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Miami? Doesn't sound so far fetched. The ranch with the most amount of cattle, in the US, is in Florida with over 60,000 head of cattle. We used to think the Paddlock Ranch was the largest with 493,000 acres, but they only run a little over 50,000 head of cattle. Of course, grass is pretty sparse around here.
Are potential neighbors welcome on the porch? Like so many others, I'm ready for a change and heading, hopefully, to Sweetgrass County. I've been assured by other residents that I'll fit right in! I was the only kid in school, boy OR girl, wearing cowboy boots with a hat in my locker! At the time I was a trail guide on a ranch in . . . wait for it . . . MIAMI!!! It wasn't my fault!! I had to live wherever my parents lived! Now, I'm the only pastor I know with a horse, dogs, cats, chickens, etc. Could you imagine ME in a parsonage!? I currently live in the Appalachian Mtns, oops! Sorry, the Appalachian HILLS, of Western North Carolina. I have lived at 3500' for about 12 years now. Our winters are only about 10 degrees warmer than Big Timber and we get about the same avg amount of snow, so I think I'll be OK.
I don't want to talk about religion but I do want to know about the churches in the area. We don't have any Evangelical Churches where I'm coming from, so they are new to me. The other churches in the area seem to be about the same as they are here. I am curious about the absence of the United Methodist Church in Big Timber, while other towns have two or even three UMC's!
Do the churches work together? I noticed that there is a food pantry (food bank) for the poor in Big Timber. Are there other church led assistance ministries in the county? Where I live now most of the churches are traditional southern gospel or traditional 'liturgical' (lutheran, episcopal, etc.) with a few contemporary churches, both denominational and non-denom. We also have Cowboy churches in a few local communities. We have VERY few LDS churches in this area.
I may not be working as a pastor in Montana, but I'm also curious about how women pastors might be accepted in rural Montana. I have noticed that there aren't any in Big Timber! I know there are different interpretations of the role of women in the bible and in our churches and I do NOT want a debate. At least not here on the porch! Just neighborly discussion!
Now I'll just put my feet up and listen for a spell!
Nice to meet you all!
Tracey
Tracey, Hi! Where is the ranch in Miami that you are referring to? I live in Homestead.....lots of farmland around here...not much livestock though. You will find the folks on the porch are super, friendly folks.
Well, let's see . . . the culture, the climate, the people, the scenery . . . that's about it!
I can be poor anywhere, I'd just as soon it be Montana!
Quote:
Originally Posted by popcorn247
Tracey, Hi! Where is the ranch in Miami that you are referring to? I live in Homestead.....lots of farmland around here...not much livestock though.
That ranch was out in the middle of nowhere at Tamiami Trail and 122 ST . . . in the 1970's!! It was Sweetwater then, as much a cowtown as anywhere in the cattlebelt! I remember when the bar in "Downtown" Sweetwater had a hitching post in front of the bar, and it was used pretty much every night. All the bridges crossing the Tamiami Canal were wooden, and we had 100's of acres all the way out the the Lehigh Cement Plant to ride on. I even got shot at on a trail ride once! Those were the days . . . Now Sweetwater is just another Miami-Dade suburb.
The Ranch was The Golden Eagle and was owned by an Iowan turn of the century cowboy named Walter Wiges and his wife Martha. They were both in their 80's. I had my first "job" there when I was 8 years old, holding up to ten horses by the bridle reins while they were untacked, then leading them to the water trough before turning them out. I got $2 a day! I was riding the "advanced" horses by that time, as I was retraining the old pokeys to GO! Walt didn't like the fact that the old lazy dependables were running off with the little kids! I worked there as trail guide and barn slave from the time I was 13 to 15. The summer of my 15th year, the Wiges' family went on vacation back to Iowa and left me there alone to run the place for TWO WEEKS!!! God was SO with me during those two weeks!!! From amorous cowboys to 26 head of loose horses, to getting kicked in the shin (I was SURE it was broke in half!), to rats eating the soap in my trailer at night to unruly Cubano riders, God looked after me and kept me safe. Walt was a real character, right out of old western movies. He was the real deal. I remember him popping flies with a rubber band. Here is a pic of me that Summer, on the best horse I ever rode, before or since. (I hope the hotlink works!)
Well, let's see . . . the culture, the climate, the people, the scenery . . . that's about it!
I can be poor anywhere, I'd just as soon it be Montana!
That ranch was out in the middle of nowhere at Tamiami Trail and 122 ST . . . in the 1970's!! It was Sweetwater then, as much a cowtown as anywhere in the cattlebelt! I remember when the bar in "Downtown" Sweetwater had a hitching post in front of the bar, and it was used pretty much every night. All the bridges crossing the Tamiami Canal were wooden, and we had 100's of acres all the way out the the Lehigh Cement Plant to ride on. I even got shot at on a trail ride once! Those were the days . . . Now Sweetwater is just another Miami-Dade suburb.
The Ranch was The Golden Eagle and was owned by an Iowan turn of the century cowboy named Walter Wiges and his wife Martha. They were both in their 80's. I had my first "job" there when I was 8 years old, holding up to ten horses by the bridle reins while they were untacked, then leading them to the water trough before turning them out. I got $2 a day! I was riding the "advanced" horses by that time, as I was retraining the old pokeys to GO! Walt didn't like the fact that the old lazy dependables were running off with the little kids! I worked there as trail guide and barn slave from the time I was 13 to 15. The summer of my 15th year, the Wiges' family went on vacation back to Iowa and left me there alone to run the place for TWO WEEKS!!! God was SO with me during those two weeks!!! From amorous cowboys to 26 head of loose horses, to getting kicked in the shin (I was SURE it was broke in half!), to rats eating the soap in my trailer at night to unruly Cubano riders, God looked after me and kept me safe. Walt was a real character, right out of old western movies. He was the real deal. I remember him popping flies with a rubber band. Here is a pic of me that Summer, on the best horse I ever rode, before or since. (I hope the hotlink works!)
I've been in south Florida since 1973......I know some of the places you mentioned. Sounds like you had some fun/scary times at 'the Ranch'.
I've been in south Florida since 1973......I know some of the places you mentioned. Sounds like you had some fun/scary times at 'the Ranch'.
Not much scared me back then. The rats were the worst part!! I slept in that old camper for maybe three nights, then moved into the Wiges' mobile home and slept on the couch. I was feeding the chihuahua, so I did have a key!
Had my first kiss that summer . . . a farrier, last name Robbins. Thank God he was a gentleman! We were friends and spent hours in conversation. He must have been in his late 20's or so.
Otherwise it was pretty quiet. I made a Cuban kid, abt 18 or 19, get off and walk back to the ranch one day! He wouldn't listen!! I was definitely respected. I was a tough kid!! I had to be!
The stampede was pretty interesting . . . That was when I got kicked. Had to call for back-up on that one!
The ranch property is still there, undeveloped. If you do a Google map search of SW 122 Ave. and 8th St, and head north a few blocks you'll see it. 10 acres of empty lot surrounded by houses!
Were you there for Andrew? I worked a horse rescue barn in Davie afterwards and also came down to South Miami as a "second responder." That was a trip!
Not much scared me back then. The rats were the worst part!! I slept in that old camper for maybe three nights, then moved into the Wiges' mobile home and slept on the couch. I was feeding the chihuahua, so I did have a key!
Had my first kiss that summer . . . a farrier, last name Robbins. Thank God he was a gentleman! We were friends and spent hours in conversation. He must have been in his late 20's or so.
Otherwise it was pretty quiet. I made a Cuban kid, abt 18 or 19, get off and walk back to the ranch one day! He wouldn't listen!! I was definitely respected. I was a tough kid!! I had to be!
The stampede was pretty interesting . . . That was when I got kicked. Had to call for back-up on that one!
The ranch property is still there, undeveloped. If you do a Google map search of SW 122 Ave. and 8th St, and head north a few blocks you'll see it. 10 acres of empty lot surrounded by houses!
Were you there for Andrew? I worked a horse rescue barn in Davie afterwards and also came down to South Miami as a "second responder." That was a trip!
Oh yes, I was there for Andrew. I was living in my deceased parent's mobile home in the Leisure City Mobile Home Park......of course I stayed elsewhere during the storm. I stayed with friends in their home near South Dade High School. I lost nearly everything in the storm but had good insurance. I bought a repaired home in the older part of Homestead in Jan., 1993. Been living there ever since. There are still some horses down here. My vet has several on her property and I have a friend who has one in the Redland.
In my 58 years on this planet, I've been stuck a time or two. Now make it three.
About a month ago we went to an auction where the City was getting rid of some old equipment. We ended up getting 5 pieces of equipment. A sander tha tyou can put in the back of a pickup and sand the streets. A 500 gallon spray rig. A chipper. A distributor. A paver. When the auction was done, we brought the equipment over here.
For a couple days before we brought the equipment in here, it rained. Pretty good soaking rain. Now, a month later, we needed to move this equipment so that tomorrow, we can start dumping loads of dirt in that area. We fired up the chipper and drove it to high ground where it will be out of the way. We fired up the distributor (1977 Chevy with only 10,000 miles) and moved it up by the chipper. Then came the paver. We fired it up, moved everything in so it was ready to go and it didn't even wiggle. Seems that it sunk and is now setting on it's belly. So we backed up truck up to it and although I have front and back posi track, I just spun all 4 and didn't even wiggle it. So we backed the dump truck up to it and snapped the log chain like it was a string.
So then, we got heavier log chain, got Mike's truck with a camper on it so it would have added weight, and we took the loader and filled the dump truck with dirt so the dump truck would have weight. We then performed redneck act #397 and chained the dump truck to the paver and Mike's truck to the dump truck and we gave her hell. It didn't even wiggle. hahahaha So we did some checking. In the tool box of the paver, we found the tare slip for when the city had it brought in from Minnisota. I didn't realize that the paver weighs just over 90,000 lbs and can hold 50 ton of pavement. No wonder we didn't wiggle it. So now we're going to wait til tomorrow and see if the city's big dump truck can get it to wiggle. Here's the train.
Also, I drove over today to where the dirt is coming from. This last picture is where they are tearing up the street to lay down a new bed so they can finally pave it. No, we don't have paved roads, no curb and gutter, and no storm sewers.
Happy Fathers day to all of you dad's out there. Hope you are having a wonderful day.
I got tired of dirt and my butt is sore from the 4 wheeler, so I'm watching movies and NASCAR today. No dirt til monyada.
Happy Fathers Day! I had a glorious weekend with my son at K-M Scout ranch outside of Lewistown rebuilding / improving a KYBO. Not necessarily a glamorous job, but it is one of the most important shacks in the camp, lol.
In any event- spent it with my son, camping and fixing something. Not a bad way to be.
Are potential neighbors welcome on the porch? Like so many others, I'm ready for a change and heading, hopefully, to Sweetgrass County. I've been assured by other residents that I'll fit right in! I was the only kid in school, boy OR girl, wearing cowboy boots with a hat in my locker! At the time I was a trail guide on a ranch in . . . wait for it . . . MIAMI!!! It wasn't my fault!! I had to live wherever my parents lived! Now, I'm the only pastor I know with a horse, dogs, cats, chickens, etc. Could you imagine ME in a parsonage!? I currently live in the Appalachian Mtns, oops! Sorry, the Appalachian HILLS, of Western North Carolina. I have lived at 3500' for about 12 years now. Our winters are only about 10 degrees warmer than Big Timber and we get about the same avg amount of snow, so I think I'll be OK.
I don't want to talk about religion but I do want to know about the churches in the area. We don't have any Evangelical Churches where I'm coming from, so they are new to me. The other churches in the area seem to be about the same as they are here. I am curious about the absence of the United Methodist Church in Big Timber, while other towns have two or even three UMC's!
Do the churches work together? I noticed that there is a food pantry (food bank) for the poor in Big Timber. Are there other church led assistance ministries in the county? Where I live now most of the churches are traditional southern gospel or traditional 'liturgical' (lutheran, episcopal, etc.) with a few contemporary churches, both denominational and non-denom. We also have Cowboy churches in a few local communities. We have VERY few LDS churches in this area.
I may not be working as a pastor in Montana, but I'm also curious about how women pastors might be accepted in rural Montana. I have noticed that there aren't any in Big Timber! I know there are different interpretations of the role of women in the bible and in our churches and I do NOT want a debate. At least not here on the porch! Just neighborly discussion!
Now I'll just put my feet up and listen for a spell!
Nice to meet you all!
Tracey
Well there is a Catholic, a Lutheran, an Evangelical and an LDS church in Big Timber that I know of. Both the Lutheran and Evangelical churches have had lady preachers, so that should be no big deal for you if you are looking at that profession. I don't think there are any at this moment, but this is a small town you are talking about with very few opportunities for any preacher as there are a limited number of churches.
I do know the churches are very active in the area and sponser several events throughout the year, and that they assist a lot of people who are traveling I-90 with food and other assistance as needed.
There are churches in some of the outlying towns as well like Melville that sometimes share a preacher as there isn't enough business to support one full time, kind of like the old circuit preachers of the old west.
Most of the new age stuff is in Bozeman, or some of the communes in Livingston, but most of those followers were imported with the church, not home grown.
There are cowboy ministries around, but I don't know of any in Big Timber off hand. Lot of rattlesnakes, but no snake handlers or churches like that. Most folks favor the Lutheran doctrine as there is a preponderance of folks of Norwegian heritage here. Pretty laid back, no fire and brimstone come to Jesus kind of meetings, most folks here LIVE by the golden rule, and don't have time to be taught how nasty they are, because they are good people living good decent lives. The practice their religion quietly in fellowship with their community.
Church is kind of a place to come together with friends and family, to share and to support each other, no Jimmy Swaggart type of pound the pulpit religion here. Many folks only go to "Marryin's" and "burryin's", maybe a baptism or on Christmas and Easter. Hard working folks here trying to make a living working long hours who may not have the time for Sunday service, but who practice their religion daily, so it is close to them and they don't speak of it often, but when they do it is with conviction and deep reverance.
The churches work together pretty well as resources are limited so pooling helps maximize their efforts.
Snow in Big Timber isn't the problem, the speed of the snow in Big Timber can be. Winter before last the wind blew at over 70 MPH for over a week and piled the snow over the tops of houses, cars, woodpiles, made travel really treacherous, and had repercussions all the way until spring when it finally melted.
You may hear people joke about Big Timber that if the wind stops they all fall down, or a Big Timber wind gage is a log chain with one end nailed to the top of a fence post. When the end links start popping off like a whip cracking, there is a stiff breeze out there
Jokes aside, the wind is a definite factor if you plan on looking at the Upper Yellowstone as a place to live as it is a constant element. The wind may blow, or blast, be a gentle breeze or a force that carries away your home, but it is always there.
Do your homework, know what you are getting into, and Good Luck!
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It wasn't my fault!! I had to live wherever my parents lived! Now, I'm the only pastor I know with a horse, dogs, cats, chickens, etc. Could you imagine ME in a parsonage!? 
I currently live in the Appalachian Mtns, oops! Sorry, the Appalachian HILLS, of Western North Carolina. I have lived at 3500' for about 12 years now. Our winters are only about 10 degrees warmer than Big Timber and we get about the same avg amount of snow, so I think I'll be OK.
but I do want to know about the churches in the area. We don't have any Evangelical Churches where I'm coming from, so they are new to me. The other churches in the area seem to be about the same as they are here. I am curious about the absence of the United Methodist Church in Big Timber, while other towns have two or even three UMC's! 
Ancient History
