Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 10 RUNNING FREE: MUSTANGS OF THE PRYOR MOUNTAIN RANGE PAGE 12 When the sun shines and the days are long, you'll likely find JESSIANNE WRIGHT on the back of a horse, exploring and learn- ing about our world. Jessianne is a freelance writer and editor based in her hometown, Bozeman, Montana. Watch for her work in Mountain Outlaw, Montana Quarterly and Montana Historian. SPORT FLYING IN THE BIG SKY PAGE 22 PHIL KNIGHT and his wife, Alaina, have been lucky enough to fully enjoy the great outdoors of Montana (from a terrestrial perspec- tive) for most of their adult lives. Although Phil is slowly devolving into an armchair mountaineer, he still has high hopes for many summits, and will keep writing about his, and other peoples', adventures as long as he can hunt and peck on a keyboard. AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS PAGE 28 STEVE AKRE is a freelance outdoor photographer based in Missoula. His business, Outwest Photo, is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of our natural resources. Albums of his images can be seen at Facebook.com/outwestphoto. DRIVING TO HEAVEN ON THE BEARTOOTH PAGE 32 DONNIE SEXTON left her position in October 2016 after 26 years of working for the Montana Office of Tourism helping to build a robust tourism industry through her work as public relations manager and staff photographer. She is now focused on a new journey as a travel writer and freelance photographer, sharing her experiences as she roams the world. JAMES PRESLEY BALL: RENOWNED BLACK PHOTOGRAPHER IN HELENA PAGE 42 BRIAN D'AMBROSIO lives in Helena, MT, and Silver City, New Mexico, where he writes about architecture, history, travel, and music. He may be reached at dambrosiobrian@hotmail.com. TESTICLE FESTIVAL TIME PAGE 54 GREG KEELER has published two memoirs, Waltzing With the Captain: Remembering Richard Brautigan (Limberlost Press) and Trash Fish: A Life (Counterpoint Press). Almost Happy (Limberlost) is the latest of seven collections of poetry. He illustrated Jim Harrison's chapbook, "Livingston Suite," NPR's Car Talk aired his song "WD-40 Polka," and Garrison Keillor read his poetry on three segments of Writers' Almanac. WILD WEST WORDS PAGE 49 CHRYSTI M. SMITH was raised on a farm in northeastern Mon- tana and now wrangles words for her daily radio series, "Chrysti the Wordsmith," produced at KGLT-FM in Bozeman; it can be heard on public radio stations throughout Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and worldwide on Armed Forces Radio. www.wordsmithradio.org KITCHEN GUY PAGE 50 CHEF JIM GRAY is a Missoula-based culinary instructor and food writer. He also teaches for the kitchen store chain Sur La Table in Scottsdale, Arizona. ABC ACRES: TAKING AGRICULTURAL RESTORATION TO A NEW LEVEL PAGE 62 SUZANNE MILLER, a native of Butte, owns Dunrovin Ranch, a full-service guest ranch and equestrian club offering unique backcountry adventures on Tennessee Walking Horses. The installation of a web camera led SuzAnne to enable cyber viewing. www.DaysAtDunrovin.com. CROW FAIR POWWOW: HOSPITALITY AND CULTURE PAGE 58 STEPHANIE BROOKES is an author, travel writer and blogger with tales from all corners of the globe. www.travelwriter.ws, www.facebook.com/stephtravelwriter, and www.instagram.com/ stephtravelwriter WHO BUILT MONTANA'S MANSIONS? PAGE 86 LYNDEL MEIKLE is an historian and Montana native. REMARKABLE RODEO WOMEN PAGE 105 ELLEN BAUMLER has been the interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society in Helena since 1992. She loves telling Montana's little-known stories. She is a 2011 recipient of the Governor's Award for the Humanities. She is also an award- winning author of many books and articles on a wide variety of Montana topics. CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S BUTTE AMERICA PAGE 112 JOSEPH SHELTON lives in Bozeman, Montana, where he received his Masters in English Literature. He loves film, hiking, reading, exploring, and above all, writing. VALERIE HARMS has edited this magazine since 2005 and says it is like throwing a party every season. A writer as well as editor, she is the author of 10 books and numerous articles. A graduate of Smith College, for seven years she was an editor at the National Audubon Society in New York City. She has taught writing and given workshops around the country, plus in Greece and Canada. In 1995 she moved to Montana to see wild animals in their habitats and explore the mountains and rivers. For more info see her Web site at www.valerieharms.com. Email queries to valerie@distinctlymontana.com. ROBERT RATH collects hyphens. Currently, he's an illustrator-designer-author-art director-dog walker living in Bozeman. He's illustrated many children's books, including the award-winning First Dog: Unleashed in the Montana Capitol, and Yellowstone's Hot Legends and Cool Myths. His clients include Lucasfilm, The History Channel, Scholastic Books, Farcountry Press and many others. He isn't allergic to anything, can't remember the names of housing subdivisions, likes to cook, can wiggle his ears, and hates writing bios. ALEXIS PIKE O U R C O N T R I B U T O R S

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