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Old 04-08-2008, 12:59 AM
 
3 posts, read 13,827 times
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Hello! I've been searching through the threads in here for awhile, and have to say Montana looks gorgeous!

I'm currently working on a novel and plan to have one of my characters live in a small town, preferably somewhere like Bigfork. Unfortunately, I can't find very much info on the town itself, or the schools. Pictures are even rarer. So I'd like to ask anyone who lives there or has lived there for their experiences. And any pictures you might have. From what I've read, it doesn't seem like a tourist town like Whitefish appears to be. I can get some of the information I need, such as climate and area businesses, but unfortunately nothing to really paint the picture as to how life is there.

Here are a few of the questions I'm looking for:

What are the people like? Is it a stereotypical small town setting, where everyone seems to know everyone?

What was it like growing up in a small town? If you went to school there, what were the schools like?

What sort of activities did you enjoy in town?

One of the characters goes to high school at Bigfork High (hopefully), so any information on high school life (activities, popularity issues in a small town like this, layout of the school in general as there aren't really any pictures online) would be helpful as well. Thanks!
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Old 04-08-2008, 01:14 PM
 
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I wouldn't classify Bigfork as a sterotypical small town. It's definitely a tourist town. It features world class galleries and fine restaurants. I, personally think it's a great place to visit if you like fine culture. Beautiful area. I spend my summers boating that area and everytime I'm at the marina, it's packed with out of state visitors enjoying the local attractions. Unfortunately, I'm over in Billings now but summers coming and I'll be over boating Flathead or skydiving at Lost Prairie so I'll try and remember to snap some video for you. I know I'm not much help as I'm not from Bigfork but it's a beautiful setting. Good luck on your novel.
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Old 04-08-2008, 06:58 PM
 
3 posts, read 13,827 times
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Video would be awesome! I've found some beautiful pictures, but I am looking for pictures or video of the actual town itself-the buildings and businesses and such. I want to make sure I paint the picture of the town in an accurate way. Thanks so much!
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Old 04-09-2008, 10:59 PM
 
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bigfork is an artists town full of galleries and fine dining, also the bigfork summer playhouse...right on the water very tucked even though kalispell and whitefish are a stones throw away. home to the wild mile river race...probably the most hidden jewel in the flathead valley....i love boating over to bigfork and having lunch..i love montana ;-)
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Old 04-13-2008, 01:49 PM
 
Location: Denver
113 posts, read 653,267 times
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Dear Marie...,

May I suggest that since you are writing a novel, you make up a name for the town you wish to write about, like the writer did when he wrote about Lake Wobegone Minnesota. The book became a best seller! Or, look thru the names of old ghost towns to see if one of those names will work for you.

A couple of times I passed thru Montana. I never lived there but I almost lost my life between Mullan Idaho and Missoula Montana one night in early August 1967. Another time, I was on a westbound train, either the Empire Builder or the North Coast Limited, whichever one goes along the international border between the United States and Canada along the extreme northern edge of Montana with stops in Havre, Cut Bank, a series of tunnels going thru the mountains which are west of Glacier National Park. I got on that train in St. Paul Minnesota and got off in Seattle Washington.., a day and two nights later. The train stoped in Glacier National Park to take on water as we were on an up hill climb on the side of a mountain and you could look into Canada from the train's right hand side. The 35 cents I paid to rent a pillow for the trip was worth every penny. I noticed that almost everyone who boarded that train in Montana carried a brown bag lunch. Food on the train may be scrumpous and savory, but it may also be pricy because they have a captive audience! Where else can you get something to eat if you're hungry while on the train, except from the dining car? You can't get off, find a convenience store or a cheap restaurant, a greasy spoon joint, if you're hungry! You'll just have to wait.

Along that route in Havre was an old, old, old caliope, in majestic brilliant red and gold paint. It sat silhouetted against the mid day clear blue sky, not far from the station house, next to the railroad tracks coming into Havre. That was in November, 1967. I've always wondered if that caliope is still there?

Once, I asked my older brother about it. He said that many, many, many years ago, a circus went up there. It went broke and they had to disband, leaving everything behind.

My relationship with the circus began before I was born. Mom took care of a world class, center ring, aerialist who had a miscarriage and had been hospitalized in the hospital where Mom worked. Mom took care of this lady in our home, an apartment in a four plex we lived in for many years. Milanie and her husband Joe worked as circus performers for the Shrine Circus and every time the circus came to town after that during the 1940's and 1950's, all of us received passes to see the Shrine Circus free of charge. Milanie and her husband Joe were both world class performers! When they performed, the only lights in the whole St. Paul Auditorium were on them and only on them! She used to hang by her teeth 90 feet in the air with no net and do 90 spins in 90 seconds, and the audience would count the number of spins! Joe would ride his motorcycle on the high wire, 90 feet in the air with no net, on a specially built motorcycle. We always sat in the ring side seats of the first row, where we met all the performers, we knew the ring master, the Wellindas with their world famous cannon ball act, the lion tamer, all the ladies who rode the horses, the clowns, the lion tamer, and all the rest. Later, my older brother worked for many circuses and carnivals, hence; he would be the one to ask if I had a question!

It was late in the gloaming, with the sun setting in the west and the shadows were rising, when I steped off a greyhound bus, high in the Idaho panhandle near the border between Idaho and Canada, one August day on my way into Montana, in Mullan Idaho. A little boy stood beside the road where I steped off the bus. Little did I know, he knew what he was talking about when he said, "mister, you ain't goin' to have any luck out of here! If I were you, I'd get right back on that bus"! A chill pierced the air, as I noticed the rising shadows creeping up the tall jack pines of that little mountainous silver town, changing the colors from dark green to grey, as the last rays of the sun reflected off of the tin roof of an old building, as a old rattlely car screeched to a stop. I climbed in and away we went.

Up the pass, into Montana. At the top of the pass east of Mullan, the driver stoped the car. I noticed the three men and one woman. Were they drunk? No, they were half way sober, the other part being half drunk. Speedy on my right, a heavy set man on my left, shared the front bench seat with me. Shirley and another inebriated man shared the back seat. The heavy set man with two tattoos on his right arm looked at me and asked if I had a drivers license. I said, "yes". He said, "good, none of us do"! Then he asked if I had any money for gas. I thought about the money I had. $1.26 in my wallet, another $80 in the bottom of my shoe. So, I suggested we get a little gas at the gas station on the way down the mountain. Speedy blurted, "no, we held him up two weeks ago, he"ll load us full of lead"! Come to find out, the car was stolen. The four were wanted by the law for numerous warrants! I figured, if I were going to make it, I'd just have to fake it and pretend I was tough too!

A tavern came into view further down the mountain. The four were constantly argueing ovver who was the better, the Crow or the Blackfeet! They were American Indains! The man with the tattoos stoped the car. They weren't in a hurry. Speedy wanted my $1.26 for beer instead of gas, so he picked my pocket. Shirley persuaded him to give my money back. Then we all piled back into the car and left. This time, I was driving. Night was fast approaching, by this time the sun had finished setting and it was dark. No lights anywhere, except for the Big Sky, with its starlights. The road meandered up, over, down and thru those mountains as we drove on into the darkness. I was thinking about a little prayer I had said earlier in that day, "Dear Lord, please keep me out of harm's way!" I believe God was about to answer my prayer that night, only I didn't know it yet!

We changed drivers again, this time the heavy set man sat behind the wheel. He asked me if I would like to see an old Indian campground where he grew up. I replied in a gruff tone of voice, "well, I'm game if you"re game". Speedy retorted, "I don't want to see no ghosts"! Only, they knew what was coming up, I didn't! A little further down the road, he pulled onto a side road that went back into the woods. A single track railroad trestle marked the entrance to that road. The dirt road proceeded until it reached a fork about five or six miles later. By this time, I'm uncomfortable with the situation when I saw the road peter out shortly after we reached the fork. He stoped the car, we got out. Then, the heavy set man said, "a white man killed my mother, I intend to kill a white man tonight!" Go stand against that tree! I refused, using expleditive language unfit for this forum! Then, I said something to Shirley, the most sensible one of the bunch. And, she persuaded him to put the gun away. We all got back in the car again. This time, I was driving. Something I'll never understand is why they let me drive? Back on the highway, with Missoula far off in the distance, Missoula illuminated the distant sky, when I heard a tinkle, tinkle, tinkle under the car. I think the fuel line or the fuel pump had broken! We were uphill from Missoula. A long narrow house with stables, and a gas pump sat about a quarter of a mile down the mountain. Speedy decided to siphone some gas. Well, he got caught! A man was holding a double barrel shotgun on Speedy! Back at the car, the heavy set tattoed man decided to spring Speedy! Off in the distance, I could hear the wail of the siren of a police car coming up the mountain to where we were.

With only Shirley and the anebriated man who was too drunk to sit up in the back seat, I decided it was time to get out of there! If I were still there when the police got there, we were all going to jail! So, I picked my new full size accordion and my seabag out of the trunk of the car and started walking down the highway when some more Indians came along. Their car careened around the wet spot of the pavement from the gas we had lost on the highway, and stoped. Droping my gear, I walked over to them and asked if I could get a ride. They asked how faar I was going. I said, St. Paul Minnesota. They said they weren't going that far. To which I replied, "I don't care, just get me out of here!" They agreed, if I would help get their car started. Their car had stalled and they needed a push to get it started. It was a stick shift. An old 1955 Chevy. So, it wasn't any trouble to get it going again! It started, and off we went.., passing the police car, who was in our opposite direction as we went down the mountain.

They developed car trouble. Rod problems! No oil! So, they droped me off on top of an overpass eaast of Missoula. By this time its after midnight, as I shinneyed down the under pass under the over pass, crossed the interstate, climbbed a ten foot wire fence, and knocked on the front door of the only house with a light on. A man shoved a single barrel shotgun thru the door's opening as he answered my knock. I only wanted to ask permission to be there on his property. He said, "NO"! We continued talking. I told him I already had my share of troubble that night. Then, I understood why he didn't want me on his property! He was runing an auto salvage yaard from his home. We talked about his big black labrador dog. Well, we both like dogs! Then, his crustiness came off and we began talking like friends. He had called the police, so I could have a ride back to Missoula.

When the Sheriff and his deputy came, they asked me if I had more than four dollars on me. I replied that I did have more than four dollars on me as well as a diamond ring in my hip pocket. I also told them I had just come back from Viet Nam and I knew how to fight if I had too. If they wanted to know how much money I had, one of them would wind up with a stiff lip! Toi that, the deputy replied, "with that kind of an attitude, you'll be luck to make it acrosss the rest of Montana"! They wanted to know if I had more than four dollars because if I didn't, they would book me for vagrancy. They were very nice and droped me off downtown Missoula at the Palace Hotel. By this time, my adrenalin was too high to go to sleep! Hence, I talked with the desk clerk all night there in the lobby. He told me that around the corner was a little cook shanty all the people who worked downtown Missoula ate at. Thanking him, I took him up on hiss offer, and went over to where he suggested for beakfast! It was a gorgeous breakfast! Flap jacks and coffee for thirty cents! Wow!

Later that morning, I tried to no avail to continue hitch hiking east of Missoula. Two reasons..., Deer Lodge. There is or was the Montana State Pennitentiary and the State Insane Aslyum. So, I returned to the Greyhound Bus Terminal and boarded a bus for Fargo North Dakota.

I hope I've tweked your imagination with some new thoughts you are welcome to use in your novel. Let me know how everything works out. Ok?

My trip started out at Treasure Island, between San Francisco and Oakland, via Seattle, Ellensburg,

Last edited by in_the_gloaming; 04-13-2008 at 03:24 PM.. Reason: additional info
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Old 04-13-2008, 03:48 PM
 
Location: Denver
113 posts, read 653,267 times
Reputation: 71
I'm sorry my time ran out to edit my previous post.

My trip thru Montana that time started in San Francisco, where I was Honorably Discharged from the Navy, August 1967. Three busses later, I arrived in Seattle, where I spent a night with my Aunt Galdie and Uncle Bob. The following day, I took a Greyhound to Ellensburg Washington. From Ellensburg, I spent a weekend with a man who owned a stakebed truck who lived in Othello. He offered me a job picking spuds. I turned him down and hitch hiked to Spokane.

After reaching Fargo, I hitch hiked to St. Paul. The last ride, the man droped me off at my front door to my folks house. Oh, how I appreciated that! Like me, he had started in San Fran and he was on his way to Washington D. C. with his little Volkswagon. He picked me up in Alexandria Minnesota. We both really enjoyed each others' company, so very much! You know how it is when it seems that everything just clicks!

My trip that time took ten days. It was a true story. It actually happened to me.
I wish you well with your progress on your novel!

P. S. On my way back to Missoula that night with the police, they both told me I really, really didn't know how lucky I was to have gotten away from them!!! The four with the stolen car! For me, it was an answer to prayer!!! I believe that because I am a Christian!

Last edited by in_the_gloaming; 04-13-2008 at 04:01 PM.. Reason: editing & additional info
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Old 04-15-2008, 06:32 PM
 
Location: NW Montana
65 posts, read 205,772 times
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Bigfork is real busy in the summer --- the plays and artists attract a lot of summer visitors (both short vacations and summer residents). It has one of the best if not the best golf course in the state. Has a lot of homes that are second/vacation homes - we have a friend from Washington DC whose family spends the summer every year and are looking to buy the second home. They love the relaxed life style, golfing, boating, etc. In the winter its pretty quiet, but the local businesses try to get people out for Christmas tree lighting, Santa, parade, etc, in the off season. A lot of the locals attend the high school sports in the winter.
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Old 04-15-2008, 10:22 PM
 
3 posts, read 13,827 times
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Thanks for the suggestion, in the gloaming, but I prefer to write about real towns and getting to know them the best I can. As a reader it draws me in more, so it's just a personal preference.

Thanks, Montana Baby. I was curious about the local high school sports. I didn't want to assume that since it's a small town that most locals attend, but judging from news articles it seems that they get a lot of support.
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Old 04-16-2008, 06:20 AM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,941,096 times
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The locals from almost every town support their school sports programs with a vengence. Bigfork also has a very good speech and debate team where a few of their members (drama) beat us at state last year.
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Old 04-16-2008, 10:58 PM
 
5 posts, read 24,235 times
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Default Try Plentywood

If you're looking for a cool little town, try the Sheridan County area. It was a huge homestead area in the early 1900's with lots of historic pride and detailed information on local families. (Local families even put together a series of books about the settlers called Sheridan Daybreak with tons of local history.)

Not touristy at all, just small quiet. Comertown (now a ghost town) has a really interesting history too and is located in the same area.
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