D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 2
82
Last Best Books
MONTANA DISASTERS:
TRUE STORIES OF TREASURE STATE
TRAGEDIES AND TRIUMPHS
BY BUTCH LARCOMBE
A mere recitation of
Montana's worst disasters
and their fatalities might
have been a ghoulish kind
of entertainment for those
of a macabre bent. Still, in
this moving book, the em-
phasis is on stories of hu-
man resilience.
Here are the well-known
disasters (the 1959 earth-
quake, the Speculator
Fire) and lesser-known
tragedies, such as a now
largely forgotten 1925
earthquake near Three
Forks that registered a 6.6
on the Richter scale.
In many cases, these forgotten stories are the most affect-
ing, if only because they are less familiar to us.
Veteran reporter Butch Larcombe gives us the names of
victims, yes, but also rescuers, first responders, and ordinary
folk who turned out to help. The results are far more inspira-
tional than morbid.
JESUS FISH UFO
BY JOHN EMEIGH
Butte newsman (and
onetime Distinctly Mon-
tana contributor) John
Emeigh has written his
debut novel, and it's just
as quirky as you'd expect
from the beloved broad-
caster.
A labor of love that
Emeigh has been work-
ing on for fifteen years,
the novel tells the story
of what happens when
an apparent UFO flap
occurs in a conservative
Texas town. The result-
ing confrontation be-
tween encroaching New
Age nuts and no-nonsense town fathers serves as a backdrop
to a satirical coming of age story for a young man investigat-
ing what happened to his father as he rebels against the yoke
of his religious mother.
For those disappointed that Emeigh should write about his
native Texas rather than his adopted Montana, you needn't
nurse your hurt feelings long—Emeigh promises he's cur-
rently working on a story set in a mountain mining town not
unlike Butte, America.
S U B S C R I B E T O D AY A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N ! S U B S C R I B E T O D AY A N D N E V E R L E AV E Y O U R D E N !
SUBSCRIBE TO
DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE
AND GET IT DELIVERED
DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME!
TO SUBSCRIBE BY MAIL,
SEND A CHECK
FOR $39.95 PER YEAR TO:
DISTINCTLY MONTANA
280 WEST KAGY BLVD, STE D286
BOZEMAN MT 59715
distinctlymontana.com/subscribe
