Anyone with an all-terrain or off-highway vehicle (ATV or OHV) looking for a summer getaway should consider a trip to the Little Belt Mountains. With a home base like Dry Wolf Campground-located southwest of Stanford-the recreationist can ride trails in Lyons Gulch, along Yogo Creek, up Bandbox Mountain, or even into nearby towns like Utica or Monarch.

In the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Dry Wolf Creek runs through the campground, which is bordered by Bandbox Mountain. In late June, the trail over Yogo Peak was snow-covered and impassable, but many trails were open-some rocky and remote; others easy going. At that time, numerous trails afforded spectacular mountain views carpeted by wildflowers like arrowleaf balsam root, wild geranium, clementine, lupine, shooting stars, and larkspur; as well as ample wildlife sitings of deer, elk, bears, sand hill cranes, ruffed grouse, chipmunks, and squirrels. At the end of one trail, which topped out at 8,307 feet, four concrete pillars marked the remains of what looked like an old lookout tower.

Hiking and motorcycle trails are also plentiful in the area, and those so inclined might view the water falls in Lyons Gulch after hiking ½ mile round trip.

Furthermore, OHV trails sometimes connect to county roads for a ride into Utica, where the Oxen Yoke Inn, known for its famous burgers, is located. For example, the Big Sky Burger features a ¾ pound beef patty topped with ham, cheese, grilled onions, onion rings, and barbecue sauce. Ordered with curly fries and a beverage, it provides a meal for two!

While in town, a traveler may also choose to visit the Utica Museum, which features a collection of artifacts from the Homestead Era. Here, a person might learn that Utica was founded in July 1880 on land donated by John Murphy, one of the first settlers who was from Utica, New York. Although at the time of its founding, Utica was in Meagher County, in 1886, a territorial reorganization in preparation for Montana's statehood placed this area in Fergus County. Another reorganization of counties in 1920, placed the Utica area in the new county of Judith Basin.

Because Utica was a logical supply center for this area of the Little Belts, it prospered. In 1865, Jake Hoover's discovery of gold in Yogo Gulch brought hundreds to that area. Hoover also found the first of the yogo sapphires in 1895. Another of Hoover's contributions to the area was his befriending of Charles M. Russell.

Along Highway 541, several buildings lined in strip mall-style represent a work in progress. Their intent will be to capture the Russell era in the 1880s. Shelton Saloon was Russell's "watering hole" in 1882 after he was hired as a night herder for the 500 horses used on the Judith Round-up, headquartered at Utica. The saloon's proprietor, James R. Shelton allowed Russell to use a corner of the small log building for his first studio during the day. He commissioned Russell's first painting "Western Scene" in 1885 and a second painting "Cowboy Camp during the Roundup" in 1886.

Another building in the row, the Charles Lehman Store was the center piece of Russell's 1907 painting "Quiet Day in Utica." Russell was a frequent customer of the Lehman store when he worked the Judith Round-up.

Silver Dollar Saloon, Hotel Judith, and Calamity Jane Café complete the replica. According to signage posted at the site, "Calamity Jane cooked off and on in the café from 1898-1900. A young Métis woman from Canada, Louise Holland (later she would become Louise Waite and Don's grandmother) was a waitress at the time. She cooked when Calamity was drunk, which was most of the time."

The scaled-down composite replica of frontier Utica is the brain-child of Don Waite, whose grandfather was Walter Waite. An amateur historian who is trying to revive his home town, Waite is using Russell's painting A Quiet Day in Utica as inspiration in his reconstruction, although he is taking creative liberties.

Because Waite's ultimate goal is education, he has populated the structures with framed informational sheets, alongside reproductions of Russell paintings with explanatory material, photos, and era-appropriate artifacts. He doesn't know when the project will be completed, because he keeps getting new ideas, but it's already a worthwhile sight. As a historical resource, it complements the existing Utica Museum just down the highway.

Although it is simply a tiny unincorporated town today, with neither a church nor a post office, Utica reflects a sense of Montana's past, and Waite-along with his wife Carol-is working to preserve it.

Another personality with ties to Utica was a circuit-rider-preacher referred to as "Brother Van." An itinerant Methodist preacher during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, William Wesley Van Orsdel probably logged more miles crisscrossing the state than anyone else in Montana's history. He arrived in Fort Benton around 1874 where he charmed the rough and brawling saloon crowd of the port city. His honesty, enthusiasm, sense of humor, and straight-forward manner quickly earned him the nickname "Brother Van."

From 1892 to 1918, as superintendent of the Methodists' North Montana Mission, Brother Van built 100 churches- including the first Methodist Church in Havre. Located at the corner of First Avenue and Third Street, the church was built in 1893 and remained in that location until 1915.

Brother Van was also instrumental in the building of 50 parsonages, six hospitals, a school for orphans, and Montana Wesleyan college. Until his "retirement" at age 68, he continued to preach every Sunday and to speak at missionary conferences across the country.

Locations like the Little Belt Mountains and its adjacent small towns are a reminder that plenty of attractions exist right here in Montana. With high fuel prices and economies suffering everywhere, exploring close to home has multiple benefits.

Produced by Friends of the Little Belts in partnership with USDA Forest Service, free paper copies of area maps are available at any Forest Service office, as well as at several Great Falls locations, including Sports City Cyclery.

Digital maps of the trails are available online at fs.usda.gov/ and through the app: Avenza Maps. Offline maps, GPS location, and a digital map store on a mobile device, Avenza Maps enables the user to access maps and to monitor locations without the Internet or network connections.