The legacy of an obsessive and brilliant mountaineer In 1972, the summer after doug McCarty graduated from high school in Bozeman, Montana, he and a friend hopped a freight train to Seattle. Another friend was something of a climber there and knew Fred Beckey: a Seattle-based...
Championing Shelby, Montana’s world heavyweight fight As the final bell rang out, a crowd of thousands erupted in cheers for the two great heavyweight boxers who had battled for 15 rounds in the scorching sun. The referee quickly passed his judgement, raising the hand of the...
The allure of life and death in the wild It was early morning and I was traveling through Yellowstone National Park with graduate students who were taking my course on writing about the West, when our host, a representative of the Yellowstone Association, got a call. “Wolves,”...
A home near Helena, Montana, takes on history in a modern form High in the hills above Canyon Ferry Reservoir, outside of Helena, Montana, Danielle and Chris Fowler’s house represents the spirit of homecoming in more ways than one. Danielle’s great-great-grandfather homesteaded along what was...
A Northwest Montana lake house takes on a timeless rustic elegance Tucked away in the far northwestern corner of Montana, a rustic home is perched on the shore of a remote lake. At first glance — say, if you were approaching from across the water by canoe...
A Billings, Montana, home and creative haven floats on the horizon [caption id="attachment_13875" align="alignleft" width="200"] Metalsmith Craig Whitely, of the Laurel, Montana-based Arm & Anvil, fabricated facades for the home’s two fireplaces.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13874" align="alignright" width="196"] Blake Laughlin and Eric Staples, of Laughlin Construction, handcrafted this concrete...
A home in Whitefish, Montana, is created with care and purpose There are plenty of beautiful homes out there, along with plenty of homes designed with an eye toward function, or with the goal of maximum sustainability. But rare indeed is the home that combines all...
A rustic Big Sky home with a dash of dixie The Danish have a word for the concept behind a new home in Big Sky, Montana. It’s hygge — and according to Merriam-Webster, it refers to cozy and comfortable surroundings that invoke an inner sense of...
A home inspired by centuries-old stone cottages was at the leading edge of the cozy-contemporary aesthetic that now dominates Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s architecture and design scene The idea wasn’t to build a trend-setting house. It was 2006, and log homes were still king in Jackson Hole,...
A Jackson Hole, Wyoming, home reflects the beauty of its backdrop Not every architect can triumph with a project that places a building against the multi-hued mountains of Northwest Wyoming, where the natural beauty can humble any abode. But Tom Ward, of Ward + Blake Architects...