Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/1479010
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 • F A L L 2 0 2 2 18 IN THE EARLY MORNING OF JULY 9TH 2019, a line of strong thunderstorms raced across the southern Canadian plains headed for the northeastern corner of Montana. This part of the state is not unaccustomed to seeing strong storms, but this storm packed a powerful punch. By the time it crossed into Sheridan County. its winds were gusting more than 40 miles per hour. Rain was also coming down hard and punish- ing everything in its path. Moments after crossing the border into Montana, it hit a small place on the map called Dooley. The only building still standing in Dooley was the Rock Valley Lutheran Church. Made of only wood back in 1915, the church had not seen a service or a congregation since the 1940s. It was built at a time when steam locomotives still roamed the prairie. And like many small rural churches, the Dooley Church, as it was often called, once embodied the hopes and dreams of the settlers who opened the west. Much of the church's roof was missing. And though the steeple still stood, the building had developed a bit of lean over the past few years. Anyone who saw it knew its days were numbered. All it needed was a gentle push and it would topple. But on that warm day in July, the Dooley Church got a lot more than that. No one saw it come down. Dooley is, after all, surround- ed by little more than wheat fields and a few lonely old farm buildings. The Dooley Church was mostly forgotten by ev- eryone except the residents of Sheridan County and a hand- ful of photographers who travel across the country to photo- graph old, abandoned buildings. The Dooley Church was quintessential Montana. It stood tall and it stood strong for over 100 years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, but with- out the funds or the care to preserve it, it weakened over time. Its clean architectural lines and weathered wooden exterior made it hauntingly beautiful. Those who saw it firsthand are fortunate. And those who did not will never know what they lost. Dr. Verlaine McDonald grew up in these parts. She knows the area well and has written a handful of books about the history of this region. Nowadays she is Professor of Commu- nication at Berea College in Kentucky. She knew the church had fallen and said it was a real loss. A PHOTO OF THE HISTORIC MIDGE HOMESTEAD HOUSE, WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1910. IT WAS LOCATED IN TOOLE COUNTY SOUTH OF LAKE ELWELL. AN OUT-OF-STATE GREAT-GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER OF THE MAN WHO BUILT WANTED THE WOOD FOR AN ART PROJECT AND HAD IT TORN DOWN. THE BUIL DING STOOD FOR 105 YEARS.