to the schedule for the midwest airlines.

If you’re looking for a quick reference to the license plate numbers assigned to each county in Montana, look no further. And if you wondered what Montana plates looked like in 1976, here you go. If you’re looking to buy plates for collections or display, check this out. Of course, you can always check out the official Montana state license plate page, too. And for some do-it-yourself fun, check out the ACME License Plate Maker!

And be sure to check out the “Great Montana Plates” site!

As I write this we are 15 minutes from the start of Pet Wars. The fun cap of the really fun Public Radio Week, the big fundraiser for Montana Public Radio. Are you all sitting next to the radio, wondering whether they can possible make the goal?

I’ve been a public radio listener for many years–even before I moved to Montana, where I have lived for over 20 years. I’ve endured pledge weeks in other cities, but here–Public Radio Week is something to look forward to. They make it fun. I love the premiums offered by listeners and I love Pet Wars.

I’ve already made my pledge, but I just might have to call in another pledge tonight on behalf of my dog. The idea of Pet Wars is that listeners pledge for their dog, cat or other companion animals. The scores are then tallied–who brings in the most pledges, dogs, cats or will it be something else this year? Don’t miss the fun–listen to your favorite Montana Public Radio Station tonight and call in your pledge, or pledge at mtpr.org.

EDIT (from David):if you pledge, you can get some nifty little gifts — license-plate frames, pet patches, coffee mugs, and more!

OK, so there are four official coin designs that the public can choose from…but what if we were able to design our own coins? Here’s two that I made; the first one, duh, is a shameless plug for Big Sky Blog; the second is testament to Montana’s nuclear arsenal. Have any of you come up with quarter designs that you’d like to share?

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The voting is open for the design on the Montana quarter! There are four choices: the first features an elk; the second features the famous cow-skull; the third has an outline of our state with mountains and a shining sun; and the fourth one is a view of some mountains. What’s your favorite? Is there something else that you think should have been included on our quarter?

Now go vote!