Big Sky Blog

The bad news: Billings got hit by a tornado on Sunday evening.
The good news: initial reports indicate that there are no serious injuries.
Even though we don’t live in “Tornado Alley,” Montana can still throw some punches, weather-wise.

Who would have ever thought that Billings could boast having the lowest gas prices in the nation?

CNN is reporting that Billings has the lowest average gas prices in the nation. Too bad this trend won’t last forever.

Mr. Terry Fettig is the 2008 recipient of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Award, presented by the Institute for Peace Studies at Rocky Mountain College. He joins such notable past recipients as: U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield; Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen; C.A.I. founder Greg Mortenson; U.N. Ambassador George McGovern; and more outstanding peacemakers who reside in Montana or who have significant ties to the state. For this award, the Institute recognizes dedication to peace at the individual, family, community, national and international levels.

This is cool: Google Maps now offers Street Views of Billings! As far as I know, Billings is the only Montana community to get this treatment so far.

Here is an entry from October 1, 1954 by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt about her visit to Billings.

It’s a chatty, but interesting entry. One thing I found interesting; Mrs. Roosevelt lists what she feels makes a hotel comfortable and it seems the Northern fit the bill. Who would have thought washcloths, waste baskets and reading lights would be so important. I guess it just reinforces the belief that it’s the simple things in life we miss the most when they’re gone.

KULR-8 in Billings is reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney was in Billings today on his way to the Big Horn River to fish for trout.

Wyoming native Cheney knows where the best fishing is, Montana!

Randy’s Billings Free Press continues to improve — he’s done a great job with it. He’s got a great layout/design, fresh content, images, tags, the whole thing. If you live in Billings – or will be visiting – you owe it to yourself to both read the Billings Free Press AND add it to your blogroll (or bookmarks).

July 30, 1969

[Billings native] Dave McNally, ace southpaw for the Baltimore Orioles, wins his seventeenth consecutive game by defeating the Kansas City Royals 4-2 in Kansas City. McNally ties the American League record set by Johnny Allen of the Cleveland Indians during the 1937 season. The streak ends on August 3, largely due to Twins pinch hitter Rich Reese’s grand slam home run. McNally’s record will last until the 1999 season, when Roger Clemons establishes a new American League record of twenty consecutive wins.

From Montana Dateline by Ellis Roberts Parry.

Today’s edition of The Billings Gazette has some good stories today which are worth reading.

The first is a story about the Japanese community in 20th century Harlowton and the second is of the last Japanese native in Harlowton. The story of Henry Muneta is especially poignant since he is the father-in-law of a Big Sky blogger.

I’ll let you figure out who the blogger is.

The next story is a nice one about the Billings Bluegrass music club which has weekly jam sessions at a local Hardee’s. The Gazette also has a nice photo album to go with the story.

I wonder if the Long Time Lonesome Dogs ever play at Hardee’s?