Montana Life
Explore the heart of Montana through features on local culture, outdoor living, food, and community life. Montana Life captures the essence of our state—its beauty, character, and the stories behind the scenery.
Tournament bridges generations and sharpens the mind through classic card game
Sixth, seventh and eighth graders played tricks and made contracts in a tactical game of duplicate bridge at the s…
More than a media mogul, Ted Turner leaves behind a conservation legacy
Ted Turner loved the land, and lots of it: As one of the largest private landowners in the United States, he fueled conservation work across some 3,125 square …
Jamming with the Flathead Valley Roller Derby league
On a rainy Wednesday night at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building, members of the Flathead Valley Roller Derby league ditch their shoes at the door a…
Small cars bring big connections through radio-controlled car racing in downtown Kalispell
The two radio-controlled (RC) cars were duking it out on a 100-foot track that winds throughout a 23-by-20-foot mat inside The Rally Point, a game and hobby st…
Everybody finds a book: Traveling library service connects rural communities in Sanders County
Since the 1960s, the Sanders County Bookmobile has provided library access to the most rural parts of the county.
A Life in Studio: The forgotten art of Marge Dodge
This was the pivotal moment Marge Dodge found herself in when she arrived in Montana in 1954. A prolific artist in her own right, Marge was drawn into this cir…
Winging it through winter: Rare Anna's hummingbird finds shelter in Bigfork backyard
The bird turned out to be an Anna’s hummingbird — a rare find in western Montana. The Montana Natural Heritage Program’s bird distribution database has logged …
Spoonful of magic: ‘Mary Poppins’ floats onto stage in Homeschool Theatre Club production
The stage adaptation combines the elements from P.L. Travers’ books and the Disney film, featuring unforgettable songs and dazzling choreography.
Recalling birds: Art exhibit manifests reverence for feathered creatures
Imagine a world without birds. No flittering of tiny chickadees on branches. No mocking call from a black raven overhead. No red-tailed hawks sitting in w…
Monarch meditation: Butterfly struggles to survive with loss of habitat
The monarch butterfly is iconic in North America — but in Montana, it is a rare sight. That’s why when landscaper Kathy Ross discovered monarchs breeding i…
Carving lessons: A decade in, Montana Alpine Race School continues to inspire skiers on Blacktail Mountain
Even though practice didn’t begin until later in the day and on a trail open to the public, the run still looked freshly groomed. This is a common sight on the…
American-made hemp shirt experiment: Two Montana companies led creation of a domestically made shirt from hemp
How two central Montana companies led the creation of a domestically made shirt from hemp, a crop that had been illegal to grow in the U.S. for nearly a centur…
It’s all in the genes: Biologists search for clues in the DNA of one of Montana’s most elusive creatures
The fishers had been live captured from Minnesota forests back in November and transported via pickup truck to a research facility in Northwest Montana. There,…
Banking on kindness: Mineral County food bank serves as community pantry as demand increases
Volunteers hefted heavy bags of food up steep steps to clients waiting outside. Annual food drives were held in October, and members of the Boy Scouts went aro…
Burns Night at the Conrad Mansion: A jovial celebration of Scotland's national poet
Lads and lassies of the Flathead Valley turned out for an intimate evening of merriment, poetry, bagpiping, delicious food and whisky toasts for Burns Night at…