Some 20 years ago, I met David Quammen under unusual circumstances. He had written an essay about cougars for a wilderness advocacy publication to which I subscribed. The piece included some disparaging comments about cougar hunting, largely based on the assumption that lion hunters are...
Maps hold a promise of roads untaken, the allure of the exotic, and adventures yet to come. For James Niehues, a legend in the ski world for his bird’s-eye maps, his works are much more than renditions of place. They combine panoramic views of the...
Driggs, Idaho has always been a little eclectic and esoteric, a place called home by extreme athletes, artists, and Mormon families who migrated to the valley. In a full showing of this sense of identity, Teton Valley melds long winters and bone-rattling temperatures with its...
What if we took a moment to pray for snow Let’s call it Salmon Weather and let’s stop Calling it a nuisance or an inconvenience Let’s pray to the snow as if it is a gift Not for recreation But of re-creation Let’s not worry the cold, here, in our warm house Let’s...
Every year since 1993, Butte has held Montana’s “shortest, loudest, coldest” parade for the Lunar New Year to celebrate the city’s historic Chinese community. Butte was once home to one of the largest Chinatowns in the Rocky Mountain region. The parade passes sites that once...
Each year, the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) acquires and distributes millions of pounds of food to community pantries across Montana, allowing year-round access to food for individuals and families. Gayle Carlson, MFBN’s president and chief executive officer, shares her perspective on hunger in Montana...
Editor’s Note: The Winter 2023 issue closes Big Sky Journal’s 30th anniversary. In recognition of this passage of time, the editors turned back to stories published in the magazine’s first issue, reflecting on historic themes and storytelling in the West. Award-winning author William Kittredge [1932...
The man behind numerous iconic images of the Rocky Mountain’s stunning natural features comes into full focus in Tim McNeese’s William Henry Jackson’s Lens: How Yellowstone’s Famous Photographer Captured the American West (TwoDot, $31.95). Jackson’s role in swaying Congress to establish our first national park...
Over the past 40 years of photographing wildlife throughout the American West, I have always returned to the American buffalo, or bison. To me, the “buffs” are the very heart of the West. When I’m lucky enough to spend time with them, I feel like...
The Arts Council of Big Sky will host its annual Auction for the Arts on Thursday, February 22, 2024, in the Grand Ballroom at the Montage Hotel in Big Sky, Montana. The event — now in its 12th year — includes a fixed-price lottery art...