Makes you want to lace up the old hiking boots and get out there, fill the lungs with that Montana mountain air. If you love the outdoors it should be on your must read list.

This account of the Vigilantes of Bannack and Virginia City is well documented and verifies, or, is verified by, Dimsdale's account of the vigilantes. My great-grandfather, Bob Dempsey, was a citizen of Bannack and had a ranch between Bannack and Virginia City. He was not involved with the members of Plummer's gang but somewhat on the fringe of things. My grandfather James Dempsey married Ellen LeCompte in Virginia City. Williams was the leader of the vigilantes but did not want his name used in the Dimsdale account. This account is accurate and can be verified by historical records available. Vi

Collaboratively compiled and written by Kirby Lambert, Patricia M. Burnham, and Susan R. Near, Montana's State Capitol: The People's House is a truly stunning presentation of the majesty of Montana's State Capitol building. Both black-and-white and color photographs of the interior and exterior architecture, classical artworks, and freeze-frame moments of history enhance an informative text in this visually masterful book. The reader is provided with an informed and informative text discussing the construction of the capitol, as well as the paintings and sculpture within. Browsing through the pages of Montana's State Capitol is an experience that is the next best thing to actually being within the Montana Capitol building itself.

Glenn Monahan's book, Montana's Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri River, 2nd edition, is written clearly and accurately. Lewis and Clark first described this portion of the Missouri in their annals of 1805. Construction of the Fort Peck Dam has changed the course of the river since that date. And one will not see grizzly bear or buffalo as documented by the Expedition in what was then Montana Territory.

For travelers who are canoeing, rafting or exploring outcroppings on foot, Monahan gives a play-by-play of scenic changes and their identification. His historical accounts and pictures satisfy curiosity and bridge a 200-year gap.

I grew up with Dick Hoskins on the Flathead in western Montana. He was a year ahead of me and was one of the brightest students that ever graduated from Charlo High School. He went in the Navy and I had a agricultural deferment and later went in the Army. We both graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington in 1950. I have read both of Dicks books and think they are great. He even mentioned me in one of them. Everything he says in the books is a lie but based on true life events during the 30's and 40's I'm looking forward to the next book and may even give him some ideas to put in it.

If you or your family have ever lived in Montana, this is a wonderful reference book. Have you ever wondered how some particular Montana town got its name? That's what Cheney's book will tell you. Every Montana city or town that ever had a postoffice is listed, and so are some that didn't. Many of these towns are completely gone-- only the names and a few fading family memories remain. In other cases, a single sturdy brick building sits in a field. And of course, the biggest towns in Montana, like Billings, Missoula, Great Falls and Butte, are listed too.

Unless you're the sort of person who reads dictionaries for fun, you won't want to read this all the way through. You might, however, want to dip into it over and over again. And you might want to make sure that your local library owns a copy, so you and others can do just that.

Well, you won't want them in your backyard if you're raising cattle. This story about the Ninemile wolf pack in northwestern Montana is a fascinating account of a wolf reintroduction program, and it deals with the complexity of the situation thoroughly and compassionately. Bass makes no secret of his own opinions--he wants wolves to make a comeback in the lower 48--but he discusses the concerns of the ranchers and all parties involved in a professional, fair manner. I learned more about wolves from reading this book than from any other source, and it helped me to clear up many of my own misconceptions about these canines. Bass very cleverly shows us the human side of the wolf reintroduction issue, the often predictable pattern of what happens when you put wolves and people together. And it helped me to think about wolves in a new way--if there's an antonym for anthropomorphism, Bass's writing is it. And like all of Bass's other books, this one displays his uncanny economy with words. If you think that all nonfiction writing should be devoid of passion or color, this isn't the book for you. But if you love wolves, you'll love this book.

Numbers analysis consultant Lorelei Muldoon and her lover, Senator Fred Colman, fly to his remote Montana cabin when the sabotaged plane crashes, killing Fred and injuring Lorelei. She is immediately rescued by a ranger who guides away from the wreck that could blow up any moment. He leaves her for the moment at his camp site guarded by his dog. The man, Barney McFaul, calls his superior at Secret Security Forces of America to tell them what he already has learned. In the interim, Lorelei manages to escape, heading to the cabin where she is confronted by another person, Fenton, holding a gun to her head. She is she sole witness to the murder of the junior senator and no one officially knows she was with him on his last ride so she is expendable. Only the dog saves her life this time. ...... There are several people who unofficially knows that she traveled on that fatal plane crash. All are after her. Some want her dead. Others want her alive to testify. It is impossible to separate the good guys (and gals) from the enemy. Worse yet, as she flees from friend and foe, Lorelei still does not know why all this is even happening ......NO TIME FOR AN EVERYDAY WOMAN is a fabulous debut thriller that fans of political intrigue will enjoy. Lorelei is a wonderful heroine and the support cast (friend and foe) add an intriguing degree of dire straits. Though the various perspectives on the same scene gets a bit wearying, Wenda Wardell Morrone shows she has plenty of talent to become a force on the political thriller scene. ........Harriet Klausner

I bought this book at a bookstore in a little town in Montana while traveling through the state. It was in the "regional selections" category, but it really was so much more than that. This story is a moving (true) story of a young woman in Montana who marries a rancher in the period when the West was still being settled. Widowed at an early age and left to fend for herself and her young children, grit and a sense of purpose keep her going. It was a true joy to follow the life of this heroic woman through difficult circumstances. This book is a gem and I would highly recommend it, as I intend to read it again and again through life. Perhaps women will enjoy it more than men, and mothers will likely appreciate it the most.

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) was developed in response to federal government spending on land management that was jeopardizing the existence of numerous species in the Rocky Mountain region from Yellowstone to Glacier National Parks. It quickly gained the support of over 800 independent businesses, conservation groups, and Native American religious groups.

NREPA has earned bipartisan political support. Members of both major political parties are sponsors who have introduced NREPA in the US House of Representatives. Former president Jimmy Carter has endorsed it. So has political columnist James Kilpatrick, and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Gary Snyder. Numerous scientists including the Craighead family, famed for its grizzly bear research, support NREPA for its promising potential to cut risk of extinction of the grizzly bears of Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

Despite bipartisan political support and scientific support for NREPA, political opposition from wealthy industries has stalled its passage through Congress. The oil-gas, mining, logging, and motorsports industries want access to the acreage that NREPA would protect for a wide variety of other economic and environmental purposes. But a growing base of support across America is putting pressure on politicians to listen to the grassroots instead of the mighty lobbyists. Wilderness and many species of wildlife are rare in America nowadays, and NREPA will make sure they don't disappear. This is an excellent piece of wildlife legislation, and an example of how pioneering legislation of this kind should be written.