Articles written by Steve Edwards
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 749
By 
Maiden flight of Dick Edgington's homebuilt plane back on hold
Another glitch has halted the runup to the maiden flight of Dick Edgington's homebuilt RagWing4 single engine plane. Many locals recall the plane that Edgington, a longtime resident of Chinook, built...
"Rock writer" on the prairie: The rest of the story
Alert readers may recall a story that ran in the October 7, 2020 issue of the "Journal" about some unusual "rock writings." On the family ranch south of Chinook, Mark Burkhartsmeyer found a hilltop wi...
Christmas music: from sacred to big money makers
Christmas music is as much a part of the holiday as baking cookies, giving presents and participating in family gatherings. Though this season will be different because of the pandemic and issues...
The new normal
Carol Johnsrud, of Chinook, wanted to share a Thanksgiving greeting with friends. A retired nurse she wanted to keep everyone safe but still personalize the greeting. She would drive to a "greetee's"...
Jacks were played for fun and survival
A few weeks ago I did a story about marbles, a kids' game once mainly played by boys. To keep a gender balance in my writing, I decided to take a look at the game of jacks, a game I best recall as...
Body Farms: tending corpses, not crops
My wife and I live in the Grande Villa in Chinook and there is a tradition there among residents to put their unwanted items "on the bench." Each floor has a bench by the elevator, the place to leave...
Let's 'Knuckle down' and 'play for keeps'...marbles, that is
My wife recently came home from a yard sale with a bag of marbles. I had not thought about marbles in years. When I was in grade school (the early 1950's) marbles were a major deal among boys. With...
Give 'Em Pumpkin To Talk About!
Someone mysteriously decorated both guard rails of the bridge that crosses the Main Canal on Stephens Road just south of Kuper Cemetery. The use of the fall garden produce added a bit of color and a...
The "Mt. Fuji-like" mural in Chinook's Sargent house
Readers may recall I'm looking for information about the 'bronc rider mural' in Chinook's old Opera House and the 'rock writing' on the Burkhartsmeyer ranch in the south country. Some time ago a local...
Fall into Festival provided an abbreviated 2020 Sugarbeet Festival
Chinook Chamber President Daniel Dahl said he was pleased with the turnout for the Fall into Festival, the 2020 version of the Sugarbeet Festival. With concerns from COVID-19 there was some hesitancy...
Looking for answers, Part II: Who was Tom Cosnah?
This is a new appeal to alert readers for information about another local folk art mystery. Several weeks ago Mark Burkhartsmeyer asked me by phone, "Are you the paper's expert on local history?" I...
Looking for answers: who drew the 'bronc rider mural' in the old Opera House?
Over the last few years alert "Journal" readers have provided missing information to me for stories in the newspaper. Most recently, a Shelby subscriber identified the artist of the mural in the old...
"If only these guns could talk..."-Gary Asproth
When the eighth edition of the Chinook Gun and Antique Show opens in early October Gary Asproth, from Park Rapids, Minnesota, will be making his second appearance as an exhibitor at the annual show. I...
Separated by a common language...
When an alumni magazine arrived a few weeks ago an advertisement titled "Winter is Coming" caught my attention (see photo). The ad was promoting sales for a combination "beanie and scarf set" with...
South of the Border: Willie Miller: Sugarbeeter/Game Warden in the Sweet Grass Hills
After moving to Whitlash I asked the postmaster, "Who's the Game Warden up here?" thinking that might be an interesting story since big game hunting was underway. She said, "A guy named Willie Miller"...
Alert reader identifies artist of old mural in Kuhr's Clothing Store
Alert "Journal" reader Shirley Gardipee, who lives in Shelby, read the recent "Journal" (August 5, 2020) story about the unknown artist of the 40-foot long western mural in the old Kuhr Clothing...
Three paintings uniquely connected to Chinook
Evelyn Cole did art in Chinook most of her adult life and is likely best known for her sculpture of famed western artist Charlie Russell (rejected as Montana's entry for the Hall of Statuary in the...
Austin Haney learns about history by living it
Austin Haney is the Interpretive Ranger for this summer and fall at the Bear Paw Battlefield south of Chinook. A native of Great Falls and a recent graduate of the University of Montana with a major...
Who painted 80-year old mural in Chinook remains a mystery
When I started with the "Journal" seven years ago, the newspaper was located in the building where Treasure State Title now operates in Chinook. Next door, south, in a one story building also facing...
New lab in Chinook provides testing resources for ag operators
North Border Analytics opened late June at its new facility on the north side of Chinook. The business performs testing and assessment for soil, water, forage and grain samples. Dr. Brian Grebliunas,...
Gothic-arch barn has met ranch needs for more than a century
I saw the bright red barn on the Louie Petrie Ranch during the Montana Angus tour a couple of years ago. Sonny and Nellie Obrecht told me some of the history of the barn at that time but only recently...
New Chinook Opera House deemed a "Grand Success"
In November, 1903, the new Chinook Opera House hosted a grand opening ball that attracted 500 guests. A couple of weeks before the grand opening, the "Chinook Opinion" described the new facility as...
Local volunteer Toni Collins gives a 'hoot' about owls
Many readers know Toni Collins who works at Finley's Food Farm in Chinook. Some may know she's an avid outdoor photographer, especially for wildlife. Likely few readers know Toni's a "volunteer,...
Why the Missouri River used to run north of the Bear Paws
Several weeks ago my wife and I were returning from a trip to the Fort Peck area. Drivers who've made that trip know there are not many places to take a break between Glasgow and Malta. We remembered...
South of the Border: A visit to the world's "largest building"
Columnist's note: During our recent annual post-Christmas visit to see our daughter and her family in the Seattle area, she treated us with a visit to one of the Seattle area's major attractions. My d...
