Montana Campfire Tales: Fourteen Historical Narratives

by Dave Walter

Overview

Classic Stories from Montana History
No one knew more about Montana's history than the late, great Dave Walter, and no one told the state’s stories with more eloquence, humor, and accuracy. This new edition of the classic Montana Campfire Tales invites readers to gather around the campfire as Walter revisits the tragic Baker Massacre, recounts Truman Everts’s harrowing ordeal in Yellowstone, and sheds light on more forgotten but fascinating aspects of the Treasure State’s past. Evocative historical photos and maps further bring to life the rich details in this book. Visitors and residents alike will treasure Montana Campfire Tales for many years, whether in an armchair next to a fireplace or around a fire at a campground.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762770021
Publisher:	TwoDot
Publication date:	06/14/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,005,365
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.96(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Historian, researcher, writer, and teacher, the late Dave Walter worked at the Montana Historical Society as its reference and research historian from 1979 until his death in 2006. He contributed a regular history column to Montana Magazine, and his books included Christmastime in Montana (1990), Today Then (1992), and Will Man Fly? (1993). Dave transformed many columns into speeches and presented them the length and breadth of the state for the Humanities Montana Speakers’ Bureau. Dave received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University of Montana in 1994; the Governor’s Humanities Award in 1998; the H. G. Merriam Award for contributions to Montana literature in 2001; and the Montana Historical Society Educators’ Award in 2003.

Table of Contents

Foreword Martha Kohl xi

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 Sir St. George Gore: Elegant Victorian and Slob Hunter 1

Chapter 2 The Thomas Tragedy on the Yellowstone 19

Chapter 3 The Massacre on the Marias 33

Chapter 4 Lost in Yellowstone: The Agony of Truman Everts 52

Chapter 5 Montana's Wolf Wars 73

Chapter 6 Louis Riel in Montana: Métis Messiah or Traitor? 89

Chapter 7 Hogan's Army 103

Chapter 8 The Remarkable Petrified Man 115

Chapter 9 The Swan Valley Tragedy of 1908 126

Chapter 10 Carry Nation vs. Butte, America 143

Chapter 11 Impeaching Judge Crum 156

Chapter 12 The Ronan State Bank Robbery, 1929 176

Chapter 13 Montana's Wartime Japanese 188

Chapter 14 Avalanche on Going-to-the-Sun Road 208

Sources and Suggested Readings 220

Index 227

About the Author 236

Editorial Reviews

No one in Montana today knows the history of the state as well as Dave Walter does. These campfire stories truly make our history come alive, putting flesh on the bones of the usual narratives.” -MICHAEL MALONE, AUTHOR OF The Battle for Butte: Mining and Politics on the Northern Frontier 1864-1906 “In these fourteen essays, Dave Walter gives us what K. Ross Toole repeatedly called for: grass-roots history that both entertains and educates. More than a skilled historian, Walter is the consummate storyteller. Whether setting background to the ongoing “wolf wars,” recounting tragic episodes in relations between the races in Montana, or describing the real-life adventures of some of the territory’s and the state’s most colorful characters, Walter tells his stories in graphic detail-often tingeing the tale with his wry humor. Walter has chosen his stories craftily; each one is steeped in human interest, and in the hands of this masterful historian/storyteller, that interest is raised to its most engaging level.” -LINDA PEAVEY AND URSULA SMITH, AUTHORS OF Women in Waiting in the Western Movement: Life on the Home Frontier “Made from Montana’s unique historical mosaic, this exceptionally well-tailored collection has deep pockets lined with the finest storytelling fabric in the state.” -DARRELL ROBES KIPP Piegan Institute

From the Publisher