Articles written by Steve Edwards
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"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...
South of the Border: ""But wait, there's more."...and other stuff"
The combination of the stay at home directives related to COVID-19 plus some long winter days raised my awareness of certain types of advertising on television. Particularly late at night and some...
South of the Border - Whitlash: name likely a result of poor handwriting...
Columnist's note: We've lived in Whitlash since December, 2018. It's not uncommon when we tell someone we live in Whitlash for them to respond, " Whitefish, that's beautiful country. Do you like the...
South of the Border: Estonians - Builders from the Baltics in Liberty County
Columnist's note: My rancher friend Bob Thompson asked if I knew about the pioneer-era "sod houses" northwest of Chester. He explained a couple of sod houses were built by Estonians who had a...
Chinook Dental Clinic moving to former Wells Fargo building
On a visit to Chinook a few weeks ago I ran in to Dr. Robert Chaffin who owns and operates the Chinook Dental Clinic. I'd heard Dr. Chaffin had bought the former Wells Fargo building and there were...
South of the Border: "Living with the "new normal"... in Whitlash"
More than 90% of the country's residents are under "stay at home" directives and all of us are being cautioned to stay "socially distant" to help minimize COVID-19 spread. We hear the directives will...
Signs of spring around the U.S.
Reporter's note: Sitting up here in Whitlash under Montana's 'stay at home directive.' My thoughts have turned to 'signs of spring.' My wife and I lived in eight states and 23 different places within...
Observations from a visit to the Aloha State
During early March my wife and I spent 11 days on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Oahu is the most populated of the state's islands and is the home to 1.2 million people, most of whom live in Honolulu....
Developer considering Whitlash for mega data center
Experts in electronic data storage, systems engineers, architects and site developers have been scouring the Sweet Grass Hills looking for a site for a place to build a mega data/colocation facility....
"What happened near Las Vegas didn't stay near Las Vegas"
Pol Haldeman has lived on a ranch south of Cleveland in the Bear Paws since his family moved west from the Chicago area in 1954. He shared a story he thought readers might find interesting about his...
South of the Boarder: St. Urho Day celebration in Whitlash, 2019
Columnist's note: A couple of years ago I read about the annual March 16 celebration of St. Urho's Day in Butte. St. Urho Day celebrations occur in regions of the U.S. where Finnish immigrants live....
South of the Border: "The Whitlash church steeple: The rest of the story."
Dale Mailand, from Harlem, asked me for a digital photo of the Whitlash church's steeple and belfry. I sent the photo and shortly received a poem Dale wrote about the building and installing of the st...
Home demonstration clubs still meeting needs of their members and communities
My wife joined a local home demonstration club after we moved to the Sweet Grass Hills. I had not thought about those clubs since I was a kid. When I was growing up in southern Illinois my mom was...
