Fall 2019
Casting an artful brush
Ben Miller, a Washington State University alumnus, paints in a novel way that combines his love of fly fishing with art. » More ...
Montana
Winter 2017
Green and Roughshod: I Should’ve Stayed a Montana Cowboy
Dan H. McLachlan ’66, ’69 MA
Aventine Press: 2016
The dream of a little boy to become a cowboy came true for Dan McLachlan. He read a 1927 text, All in the Day’s Riding, as an eighth-grader in Palo Alto, California, and became enamored with the vision of a wide blue sky viewed from horseback. After earning enough to buy two horses and tack, he eventually ended up in Montana for … » More …
Spring 2017
Swift Dam
Sid Gustafson ’77, ’79 DVM
Open Books: 2016
Swift Dam pulls you in, drags you practically, sweeping you over the western landscape until you are ankle deep in Sid Gustafson’s world. The writing flows through the reader’s mind like water and entrenches the reader in the story. With each passing chapter, it becomes harder to discern if you are reading a published novel or a form of the author’s diary.
The story follows … » More …
Spring 2013
Montana Before History: 11,000 Years of Hunter-Gatherers in the Rockies and Plains
Douglas H. MacDonald ’94
Mountain Press, 2012
The oldest archaeological site in Montana, the Anzick Site near Wilsall, has been carbon-dated to 11,040 years ago. It is, writes Douglas MacDonald in this fine survey of Montana archaeology, the only Clovis site excavated in Montana. Apparently a ceremonial burial site, it contained the oldest human remains found in North America.
Whether or not they were a coherent “culture,” the Clovis people are … » More …
Summer 2003
Anaconda: Labor, Community and Culture in Montana’s Smelter City
Anaconda, in southwest Montana, was home to the world’s largest copper smelter. Marcus Daly established the first smelter in 1884. In 1980, the last plant closed its doors. Anaconda deals primarily with the community from the 1930s through the 1970s, and focuses on social life, work, unions, and the role of women in an industrialized western town.
An associate professor of history at Washington State University at Vancouver, Laurie Mercier undertook much of the research for Anaconda while she served as state oral historian for Montana.
The strength of Mercier’s work is her attention to women. She doesn’t ignore the male story, but she continually … » More …