Distinctly Montana Magazine

DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE • WINTER 2022-23 10 I magine gazing out over an expansive Montana vista after a big snowstorm on a bluebird day, whitecapped peaks sparkling on the horizon, the sun so bright that you have to squint. Somewhere far away, the lonely sound of a train engine announces itself. You scan the horizon twice before you spot the Amtrak Empire Builder rolling through an expanse of the blazing white Montana landscape. Railroads have been an indispensable element of Montana's past and present, so we're excited to present this issue loaded with a full slate of stories about Montana's railroads. Train travel has always been my favorite way to get anywhere, though it's not always practical. I once had to take a train from Florida to Arizona, and the only way to do so via train was on a route that passed first through Pennsylvania, followed by a 14-hour layover in Chicago. If you're in a hurry, train travel is not an option. Train travel and magazines both had their heydays in earlier, simpler times. Both are still readily available, albeit in a significantly diminished range of options. As we steam toward the mid-2020s, both industries continue rolling along, sometimes grow- ing, sometimes shrinking. They certainly go hand-in-hand. Train travel pairs far bet- ter with the luxurious, slow, tactile act of flipping through physical pages than scroll- ing through a digital newsfeed or tapping the plastic surface of an eBook reader. We're grateful and honored to continue the tradition of publishing a high-quality, engaging print magazine long after most magazines have turned off their lights for the last time. We plan on being around for decades to come, and there's no doubt that trains will also continue cruising through Montana's plains and mountains with us into the foreseeable future. We hope you love the stories in this issue. Maybe you even picked up a copy of Distinctly Montana in a train station—we're certainly available in stations throughout Montana. If you're lucky, maybe you're even reading this while riding a train. If that's the case, we're jealous, but we wish you a safe and relaxing trip! The Distinctly Montana team wishes you a fantastic end to 2022 and a healthy, happy, and prosperous start to 2023! A N O T E F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R P U B L I S H E R CHRIS MUHLENFELD, PUBLISHER chris@distinctlymontana.com ©2002-2023. Distinctly Montana is owned and published by Thunderstruck Me- dia LLC, a Montana company. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, without our written permission is prohibited. Distinctly Montana welcomes freelance contributions—please contact us to inquire about submitting your work. DISTINCTLY MONTANA IS DESIGNED AND PRINTED IN THE USA. Published by Thunderstruck Media LLC • 280 West Kagy Blvd, STE D286 • Bozeman, Montana 59715 www.distinctlymontana.com • info@distinctlymontana.com • (406) 600-7660 WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS! The paper content of this publication has been certifiably reforested via PrintReleaf – the world's first platform to measure paper consumption and automate reforestation across a global network of reforestation projects. LEARN MORE AT PRINTRELEAF.COM photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY PUBLISHERS Chris & Pattra Muhlenfeld EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joseph Shelton ART DIRECTOR / ILLUSTRATOR Robert Rath COPY EDITOR Shannon Page PROOF EDITOR Lindsay Tran PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Aubrey Irwin SALES EXECUTIVES Larry Sem, Gary Shelton PRINT MANAGEMENT Pam Koehler, Koehler + Co. fb.com/distinctlymontana instagram.com/distinctlymontana twitter.com/distinctlymt S U B S C R I B E S U B S C R I B E T O D AY T O D AY W E D E L I V E R ! W E D E L I V E R ! SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DISTINCTLY MONTANA DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE MAGAZINE DISTINCTLYMONTANA.COM/SUBSCRIBE SEND A CHECK FOR THE AMOUNT MATCHING THE SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD YOU'D LIKE: 1 YEAR - $39.95 2 YEARS - $69.95 3 YEARS - $99.95 MAIL CHECKS TO: DISTINCTLY MONTANA 280 W KAGY BLVD, STE D-286 BOZEMAN MT 59715

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