Back issues of Distinctly Montana

The Summer 2026 issue marks the 150th anniversary of the Little Bighorn. Joseph Shelton follows the life and afterlife of Comanche and writes on the sacred act of throwing your life away, and Douglas A. Schmittou gathers the Medals of Honor conferred for gallantry on Montana battlefields during the Plains Indian Wars. Jarrett Van Meter finds hardwood dreams on the high plains, Ednor Therriault tells of the pilot who split the spires, Nick Mitchell visits the boneyard that became the Museum of Montana Flying, and Chris Enss follows a Wild Bunch train robber. Bryan Spellman gets to know Wibaux County.

Ross Peterson uncovers the Italians interned at Fort Missoula, and Joseph Shelton follows Frank Lloyd Wright’s overlooked Montana legacy with illustrations by Robert Rath. Ednor Therriault journeys through history at Montana’s newest state park, Holly Matkin reports on the Montana Vet Program and how it is redefining post-war healing, and Nick Mitchell visits Gil Mangels’s diorama of America. Also inside: the mystery pass of the Northern Rockies, keeping the rails clear with Justin Franz, lichen as a love story, Yellowstone tipis, and Ravalli County.

Chris Enss tells the story of Lucia Darling, the Montana teacher, and Michael J. Ober drives Highway 200, a damn good road. Sally Thompson recounts a long-ago winter in Blackfeet country, Douglas A. Schmittou writes on the smallpox epidemics of 1781-1782 and 1837-1838 on the Upper Missouri, and Ednor Therriault reports from Pablo, where the Three Chiefs Museum and Cultural Center has risen from the ashes. Ross Peterson profiles the author and officer Robert Sims Reid, Lindsay Tran covers the Montana Circle of American Masters, Suzanne Waring finds Black Eagle refusing to fade away, and Bryan Spellman gets to know Lake County.

Colonel John B. Driscoll takes Montana’s 163rd Infantry into the jungle hell of New Guinea at Sanananda, and Russell Rowland tells how The Deer Hunter, filmed in Montana, almost destroyed Hollywood. Douglas A. Schmittou recovers the ice busters, the only sortie American military aircraft flew against a target on American soil in the Second World War, Justin Franz goes full steam ahead, and Joseph Shelton follows the Sage Wall as it goes viral. Hallie Zolynski spends a summer in the Taylor-Hilgard, Nick Mitchell finds miniature magic at the Western Montana Railroad Historical Association, and the 2025 Best of Montana section runs from page 22.

Amy Grisak walks 1,700 miles of the Montana Trail, and Tom Vandel remembers the Red Lodge Fourth of July brouhaha of 1975 with illustrations by Robert Rath. Douglas A. Schmittou visits Rosebud Battlefield State Park, where the girl saved her brother, Ross Peterson introduces the band boys of Butte, and Joseph Shelton asks who the hell Montana Frank was. Susie Wall reports from the Teller Wildlife Refuge in the Bitterroot, Sherman Cahill tours the state in pork chop sandwiches, and James Grady talks with Russell Rowland about Condor.

Michael Ober walks the snowsheds of Glacier National Park, and Joseph Shelton charts early aviation conquering the Divide with illustrations by Robert Rath. Nick Mitchell collects the fossil legends of the Plains tribes, buffalo calling stones and medicine bundles among them, Hallie Zolynski hauls a ski pulk 900 miles through the backcountry, and Douglas A. Schmittou traces the Little Ice Age in Montana. Also inside: the Montana Hope Project, Fairmont Hot Springs, remembering David Lynch, J.K. Ralston’s legacy, Ednor Therriault on Montana rest stops, and Gallatin County.

Ross Peterson reports on Missoula in the stormy sixties, when the hippies were coming, and Nick Mitchell tells the last ride of Long George Francis with illustrations by Robert Rath. Russell Rowland remembers the photographer Evelyn Cameron, Douglas A. Schmittou catalogues the extreme weather behind Montana’s legendary winters, and Sherman Cahill traces identity and reinvention in The Big Trail, starring John Wayne. Lindsay Tran visits the boomtowns of Fort Peck Dam, Ednor Therriault crosses the Snowden Bridge, and Bryan Spellman gets to know Flathead County.

Doug Stevens rides with the Buffalo Soldier Wheelmen of the 25th Infantry Regiment at Fort Missoula, and Michael J. Ober uncovers Lewistown’s forgotten air base. Douglas A. Schmittou makes the case for Tyrannosaurus rex as Montana’s most legendary apex predator, Sherman Cahill checks into the haunted hotels of southwest Montana, Nick Mitchell binds the Freemasons to the vigilantes, and Holly Matkin follows the Irish sport of hurling as it takes root. Joseph Shelton road trips to Dillon, James Grady remembers Richard Hugo, and the 2024 Best of Montana section runs from page 30.

Sherman Cahill follows Charley Pride from the Helena smelter to country-western stardom, and Joseph Shelton checks in at the Grabow and her sisters, Livingston’s historic hotels. Hallie Zolynski photographs bronc riding, Douglas A. Schmittou writes on Woman Chief and Running Eagle, nineteenth-century women warriors of the Apsáalooke and Piikáni, and Nick Mitchell covers the Sheep Wars and what James Lumley found crashed in Cadotte Pass. Also inside: the kidnap and ransom of Froggy Doo, Dorothy Johnson, the Marlboro Ranch, and Fallon County.

Nick Mitchell brings the Devil’s Brigade to Helena, Christopher Muhlenfeld covers Montana’s Serb Fest, and Joseph Shelton follows Buffalo Bill’s last tour of the state and the secret life of Butte’s pigeons. Ednor Therriault tells the story of paving Montana, Brenda Wahler sets Mark Twain against Clark of Montana, and Sherman Cahill makes the case for Anaconda as the prettiest little town in southwest Montana. Also inside: Lee Steen and the Tree People, the Powder River Kid, the American Legion’s highway fatality markers, and Deer Lodge County.

Joseph Shelton remembers Frontier Town, and Robert Rath introduces and illustrates Montana’s bison-lizard. Sherman Cahill tells the day Jack Dempsey cheated Shelby, Nick Mitchell follows the petrified man of Livingston east, and Douglas A. Schmittou marks the bicentennial of Hugh Glass’s odyssey. Lindsay Tran covers the race for the capital, Michael J. Ober dishes up community at Montana’s diners, Doug Stevens credits the Jackson and Moran partnership that saved Yellowstone, and Bryan Spellman gets to know Chouteau County.

Christopher Muhlenfeld tells the story of the Boomtown Saint, and Nick Mitchell recounts how Bobby became a legend and when flying saucers first came to Great Falls. Joseph Shelton hunts the Shunka Warak’in, hyena of the Rockies, Doug Stevens collects trappers’ tales from early Yellowstone, and Sherman Cahill reports on Butte as J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI Siberia and lists seven Montana towns that never existed. Dr. Shane Doyle celebrates the gift of a Blackfoot map, Todd Klassy photographs the Cremer Ranch rodeo dynasty, and the 2023 Best of Montana section runs from page 32.

Sherman Cahill wonders whether some tourists have a deathwish, and Nick Mitchell tells the story of Stuart’s Stranglers. Douglas A. Schmittou writes on Chief Mountain as landmark and sacred site, Doug Stevens visits Fort Benton and follows Calamity Jane’s life in Montana, and Joseph Shelton calls on Charlie Russell at Bull Head Lodge. Frank Vargo meets the Montana marksman Tom Frye, James Lee Burke talks with Russell Rowland about Bud Guthrie, and Hallie Zolynski photographs the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness.

Ednor Therriault asks whether the Flathead Lake Monster is still at large, and Sherman Cahill tells how Hank Williams Jr. survived Ajax Mountain. Douglas A. Schmittou presents the Lakota delegation portraits of 1868-1877 and the advent of steamboat traffic on the Upper Missouri, Todd Klassy photographs the Shonkin Sag, and Lindsay Tran follows the restoration of Mary MacLane’s home in Butte. Also inside: Jim’s Horn House, lightning in the wild, southwest Montana’s hot springs, three snapshots of an underwater Montana, and Blaine County.

Railroads run through the Winter 2022-23 issue. Nick Mitchell tells how a Butte miner hijacked a Northern Pacific train and tried to drive it to Washington, Joseph Shelton covers Kid Curry and the Great Northern train robbery and the knights of the tie and rail, Sherman Cahill rides the mid-century Empire Builder, and Amy Grisak profiles James J. Hill. Doug Stevens follows the Nez Perce flight for freedom, Holly Matkin reports on Big Sky Bravery, and Todd Klassy photographs beautiful Montana roads for all seasons. Bryan Spellman gets to know Big Horn County.

Todd Klassy photographs Lost Montana to open the Fall 2022 issue, and Sherman Cahill investigates the state’s cattle mutilation mystery. Renee Carlson collects Montana’s road ghosts with illustrations by Robert Rath and reports on the final days of the Montana Children’s Center in Twin Bridges, while Ednor Therriault tours the wild and wooly museums. Doug Stevens introduces the real cattle queen of Montana, Holly Matkin celebrates military veterans in bronze, and Amy Grisak tells how Montana fought World War I. The 2022 Best of Montana section runs from page 65.

The Summer 2022 issue follows Lewis and Clark through Montana. Hallie Zolynski travels the route the Corps of Discovery left behind, Sherman Cahill searches with them for the American incognitum, Joseph Shelton stages their meeting with the grizzly bear, and Doug Stevens tells the Salish discovery of the Corps of Discovery. Renee Carlson follows Sacagawea, Pompey and Patrick Gass after history was made, and Lindsay Tran visits Travelers’ Rest. Also inside: the Crazy Mountains, Crow Creek Falls, Anaconda’s Washoe Theater, the county fair, and Wheatland County.

Todd Klassy photographs the tradition of spring branding, and Holly Matkin visits Montana’s magnificent buffalo jumps and drives the Beartooth Highway then and now. Lindsay Tran interviews Michael Punke, author of The Revenant and Last Stand, Amy Grisak celebrates the diversity of Montana’s cowboy culture, and Renee Carlson tells the rowdy history of Miles City’s Bucking Horse Sale. Doug Stevens follows the National Bison Range through vision, tragedy and homecoming, Hallie Zolynski photographs draft horses, and Bryan Spellman gets to know Powder River County.

Winter mystery writers fill the Winter 2021-22 issue, with interviews of James Lee Burke, Gwen Florio, Craig Johnson and C. J. Box, and Sherman Cahill on how Dashiell Hammett invented noir fiction in Butte, America. Renee Carlson asks who killed John Bozeman, Holly Matkin reports on rural policing, and Bryan Spellman photographs Montana’s seven wooden carousels. Doug Stevens covers the mining of Glacier, Seth Anderson skis under the Big Sky, Kay Bjork skates on Swan Lake, and Robert Rath illustrates the Big Die-Up.

The Fall 2021 issue digs into mining across the Treasure State. Patti Albrecht tells the story of Montana’s gold stampede, Robert Rath writes and illustrates the spirit of Butte, and Sherman Cahill follows the Chinese miners who came east to Gold Mountain and recounts three of Montana’s worst mining disasters. Lindsay Dick introduces Mary MacLane, Butte’s prodigal daughter, Joseph Shelton tracks the making of a ghost town at Granite, and Zuzu Feder weighs the complicated legacy of the state’s Superfund sites. Also inside: larch madness, the sapphire road, historic cemeteries and Toole County.

A Norman Maclean special section anchors the Summer 2021 issue: Jim Hepworth interviews John N. Maclean, an excerpt from Home Waters follows, Mike L. Raether gives a brief history of fly fishing, and Bryan Spellman photographs the forests, mountains and water of Maclean’s landscapes. Amy Grisak reports on the Pikuni Bigfoot Project’s search for Sasquatch in Indigenous stories, Seth Anderson climbs to Montana’s fire lookouts, and a My Montana Home section covers log homes, kit homes and tiny houses. Joseph Shelton visits the extraordinary home of Chief Plenty Coups.

Doug Stevens drives park to park, picking out seven attractions between Glacier and Yellowstone, and Cab Tran reports from the set as an extra on Yellowstone. Kari Bowles profiles Montana’s biggest movie stars, Joseph Shelton traces Malmstrom Air Force Base from cowboys to the Cold War, and Sean Jansen fishes the Beartooth Highway. Lindsay Dick writes on personal hygiene in the Old West and on the orphan train riders who came west from New York, and Bryan Spellman visits Lincoln County.

Amy Grisak spends a season alone at Many Glacier with the hotel’s winterkeeper, and Kay Bjork finds Glacier in winter a great escape. Scott Sery tracks the legends and the wild horses of the Pryor Mountains, Hallie Zolynski rides out with Montana’s sheepherders, and Joseph Shelton imagines what happens when Yellowstone erupts. A Healthy, Fit & Well special section covers hot springs, mindfulness and the frontier’s camphor-and-snake-oil panaceas, and Bryan Spellman visits Rosebud County.

Ednor Therriault visits St. Marie, Montana’s newest ghost town, and Scott Sery follows the path of the dinosaurs through Makoshika Park. Teresa Otto photographs the prairie skyscrapers and asks whether 3-7-77 was warning or whimsy, Joseph Shelton tours Montana’s indie bookstores and writes a coward’s guide to the scariest ways to die here, and Ellen Baumler celebrates Native American veterans in the Warrior Spirit project. Also inside: a day in the life of a smokejumper, Montana’s passenger trains, Carol Polich’s owls, the Evelyn Cameron gallery, and Beaverhead County.

Ashley Arcel walks Glacier’s five best day hikes to open the Summer 2020 issue, and Sean Jansen counts up Montana’s nine national parks. Amy Grisak heads into the Little Belts, Ednor Therriault collects the state’s funniest one-star reviews, and Maria Anderson asks whether hitchhiking in Montana is a bygone era. The issue carries a My Montana Home special section on post-COVID real estate, plus the art of Carol Hagan and Barbara Liss and a visit to Dawson County.

Chris Muhlenfeld opens the Spring 2020 issue with Montana’s UFO sightings, illustrated by Robert Rath, alongside Carol Polich on the sandhill crane babies of the Big Sky and Maggie Slepian on the state’s buzzing honey industry. Scott Sery descends into the Bighorn Cavern, Teresa Otto photographs Montana’s endangered vintage neon signs, and Brian D’Ambrosio follows modern roller derby. Also inside: five spring bike rides around Whitefish, geocaching with Bryan Spellman, the Yellowstone Film Ranch, MSU’s solar car, and a visit to Sanders County.

Our Healthy, Well and Fit issue brings a cross-country skiing guide, Maggie Slepian’s skijoring, and Lacey Middlestead’s seven cool winter hikes. Meet the birds that love winter and Montana’s reality TV, and spend a day with Big Sky ski patroller Nancy Sheil. Also inside: Gary Ferguson, a Montanan you should know, earthquakes in 30 years with Michael Stickney, the photography of Don Powell, PechaKucha, hot springs for health, yoga for boomers, staying winter fit, Bozeman’s recreation hub, and facing your phobias.

Liz Larcom profiles bald and golden eagles, Montana’s apex predators, seven scenic drives are made for fall, and the Dinosaur Trail is ready for digging. Maggie Slepian picks short fall hikes, the ghosts of Old Faithful Inn come out, and Kay Bjork paddles the Clearwater River Canoe Trail. Also inside: Kostas, a Montanan you should know, Dorothy Bradley’s barn under snow, a day in the life of Miss Rodeo Montana, grizzlies in 30 years with Louisa Willcox, Melissa Kwasny on the animal origins of what we wear, blacksmith Glenn Gilmore, and duct tape to the rescue.

Robert Rath counts nine ways to die in Glacier National Park, Valerie Harms crowns Montana the emperor of ice cream, and Montana’s water mammals take the plunge. Maggie Slepian visits seven waterfront towns, Doug Lorain helps you find a secret backcountry getaway, and Jim Posewitz lists ten conservation achievements. Also inside: the My Montana Home section with permaculture and renewable energy, seven important Indian battles, Yellowstone in 30 years with Ann Rodman, a day in the life of a 911 dispatcher, the Red Ants Pants Foundation, and five Montana apps someone should create.

Top out on the best one-day mountain hikes, meet Josh Metten’s secret cats, the bobcat and lynx, and ask Mike Garcia whether you’re river ready. Mackenzie Martin rides into horse archery, Ednor Therriault visits Medicine Rocks, and Nicholas C.P. Vrooman tells of the persistence of the Little Shell people. Also inside: Maxim Loskutoff’s Even the Mountains, hunting for morels, trout in 30 years with David Brooks, the Buffalo Field Campaign, Asian Indian restaurants, Montana’s preferred general stores, and Yellowstone waking dreams.

Aaron Theisen picks seven day hikes in the Swan Range, Beth Saboe revisits the American Prairie Reserve, and Joe Shelton rounds up Montana’s scariest Halloween destinations. Ednor Therriault tells of cowboy crickets, Jim Gray visits Chef Jim Tracey at Missoula’s Red Bird, and Maggie Slepian meets the invaluable search and rescue dogs of Montana. Also inside: Donald M. Jones’s wild Montana, the Keller Collection, Wild West Words on Montana slang, hunting in 30 years with Jim Posewitz, Lori Grannis on Missoula’s gold-level biking trails, ceramics made of Montana, and farmer Donna Griffin, a Montanan you should know.

Douglas H. Chadwick tracks the mountain goat, a beast the color of winter, Aaron Theisen finds a surfing river running through it, and Montana’s Missouri River ferries carry on. Brian D’Ambrosio profiles Wallace D. Coburn, movie star of the Milk River country, and the Medicine Line gets a tour. Also inside: learn to fly-fish in one day, a patchwork of fiber artists, plains women artists after C.M. Russell, the Lehrkind beer barrel wagons, spring rebirth at Dunrovin, Lewistown, Chef Jim Gray’s mint jelly, rivers in 30 years, and Hannah Catalino, a Montanan you should know.

Our Healthy, Well and Fit issue brings Lacey Middlestead’s easy guide to Montana downhill skiing, a day in the life of a ski patroller, and seven of Montana’s best cold weather dogs. SuzAnne Miller writes a winter nocturne with photos by John Ashley, and Matthew Weber visits the Glendive Train Museum. Also inside: the art of Kevin Red Star, three Montana musical instrument makers, rural libraries, David Abrams’s Dash, Lyndel Meikle letting the cat out of the bag, mining in 30 years, and the Montana Health Update.

Kelsey Sinclair hunts the Rocky Mountains’ million-dollar treasure, Thomas McGuane writes of a foal, and Carol Polich meets the crazy cormorants of Quake Lake. Sarie Mackay finds Red Lodge an urban basecamp, Brian D’Ambrosio traces Montana and the NFL, and Gary Ferguson remembers the burning season. Also inside: eight great mobile apps, Bitterroot Valley apple ciders, the art of Barbara Morrison, Native American women in couture, insects in 30 years, the Livingston Food Resource Center, and Diane Boyd, a Montanan you should know.

Count ten ways to die in Yellowstone, drive to heaven on the Beartooth with Donnie Sexton, and run free with the mustangs of the Pryor Range. Bill Muhlenfeld loves Livingston, Ellen Baumler celebrates remarkable rodeo women, and Stephanie Brookes shares the hospitality and culture of Crow Fair. Also inside: the My Montana Home section and who built Montana’s mansions, Phil Knight on sport flying, Bud Lilly, a trout’s best friend, Nick Lyons on river touring, Greg Keeler’s Testicle Festival, tourism in 30 years, and John Heminway, a Montanan you should know.

Louisa Willcox writes of Ursus horribilis, Montana’s grizzlies, as we celebrate our 15th year. Visit the K Bar L Ranch, a wilderness lodge in the Bob, chase five must-see waterfalls, and go night fly-fishing with Mary Syrett and Frank Zentner. Also inside: Ray Rasker on public lands in 30 years, Havre, jewel of the Hi-Line, the Holt Heritage Museum, campfire cooking, spring picnics, Bill Muhlenfeld’s glacier lily, the drawings of Jerry Locati, and The Last Best Stories podcast.

Our Healthy, Well and Fit issue brings an easy guide to downhill skiing, Aaron Theisen’s Maverick Mountain magic, and Phil Knight on earning your turns. Joseph Shelton finds Butte magic, Carol Polich photographs hoarfrost heaven, and Jessianne Wright picks the top five Forest Service cabins in the Gallatin Range. Also inside: Americana music in Montana, Native Americans in 30 years with Walter Fleming, David Quammen, sculpture in the wild, the art of Jerry Crandall, the University of Montana’s brain injury center, and Chef Jim Gray’s elk pot roast.

Todd Klassy photographs the last best cowboys, SuzAnne Miller rides the Bitterroot with Hawk the mountain man, and Carol Polich watches sandhill cranes dance. Holly Matkin backpacks the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Doug Emlen explores claws, teeth, armor and cheats, and golden ghost towns call. Also inside: Locati Architects, Elizabeth Davey Lochrie, Chef Jim Gray’s duck confit, the Great Bear Foundation, virtual reality in 30 years, the legacy of conservation, and Ellen Baumler, a Montanan you should know.

Aaron Theisen explores the northern Bitterroots, Pat Clayton falls for lake love, and seven wild adventures await in Big Sky country. Ride ten distinctly awesome bike routes, read Richard S. Wheeler’s Anything Goes, and follow Barbara Ulrich’s miracle eagle rescue. Also inside: the My Montana Home section on green building and blue ribbon ranches, the art of Gary Lynn Roberts, SuzAnne Miller’s painted ponies, Camp Mak-A-Dream, Chef Jim Gray’s summer salads, and Wild West Words on ranch, tipi and outhouse.

Landon Jones tells of a bad cowboy, M. Mark Miller shares tales of the Belgrade bull, and Joanna Pocock offers 15 tips for floating the Missouri River with kids. Ray Cavanaugh follows an artist’s quest to capture Little Bighorn, Craig and Liz Larcom grow a bird garden, and Big Sky country brings big weather. Also inside: wildflowers in 30 years, back in the day fishing, the American Indian Institute, Robert Staffanson, Rambo goes fishing, drinkers with a running problem, and Chef Jim Gray’s mushrooms.

Our Healthy, Well and Fit issue goes dogsledding with Maggie Slepian, snowshoes the Cabinet Mountains with Aaron Theisen, and meets Marguerite Lindsley, the Lone Ranger of Yellowstone, with Joanna Pocock. Lisa Baril digs into ice patch archaeology, Cindy Goeddel witnesses a bison’s close call, and M. Mark Miller tells how Yankee Jim tangled with Rudyard Kipling. Also inside: Conrad Anker, a Montanan you should know, biathlon, snow yoga, wildlife artist John Banovich, Chef Jim Gray’s cold-water salmon, the Montana Preservation Alliance, and forests in 30 years.

Phil Knight travels the Magruder Corridor into the back of beyond, Carl Safina looks for your inner wolf, and Bill Goold tells the stories of the Madison Buffalo Jump. J.B. Chandler gathers the legends of the Sweetgrass Hills, Lisa Baril follows a pie trail from Yellowstone to Glacier, and Chef Jim Gray falls for butternut squash. Also inside: Cindy Goeddel’s otters, the colorful art of Teshia, the Yellowstone supervolcano with Dr. Jake Lowenstern, a wedding at the Dunrovin Ranch, Ellen Baumler’s haunted house, and the What the Hay bale sculptures near Hobson.

Susi Hülsmeyer-Sinay goes trekking with llamas, Aaron Theisen finds Montana’s banana belt, and Lisa Baril stays up for Montana’s wild nightlife. Jean Arthur savors a Big Sky summer, Lacey Middlestead keeps bees, and we bid farewell to Ivan Doig. Also inside: the My Montana Home section on homes through the years and outdoor living spaces, SuzAnne Miller at the cyber ranch, Lyndel Meikle’s puzzles, the art of K. Bonnema Leslie, Chef Jim Gray’s lentils, birds and climate in 30 years, and Louisa Willcox, a Montanan you should know.

Macy K. Ricketts finds poppies, pikas and lilies in a changing Glacier, Ken Sinay picks five favorite river floats, and Bill Muhlenfeld visits Big Timber, the little town that can. Gary Ferguson shares The Carry Home, Joe Shelton hears modern American Indian music, and Thomas Sullivan charts Montana’s Irish renaissance. Also inside: the art of Marvin Soroos, the Taft-Nicholson Center, Brian D’Ambrosio’s warrior in the ring, Chef Jim Gray’s spring pasta, fisheries in 30 years, Pearl Cash, and Wally McRae, a Montanan you should know.

Our annual Healthy, Well and Fit issue goes snowkiting with Noah Poritz, rides with Stagecoach Mary, a Montana legend, and follows Mark Twain to Montana. Phil Knight imagines Montana’s ski mountains in 2044, Brian Hurlbut rates the best of Montana’s ski areas, and Maggie Slepian goes dashing through the snow. Also inside: Lisa Baril on hibernation and migration, Chef Jim Gray’s merry mini meals, the living art of Montana, Doug Chabot, cancer support communities, sports medicine, and whether your body is from Montana or Mississippi.

Emily Harris follows the effort to bring back bighorn sheep, Valerie Harms keeps field notes from four days on the High Plains, and Montana enters a new drone era. Corinne Garcia finds the secret is out in Bozeman, and Joseph Shelton tracks spirits and ghosts in the last best place. Also inside: the Gal section, five great mobile apps for the outdoors, Phil Knight at the Museum of Mountain Flying, Chef Jim Gray’s pumpkin-ginger tart, Bill Muhlenfeld on buyer’s remorse, and Montana’s population in 30 years.

Gary A. Wilson heads to honky-tonk Havre, Ryan Newhouse tours the breweries under the Big Sky, and Montana wildlife gets exposed. Wylie Gustafson takes a Montana cowboy to Inner Mongolia, Sean McSpadden goes summer skiing, and Aaron Theisen takes art to the wild side en plein air. Also inside: the My Montana Home section with builder tips and (really) small houses, the art of Jennifer Lowe-Anker, Helena from the top down, the Kitchen Guy’s berry favorite season, state and national parks in 30 years, and Hunter Lloyd, a Montanan you should know.

Explore the Rocky Mountain Front, Montana’s wild heart, take Brian McGeehan’s five tips for fishing spring creeks, and ride Helena’s best bike trails with Lacey Middlestead. Mary MacLane’s Butte: 1902 returns, Cynthia Logan visits the American Prairie, and Joseph Shelton explores the hidden treasures of the Museum of the Rockies. Also inside: the DM Gal issue, Glenn Welker’s How Bear Lost His Tail, Women of the Wind, Chef Jim Gray’s spring asparagus, water in 30 years, a big sky bouquet, and Eric Funk, a Montanan you should know.

Ski to a yurt in the Swan Range, sail away on ice, and learn from Lyndel Meikle how to rustle a cow and how to catch a rustler. Phil Knight traces the evolution of ski equipment, Bud Journey winters in a Yaak cabin, and Valerie Harms meets Jim Dolan’s bleu horses. Also inside: our Healthy, Well and Fit section, keeping your dogs and cats healthy, the String Orchestra of the Rockies, snow in 30 years, the Kitchen Guy relishing cranberries, and Robyn Erlenbush on international buyers.

Hunt for Bigfoot under the Big Sky, roll the dice on the history of gambling in Montana with Jaix Chaix, and catch Montana in the movies. Gordon Sullivan writes of the Big Dry, Lacey Middlestead follows the pronghorn, and Ellen Baumler hears songbirds in the alley. Also inside: the Pintler’s palette, Jackson Hot Springs at its rustic, offbeat, sublime best, Lyndel Meikle’s knockout punch, the Montana Raptor Conservation Center, and Montana’s wildlife in 30 years.

Ted Turner sits down for an exclusive interview, Buck Taylor writes of fire, grass, mud and blood, and Will Muhlenfeld finds Billings a gateway to the West. Chase five must-see Montana waterfalls, try geocaching with Shelby Humphreys, and pack the ten essentials of hiking with Roger Jenkins. Also inside: the My Montana Home section with brilliant lighting and sustainable building, Montana real estate, Ralph Johnson on land use in 30 years, Cathy Moser’s avian oasis at Manning Lake, and the Kitchen Guy’s barbecue.

Ride into Yellowstone on horseback, look for Montana’s UFOs, and dig into high-altitude gardening. Montana in 30 Years takes on climate change. Also inside: the lines of devotion of Darlene Morgan, tree ring pens, the Western way, and a special Montana Gal insert on the many hats Montana women wear.

Our health and wellness issue faces winter head on. Glenda Wallace takes polar plunges and hot springs soaks, Phil Knight skis Yellowstone’s winter trails, and Gardiner opens the gateway to winter. Cathy Moser explores the sagebrush and river cats of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and Chef Jim Gray stirs up healthy winter stew and soup. Also inside: Montana in 20 icons, a holistic health round table, the Montana Health Report, therapy for your best friend, Suzanne Waring’s 80 and Counting, spillover and the next pandemic, and Rachel Hergett’s winter playlist.

The Brawl of the Wild looks back on 112 years of Cat/Griz rivalry, David Cronenwett finds the beauty of field birds, and Ednor Therriault profiles Blackfeet warriors in sculpture. Spend a day with a working cattle dog, raise a glass to the last best vine at Montana’s wineries, and join Jack Horner in prehistoric Montana. Also inside: Alan Kesselheim’s coming of age ceremony, roaming eastern Montana, whimsical animal art, and the YWCA of Missoula.

Rick Bass writes from the wet and wild Yaak Valley, and Brian Schott talks with Tom Brokaw about nature and life in Montana, then visits Whitefish, a summer paradise. Jody Dahl asks whether you’re ranch happy, and Wendy Pierce picks day hikes with dogs. Also inside: the My Montana Home section, Dorothy Patent on artist Larry Pirnie, a Montana theatre round-up, summer poems by B.J. Buckley, Virginia Bryan at the St. Labre Indian School, romancing the log, and the reluctant architect.

Whitney Tilt goes snorkeling for wildflowers, Caroline Patterson finds the wild, weird heart of Missoula, and Jean Petersen settles into tipi retreats. Paul Schullery meets the goats at Gunsight Pass, Valerie Hemingway takes a byte of Bozeman, and Kate Hove shows kitchen designs that work wonders. Also inside: the zen of kayaking, the photography of Barbara Van Cleve, Montana ghost wood, Keith Anderson’s poetics of perception, and the birds, bees and butterflies of spring.

Conrad Anker goes ice climbing in Hyalite, green skiing gets a look, and the shape of winter comes into focus. Lael Morgan investigates the mystery of Jeannette Rankin’s “Whitehall Embarrassment,” Shann Ray shares the short story The Way Home, and Bill Muhlenfeld visits Big Timber. Also inside: contemporary Montana homes, Suzanne Waring on custom knife art, Kim Ibes’s pies in the (big) sky, and the last best holiday gifts.

Kathryn Socie asks what a strong Montana dog can’t do, ghosts stalk Virginia City, and fall brings a fly-fishing frenzy. Paul F. Vang looks at educating young entrepreneurs, and our new feature, Montanans You Should Know, makes its debut. Also inside: Greg Keeler’s A Change in Light, life on planet bronze, how green Yellowstone really is, the Ozark Club, Sue Reynolds on beautiful beads and family traditions, and let them eat cake.

Richard I. Gibson digs into the Yogo sapphire, Montana’s “Goldilocks” gem, Carol Polich meets the mighty Montana moose, and Ben Donatelle rolls out helmets, handlebars and 10 not-to-be-missed bike rides. Bill Muhlenfeld tells how the Wickens family pays it forward, goes hot for huckleberries, and watches the Fonz go fishing. Also inside: the Bair Museum’s elegant expansion, Richard Hugo’s Driving Montana, Montana-made musicians, cowboy cordon bleu, eating locally, rustic furniture makers, and wedding photography.

Bill Muhlenfeld follows veterans from the front lines to tight lines, Lorri Grannis listens to Montana’s Native flutists, and we throw our best Montana party ever. Ten heavenly hikes west of the Divide and 12 Montana golf courses get you outside. Also inside: James Crumley’s The Right Madness and Deadrock revisited, Ellen Baumler uncovers Montana’s Chinese past, a snowy owl outburst, the art of Daniel and Adam Smith, Steve Smede breaks out the sticks, our favorite watering holes, and birds on the move.

Dave Richardson feels the rush of skijoring in Red Lodge and Whitefish, Glenda Wallace tells the love story of a rancher who meets bison, and an insider’s guide covers 15 Montana downhill ski areas. Meet the wolverines, ghosts of the backcountry, and the von Trapp children, Montana’s own “Sound of Music.” Also inside: Ted Kerasote’s Man in Red, Woman in Blue, Shawn Johnson on the Crown of the Continent, artist Clint Loomis, Queen City cuisine in Helena, one fine day at Eagle Mount in Bozeman, the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale, and Brewster Moseley on the beauty of Butte.