Lewis and Clark National Forest Passport in Time oral history project, 1997

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lewis and Clark National Forest (Mont.)
Title
Lewis and Clark National Forest Passport in Time oral history project
Dates
1997 (inclusive)
Quantity
15 interviews
Collection Number
OH 365
Summary
The Passport in Time interviews were part of a heritage research project of the region done by United States Forest Service employees and regional volunteers. The fifteen interviewees, recorded for the Lewis and Clark National Forest Passport in Time Oral History Project by staff and volunteers in 1997, describe growing up on Montana ranches, sheepranching, grazing in national forests the Crazy Mountains, and other areas and towns in or near the National Forest from about 1930 to 1950.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Lewis and Clark National Forest was named for the leaders of the 1804 Corps of Discovery, Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It is located east of Helena, Montana and southeast of Great Falls, Montana. The Crazy Mountains are at the southern end. On a map this National Forest appears to be a large island with several smaller islands nearby. Those "islands" are actually mountain ranges.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The fifteen interviews, recorded for the Lewis and Clark National Forest Passport in Time Oral History Project by staff and volunteers in 1997, describe growing up on Montana ranches, sheepranching, grazing in national forests the Crazy Mountains, other areas and town in or near the National Forest from about 1930 to 1950.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

The Lewis and Clark National Forest Ranger's Office holds a copy of the audio cassettes and transcripts.

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana - Missoula

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Lewis and Clark National Forest Passport in Time Oral History Project, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Custodial History

Created and held by the Lewis and Clark National Forest office before donation.

Acquisition Information

Donated to Archives & Special Collections, 1998

Processing Note

Staff and volunteers at the Lewis and Clark National Forest recorded and transcribed these interviews.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Description Dates
OH 365-001: Interview with Roy Brewington
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 23 leaves
Roy Brewington recalls his family history in various Montana towns including Swimming Woman and Judith Gap, dealings with Indians, shared telephone lines, going to dances, and logging in isolated areas during the 1930s. He gives descriptions of various trails before they were roads such as the Buffalo Trail that mostly became Highway 191.
11 September 1997
OH 365-002: Interview with Wayne Carpenter
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 25 leaves
Carpenter recalls his step-father’s (Jess Sterling) involvement in making moonshine during Prohibition, horse rustling, and various cattle operations. He provides an account of the execution of Lee Simpson, the last public hanging in Montana.
11 September 1997
OH 365-003: Interview with Emmet Tieg and Elsie Tieg
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 14 leaves
The Tiegs recall how they came to be working the home ranch, grazing on Forest Service land with a permit, care and use of the trails on that land, and logging. They describe encounters with hobos, fighting fires, sparse wildlife in the Crazy Mountains, and sheepherding in central Montana.
9 September 1997
OH 36-005: Interview with Joe Morse and Diane Morse
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 22 leaves
The Morses discuss their family’s history of running sheep and cattle in the Lewis and Clark National Forest around Two Dot, Montana. They describe their relationship with the Forest Service, based on the need for grazing permits. They mention other families in the region, including the Magers, Martins, Cosgriffes, Brannins, Wards, Arthurs, Muirs, Cass, Sedgewicks, and Glenns. They explain the Elk Horn Ranch history, the Elk Lake area of Yellowstone National Park, specifically the Elk Lake area, the Crazy Mountains and Musselshell River areas, and Bozeman, Montana.
10 September 1997
OH 365-006: Interview with Lew Miller
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 11 leaves
Lew Miller describes his early childhood, including his move from Kansas to Montana with his family. He discusses the Snowy Mountains including his first job herding sheep in the “Big Snowies.” He mentions Careless Creek and Swimming Woman Creek, hunting, forest fire fighting, and moonshining in the area. Miller describes an incident with summer tourists and speculates on the scattered history of mining in the area.
11 September 1997
OH 365-007: Interview with Byron Berg and Lauretta Berg
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 32 leaves
Byron describes his father growing up in Castle, Montana, and attending school in Ringling, Montana. Lauretta recalls her history with Martinsdale, Montana, and her family’s logging background in Washington state. Byron discusses the jail in Martinsdale, coal camps and mining in the mountains, and prospectors during and after the Depression era, particularly Bill LaClair. The Bergs offer anecdotes on the changing wildlife population in the area, both prey and predators, particularly ungulates, mountain lion and wolves.
11 September 1997
OH 365-008: Interview with Dennis Tanberg
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 26 leaves
Dennis Tanberg of Harlowtown, Montana, describes the geography of the Crazy Mountains, particularly the Loco Peak area. He describes some practical details of mountain sheepherding, such as food caching and trail traversing. He discusses Forest Service grazing allotments, the Billings remount station, and other ranchers.
12 September 1997
OH 365-009: Interview with Glenn Lillegard
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 36 leaves
Glenn Lillegard recalls his childhood and early career in carpentry, horseherding and sheepherding. He discusses his family’s ranch, their daily routine and business of running a ranch. He describes the effects of forest fires on the ranching practices and run-ins with rangers over out-of-season hunting. He gives his opinion on modern Forest Service policies, and recalls the relationship of the Hutterite community with other area residents.
16 September 1997
OH 365-010: Interview with Ruth Hardenbrook
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 28 leaves
Ruth Hardenbrook provides stories from her childhood, including those of her parent’s involvement with JB Long Company at Long Ranch, Montana. She discusses packstrings, moonshining, the Blue Dick mine and mining in general in the mountains. She mentions specific Forest Rangers, describes WPA and CCC projects in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, and offers memories of fire lookouts.
16 September 1997
OH 365-011: Interview with George Cameron
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 24 leaves
George Cameron describes his childhood, sheepherding, mines and fire lookouts in the Crazy Mountains in Montana. Cameron details his school years, his career with the Forest Service, and the introduction of the telephone to the area. He explains his relationship with traveling laborers who came to his ranch, especially after WWII. He discusses the CCC, particularly the workers’ camps and their work and living routines. Cameron describes some specific ranger stations around Montana, as well as the individuals who manned them. He mentions Fort Howe.
17 September 1997
OH 365-013: Interview with Ernie Jellison
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 26 leaves
Ernie Jellison describes the construction and layout of his family’s cabin, homesteads and other buildings in Two Dot and Harlowton, Montana. He recalls sheepherding and ranch work as well as his father and grandfather’s sawmill and ranching activities.
17 September 1997
OH 365-014: Interview with Jim McDonald and Jackie McDonald
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 21 leaves
Jim McDonald begins with his grandparents’ move to Montana and his father’s ranch work. The McDonalds explain their relationship with the Forest Service as it pertains to Block Management for allowing the public to hunt elk on their ranchland and rotation grazing. The McDonalds offer childhood memories and detail some of the livestock problems with the wolves’ return, as well as conflicts with other predators.
18 September 1997
OH 365-015: Interview with Grant Canoy and Herb Sherburne
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 34 leaves
Canoy discusses mining in the Little Belt Mountains of Montana, specifically the Yogo Peak district. He recalls old prospectors including Paul Vdovic. He describes homesteading, farming and sheepherding in the area, including Basque sheepherders. He returns to mining in discussing false mining rush at Alton about 1892, near Glacier National Park, and the consequences of that rush on the Blackfeet nation. Grant and Sherburne discuss assessment work, “gold witching,” claim jumping, and sniping.
19 September 1997
OH 365-016: Interview with Irwin Allen
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 31 leaves
Allen describes working with the Forest Service for his grazing allotments. He discusses his sheepherding days, and briefly, mining. Allen moves on to his schoolboy days, and his intermittent summer employment and firefighting with the Forest Service. He relates his experiences with individual rangers, such as John Inman and David Lake.
11 September 1997
OH 365-017: Interview with Ruth Cameron and Ray Blaquiere
Sound Recording, audio cassette
Transcript, 29 leaves
Ruth Cameron recounts her childhood in Harlowtown, Montana, and her experience with the Forest Service through her husband’s career. She discusses their residences at several Forest Service ranger stations. She details her married activities, such as cooking and hiring transient help for her family’s ranch. Cameron recounts some local history of the railroad, and finishes with commentary on the relationship between the Forest Service and the community.
12 September 1997

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Animals--Montana
  • Distilling, Illicit--Montana
  • Education--Montana
  • Fire extinction--Montana
  • Fire lookouts--Montana
  • Forest fires--Montana
  • Frontier and pioneer life. Montana
  • Hunting--Montana
  • Land use--Montana
  • Logging
  • Men--Montana--Interviews
  • Mineral industries--Montana
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana
  • Ranching--Montana
  • Sheepherding--Montana
  • Women--Montana--Interviews.

Personal Names

  • Allen, Irwin, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Berg, Byron, 1935- , interviewee (interviewee)
  • Berg, Lauretta, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Blaquiere, Ray, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Brewington, Roy, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Cameron, George, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Cameron, Ruth, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Canoy, Grant, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Carpenter, Wayne, 1922- , interviewee (interviewee)
  • Hardenbrook, Ruth Hazel, 1922-2010, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Jellison, Ernie, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Lillegard, Glenn, 1917- , interviewee (interviewee)
  • McDonald, Jackie, interviewee (interviewee)
  • McDonald, Jim, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Miller, Lew, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Morse, Diane, interviewee (interviwee)
  • Morse, Joe, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Sherburne, Herb, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Tanberg, Dennis, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Tieg, Elsie, interviewee (interviewee)
  • Tieg, Emmet, interviewee (interviewee)

Corporate Names

  • JB Long Company
  • Blue Dick Mine
  • Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)--Montana--History

Geographical Names

  • Castle Town (Mont.)--History
  • Crazy Mountains (Mont.)--Geography
  • Fergus County (Mont.)
  • Harlowton (Mont.)--History
  • Long Ranch (Mont.)--History
  • Martinsdale (Mont.)--History
  • Montana--History
  • Ringling (Mont.)--History
  • Stanford (Mont.)--History
  • Twodot (Mont.)--History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Interviews--Montana
  • Oral histories--Montana
  • Sound recording

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Jaffe, Sarah, interviewer (interviewer)
    • Klein, Kelly, interviewer (interviewer)
    • Luiken, Cathy, interviewer (interviewer)
    • Pressmar, Judith, interviewer (interviewer)
    • Wanderaas, Dave, interviewer (interviewer)