Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 11 CONTIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Karlie Butler Sherman Cahill Holly Matkin August Millard Bob O'Boyle Alanna J. Ober Roger Pafford Tom Rath Joseph Shelton DisƟncƟve CraŌsman CoƩages in a 55+ Pocket Neighborhood Planned Community "Downsize Beautifully" Phase 2 Now Open!! www.riversidecrossing.org riversidecrossingcoop@gmail.com 406.369.4630 SCAN QR CODE FOR SHOP & SOCIAL BEST CBD BUSINESS BEST DISPENSARY LOCATED IN WHITEFISH & KALISPELL HAUNTED HOTELS PAGE 62 SHERMAN CAHILL is a freelance writer who lives in Butte, Montana. He enjoys film, Westerns, crime fiction, and residing in the best city in America, if not the world. BOUND IN BLOOD PAGE 56 NICK MITCHELL lives with his wife and two children in Kalispell and has always been interested in Montana and Western history. He loves a good book, a tasty brew, and his family, though not in that order. He's only recently started writing, so he'd like it if you'd be easy on him. EMERALD ISLE TO BIG SKY COUNTRY PAGE 70 HOLLY MATKIN is a native Montanan who lives with her husband at the foot of the Elkhorn Mountains. She covers a wide variety of topics as a freelance writer for multiple local and national publications, and especially enjoys writing travel, history, and human interest pieces. THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO PAGE 76 KARI BOWLES was born and raised in the Gallatin Valley before spend- ing time in the American Midwest and the Scottish Lowlands. She is a lifelong lover of cinema and literature and enjoys writing about both. She can also be found as a DJ at 95.9fm KGVM, where she plays film soundtracks. FOR THE BIRDS PAGE 78 EVERETT HEADLEY, hailing from Montana, is a seasoned hunter and angler and a freelance writer. He participates in Montana conserva- tion with the MT FWP, hosts the podcast "Elevate the Hunt," is also a licensed falconer, and serves as a certified wildlife tracker and Mas- ter Naturalist. He is involved with several organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Boone and Crockett Club. RICHARD HUGO PAGE 81 JAMES GRADY'S critically acclaimed Montana-based novel The Smoke In Our Eyes was published in 2024 and its sequel American Sky will publish in summer 2025. GET TO KNOW FALLON COUNTY PAGE 86 A native Montanan, BRYAN SPELLMAN has lived all over the state, and now lives in the foothills of the Cabinet Mountains. A graduate of UC Berkeley, he is now retired from a career centered in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Montana. In retirement, he spends his time on weaving, photography, travel, writing, and, yes, geocaching. MONTANA MUSINGS PAGE 94 BILL MUHLENFELD is the former owner of Distinctly Montana and a self-described serial entrepreneur. When he is not puzzling over the human condition he enjoys puzzling over crosswords.

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