Hello and Happy Holidays,

This is the second issue of the Center’s bi-monthly, on-line newsletter.  The Center does a wide range of work in the state and in the region – exploring our history, current challenges, and emerging opportunities.  For those of us lucky enough to live in the Rocky Mountain West, we know we live in a special place.  If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be something like the Center.  We try to be a unique asset and resource for the region and will continue to report to you regularly on our activities. 

From all of us at the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, The University of Montana

Missoula Christmas, 1912

this month in the region's history

Note from the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Joseph Whitehouse:  Christmas, December 25, 1805, Wednesday.  We had hard rain and Cloudy weather as usual.  We [yesterday] all moved into our new Garrison or fort, which our officers named after the nation of Indians who resided near us, called the Clatsop Nation; Fort Clatsop.  We found our huts comfortable, excepting smoaking a little.

We saluted our officers, by each of our party firing off his gun at day break in honor of the day (Christmass).  Our Officers in return presented to each of the party that used Tobacco a part of what Tobacco they had remaining; and to those who did not make use of it, they gave a handkerchief or some other article in rememberance of Christmass.

We had no ardent spirit of any kind among us; but are mostly in good health, a blessing which we esteem more than all the luxuries this life can afford, and the party are all thankful to the Supreme Being, for his goodness toward us, hoping he will preserve us in the same, and enable us to return to the United States in safety.  We have at present nothing to eat but lean Elk meat, and that without Salt, but the whole of our party are content with this life.

We Proceeded On, Vol. 2 #4 (December 1976)
as found in Christmastime in Montana, compiled by Dave Walter, 1990 American Geographic Publishing, p. 4-5.

center in the news

Details in spotlight at 2005's version of economic summit
Event on tap Dec. 13 - Great Falls Tribune, Nov. 25, 2005
Economic summit set for Dec. 13 - Great Falls Tribune, Nov. 13, 2005
Balancing Livability and Making a Living - New West, Nov. 1, 2005
Open land bonds direct quick growth Gallatin County
Experts advise Ravalli officials on the possibilities - Ravalli Republic, Oct. 25, 2005
Educators: Indian education task is big but doable - Missoulian, Oct. 22, 2005
Wilderness marks 25th anniversary - Billings Gazette, Oct. 21, 2005
Indian ed focus of seminar - Billings Gazette, Oct. 19, 2005
Education advocates to put focus on Native mandate - Helena Independent Record, Oct. 18, 2005
Teaching Native peoples' history focus of seminar - Missoulian, Oct. 18, 2005
Missoula’s backyard wilderness is only more beautiful with age - Helena Independent Record, Oct. 17, 2005

recent activities

On Nov. 17^th in Missoula, Larry Swanson was guest speaker at a meeting of the Missoula County Open Lands Working Group. The group is working under the auspices of the Missoula County Commissioners and is evaluating ways to preserve open space and lands in the county as it population and housing expand. Larry discussed population and housing trends in Missoula and Ravalli Counties.

On Nov. 17^th in Kalispell, Bob Brown was the guest speaker of the Kalispell Rotary Club where he spoke on the work of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and shared his observations on state and national economic and political affairs.  

On Nov. 1^st in Havre, Larry Swanson was the keynote speaker at the 2^nd Annual Meeting of Opportunity Link – an 11-county, north-central Montana economic and community development partnership focused on reducing area poverty.  Opportunity Link is one of several regional organizations in a nine-state area selected for special funding by the Northwest Area Foundation under it’s Community Ventures program.

On Oct. 28th, Bob Brown spoke to a delegation of the All China Youth Federation on "The Role of States in the American Political System." ACYF is made up of young adults in the People's Republic of China, identified by the Chinese government as developing leaders. The delegation visiting Missoula was hosted by the University of Montana’s Mansfield Center - the third such delegation to visit UM this year.  The delegations usually visit New York and Washington, D.C. in addition to their week-long stays in Montana, then travel to San Francisco before returning to China.

On Oct. 21st in Helena, the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and the Tribal Leaders Institute teamed up to present the second in a five-part series of public seminars on the Montana State Constitution. The theme of the series is "Montana Constitution: Progressive Spirit of the Rocky Mountain West."  The Oct. 21 seminar focused on the constitutional provision requiring education in the cultural heritage of American Indians as part of Montana’s educational goals. Participants included former 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention delegates, tribal leaders, legal scholars and educators. Presentations focused on the "achievement gap" demonstrated by a recent Harvard University study showing that 82% of white students, nationally, graduate from high school compared to 51% of American Indian students. In Montana, only 48% of Native students graduate from the state’s public school system. Addressing this discrepancy, as well as doing a better job of educating Montana’s general public about Indian culture and heritage as the state constitution requires, are major public policy challenges facing Montana policymakers. (News story)

On Oct. 20^th in Hamilton Larry Swanson presented findings from his study of agriculture in the Bitterroot Valley at a meeting organized by the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Committee and Bitterroot Land Trust.  In cooperation with area elected officials and key leadership these organizations are investigating ways of slowing the loss of ag land in the valley.  Population and housing growth in the Bitterroot during the ‘80s and ‘90s led to the conversion and loss of over 40,000 acres in ag land.

On Oct.19 in Missoula, Pat Williams was the main speaker at the celebration recognizing the 25^th anniversary of the congressional passage of the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Recreation Area outside of Missoula.   As Montana’s newly-elected congressman at that time, Williams guided the passage of the 61,000-acre designation through the Congress and secured President Jimmy Carter’s signature on the bill Oct. 19, 1980.  ( News story)

On Oct. 14^th, Center Associate Director Bill Farr was a keynote presenter at the 1855 Lame Bull Treaty Symposium held in Canada, Browning, and Fort Benton.  As part of the symposium, Bill accompanied a large contingent of the Blackfoot Confederacy to the actual site of the Lame Bull’s Treaty signing, 150 years ago at the mouth of the Judith River.  Much of the event was conducted in the Blackfoot language and was quite moving.  Blackfoot leaders, even young people, would sometimes speak in Blackfoot for fifteen minutes—then stop and translate into English.

In their native language, Indian people asserted their presence, reminding themselves and others, that this was still Blackfoot territory.  Each coulee, each hill, stream and landmark had its Blackfoot name and the chiefs of the assembled tribes proclaimed how comfortable they were in being there.  Earl Old Person sang a song often sung by young warriors on their way home from a successful raid – "returning home with berries in their mouths," indications of sweet success.  Following Old Person, another man offered a high-pitch, vibrating cry of praise – an ancient song that Earl Old Person remarked he had not heard for more than thirty years.  Like so much else that afternoon, that ancient praise song had not been forgotten.

On Oct. 13^th in Bigfork Bob Brown spoke to a community meeting of the Steering Committee of the Bigfork - County Land use Advisory Committee.  He briefed attendees on the process of city incorporation.  The Committee is evaluating options related to problems and opportunities stemming from Bigfork’s growth and change. 

On Oct. 13^th in Kalispell, Larry Swanson spoke to members of the 2005 class of Leadership Montana, a program in its second year designed to encourage leadership development across Montana.  Larry discussed economic growth and change in the region and in the Flathead Valley.  His talk was followed by a panel discussion by city and county elected officials from the Flathead Valley.

On Oct. 12^th in Post Falls, Idaho, Larry Swanson was the keynote speaker at the Idaho Planning Association Annual Meeting.  His presentation was entitled "Placemaking in Idaho: Positioning Idaho’s Communities for Growth and Change."  The conference was attended by planners throughout Idaho, which has one of the fastest growing populations in the nation.

regional trends

Public Lands in the West – Magnets for Population Growth

The largest landowner in the United States is the American people through their national government. Just within the 48 contiguous states there are about 810,000 square miles of land under some type of federal ownership and management. About 90 percent of these lands are in the 11 western states (CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, NV, UT, CO, AZ, and NM).

Click here or on the map above to access a more detailed map. 

upcoming events

December 13 - Center Director Larry Swanson will be the keynote speaker at the 2^nd annual "Great Falls Area Economic Summit."  He’ll discuss key trends in the area economy and related economic development activities and initiatives by area organizations.  The meeting is sponsored by the City of Great Falls, Great Falls Development Corp., Great Falls International Airport , and the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Beginning January 13th the Montana Lifelong Learning Institute will launch a full range of course offerings for older adults  www.umt.edu/ce/plus55/.   Daniel Kemmis serves on the organizing committee of the Institute. The Institute has offered sampler courses throughout the fall, all of which have been very well-attended. 

January 19 - The Center will convene the third in a series of seminars and forums on issues related to the Montana State Constitution.  The focus of this seminar is on the legislative response to the recent Montana Supreme Court decision directing state lawmakers to more adequately fund public schools in Montana and to make Indian education part of the public school curriculum.  The Center’s Bob Brown and Pat Williams are coordinating the seminar series which will be held at UM.  The seminars have been approved for Continuing Legal Education credit for attorneys and for renewal credits for teachers.

recent quotes from the region 
as provided by Headwaters News

"If people are willing to pay that kind of stupid money, I'm willing to take it. "

Jim Paugh, a 78-year-old Montana rancher who's selling farmland bought 50 years ago for $117 an acre for $30,000 an acre.
- Bozeman Daily Chronicle
10/03/2005

"The first hunt or two they'll think it's more tourists taking their picture."

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, on how bison that wander out of Yellowstone National Park will respond to being hunted for the first time in 15 years. - New York Times
10/17/2005

"If we develop that piece of property out there, what's going to happen is we'll be like Bozeman, Jackson, Park City or all of Colorado."

Frank Alvarado, a member of the Northfork Citizens for Responsible Development which opposes the plan for a subdivision near Wapiti, Wyo. - Billings Gazette 
11/07/2005

Wendell Berry's most recent book, The Way of Ignorance and Other Essays (Shoemaker and Hoard, 2005) includes an essay by Berry entitled "Letter to Daniel Kemmis," as well as an essay in reply by Mr. Kemmis, who is a Senior Fellow at the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West.

The Center and Larry Swanson recently initiated a research project under contract with the Montana State Fund (MSF).  MSF is a public entity created by the Montana Legislature to help maintain a viable system of workers’ compensation insurance in the state.  The study will provide projections of state income, employment, and population and assist MSF in its strategic planning and evaluation of future staff and office facility requirements.  

The Center is assisting the Montana West Development Corp. of Kalispell in assembling a set of economic indicators for use in tracking and evaluating area economic trends in the Flathead Valley.

As part of an on-going project, Larry Swanson continues to provide consultation assistance to the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Committee and Bitterroot Land Trust as these organizations evaluate options for ag land protection in the Bitterroot Valley.

As part of a project to more fully document historically significant Montanans for The University of Montana’s Mansfield Library Archives, Bob Brown recently interviewed former Montana Governor Stan Stephens at his home in Kalispell.  "Governor Stephens provided some fascinating insight on the politics of our state from his over two decades in public office as both as a state senator and governor," Brown said.  Future interviews include ones with Jack and Louise Galt at their ranch home near Martinsdale.  The Galts have a long history of involvement in Montana politics.  Louise is the widow of Wellington D. Rankin - a major figure in Montana political and business circles in the pre-World War II era.

Pat Williams is a contributing author of the newly published book Motherlode: Legacies of Women's Lives and Labors in Butte, Montana, edited by Ellen Crain, Director of the Butte Archives, and Janet Finn, UM School of Social Work professor.  Butte natives, Williams and his wife Carol, wrote on the importance of women, especially to the settling of the early-day mining city.  The Williamses’ thesis, based around the story of their grandmothers in Butte, is "It Took a Village to Mine the Copper."  Motherlode is being released just prior to Christmas.

"Speaking of That ..", a half-hour public radio program produced and hosted by Pat Williams, focused its 27^th program that aired in November on Bud Clark, the great-great-great-grandson of the explorer William Clark.  For two years, Mr. Clark led Corps II Voyage of Discovery across the country, following in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and Bud’s famous grandfather.  For three days in October, Clark and Corps II stopped at Travelers Rest in the Bitterroot Valley and Williams, a board member of that Lewis and Clark site, interviewed Clark about his travels.

Williams began producing "Speaking of That .." in 2001, designed as a magazine of the air with a central interview around a humanities interest and other historical events and monthly news from the Rocky Mountain region.

As part of the Center’s daily news service, Headwaters News, Daniel Kemmis writes a regular column on regional issues.  His first column examined the idea of a coordinated Rocky Mountain West presidential primary or caucus.  Subsequent columns explored ways the Mountain West is beginning to think and act like a region, proposed changes in the Endangered Species Act, the key role of western cities in securing the region’s economic potential, and the role Western senators could play in broadening the debate about Supreme Court nominees.

links

Center Web Site
Archived Center Newsletters
Headwater's News
The University of Montana
KUFM Public Radio

The O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West is a program of The University of Montana in Missoula.