Margaret E. Davis: Peaks and Valleys
Explore Margaret E. Davis’ Peaks and Valleys column, where she captures Northwest Montana life through reflective storytelling, local history, community events, and everyday experiences across Northwest Montana. Her writing blends curiosity, humor, and insight into Montana’s people, landscapes, and culture.
The grass doesn't always have to be greener
“Your neighbors let you do this?” my dad said as we embarked upon a neighborhood walk years ago when I lived in Oregon.
Taking a swing at metalworking
Metalworker Jeffrey Funk offered the Forging from the Natural World course through his New Agrarian School, which offers chances to immerse oneself in historic craft, with some modern touches.
Once upon an Airstream
The StoryCorps trailer took off from the Flathead Valley at the end of June, and I’m still listening to the stories left behind — and recorded for the future.
Dunn’s deal may be next acai
"What the heck is a honeyberry?!” my friend Amber replied when I asked if she wanted to go pick some.
If you love something, help it grow
The Missoula crew came ready to throw down. Pinball machines flashed in the background at the Dusty Star Saloon as the five visitors and some locals listened to organizer Toni Braig give the ground rules for the Fl…
Highlander fuels up teamwork
At the first Highlander track practice I attended, I watched an exchange zone in a 4x100 meter relay involving some of the youngest participants.
Connah welcomes all comers
“We’re going to have some fun down here with atlatl,” David Steindorf told the Evergreen eighth-graders squinting in the sun. “You’ll get a chance to throw one.”
Hard work makes for good music
Last fall a visitor came to see the Northwest Montana History Museum’s new exhibit on logging and related industries, then offered to play us a soundtrack.
Not so fast with the 'swan song'
Before I heard wildlife biologist Dale Becker’s talk, all I knew about trumpeter swans came from an East Coast writer who had never seen one.
Montana values, transcribed
People want all the freedom they can get.
Nonprofits bank on doing good
In 2023, the state's nonprofits paid out more than $3.6 billion in wages, accounting for 12.6% of all wages paid statewide.
Feeling down? Make a run for it
Habitués of higher elevations have to try harder for happy.
Small talks buck algorithms
Every time I go out for a cultural happening, I hear the echo of Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray from his Bigfork talk last fall: “What a triumph of decision making that we are all here together instead of doom…
Heeding the call of the wild
As Flathead Wildlife’s Jim Vashro introduced the presenter for the group’s gathering last month in a meeting room on North Meridian Road, a low rumble rose from the back of the room.
The truth is in here
Truth truly is stranger than fiction. One institution stocks plenty of both.