BY MARIA MACVEAN Storytelling runs in James Redford's blood. The documentary filmmaker grew up watching some of the best American movies come together thanks to his father, Robert Redford. Through his dad's involvement in various film projects, James, who goes by Jamie, learned how stories are told, and what motivated his father to select the projects he … [Read more...]
Kevin Costner Stars in TV Series Yellowstone
BY KAREN E. DAVIS Planting their cowboy boots squarely in our backyard, the Paramount Network has created a new modern-day TV western called Yellowstone, starring Oscar-winner Kevin Costner. Costner, following in a long line of movie stars taken by the state, calls Paramount's Yellowstone his "postcard to Montana." The series, loosely set just outside the park, debuts … [Read more...]
Meeting Wolves Face to Face—What’s That Like?
Howlers Inn Proprietors Describe Initial Encounters BY DAVID S. LEWIS She was the first family member to set foot in the wolf enclosure, Aurelie Burns told the Pioneer. The outgoing owner of the sanctuary, Mary Martha Bahn, told Aurelie to remove her dangling earrings before getting close to the wolves—because they could catch their paws on them. Did that worry you, I … [Read more...]
Another Yellowstone Park Whistleblower Steps Forward
Feds Failed to Acquire Crucial Testimony Before Drawing Conclusions BY DAVID S. LEWIS 07-07-17 A former Yellowstone National Park employee contacted The Montana Pioneer recently on the heels of a report released by the Office of Inspector General and published in the Pioneer’s May 2017 issue. We met personally with the whistleblower, at his home, to discuss his first … [Read more...]
Who Shot Yellowstone’s White Wolf?
BY KAREN DAVIS 6/11/17 A preliminary necropsy of the injured, well-known white wolf discovered April 11 in Yellowstone National Park shows she was shot—and within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, officials believe. Discovered by hikers inside the park near Gardiner, Mont., the Canyon Pack alpha female was euthanized by park staff due to her severe injuries. … [Read more...]
The Pursuit of Happiness in Ennis, Montana
BY DAVID S. LEWIS The Fourth of July should be reaffirmed as our nation’s quintessential holiday. The date itself has a ring to it. Few others resonate with such meaning. Saying it aloud—the intonation brings a tide of images, writings, battles, heroes and acts of courage. Men of insight, men in granite, as Van Morrison put it. Swells of the tide rolling from our first … [Read more...]
Antique Roadshow Star Appraises Montana
Celebrity Appraiser Tim Gordon Values Big Sky Artifacts BY MARIA WYLLIE 06/09/17 An old hat, a piece of broken stained glass, a wobbly chair. Upon first glance, all these items appear worn and useless. One might even mistake them for junk. After all, these are all just things—and things that may not provide much practical use in today's world. Your kids wonder why … [Read more...]
The Cody Gunfight Gone Bad
Alleged Shooter of Spectators at Gunfight Show Has Outlaw Record BY RETT NELSON It wasn’t supposed to happen, and the police recently imposed safety guidelines so it won’t happen again, but last summer something went terribly wrong at the Cody gunfight. On July 29, 2016, twelve actors gathered on 11th Street for the nightly show that mimics Old West shootouts, a summertime … [Read more...]
The Scalp Dance
Counting Coups, an Eyewitness Account from the 1800s BY RICHARD IRVING DODGE All the religious dances embody the same idea, and are conducted upon much the same general principle as the great camp-meetings of some of our Christian denominations. The time and place are fixed by the medicine man, and ample notice given. The "scalp dance," is next to the medicine dance in … [Read more...]
The Road to Koko Bongo’s
The Ghost of Old Mexico Haunts the Modern World BY DAVID S. LEWIS On a park bench in San Pancho, Mexico, a beach town one hour north of Puerto Vallarta, an old woman sat stoically in a square she had probably visited all her life. We’ve seen this, an elderly person sitting quietly in a park, at peace in the autumn of life. But this woman, seemingly at peace, with poise and … [Read more...]