New West Book Excerpt

“Montana Curiosities” by Ednor Therriault: An Excerpt

By Ednor Therriault, 5-24-10

Ednor Therriault’s Montana Curiosities (Globe Pequot Press, 296 pages, $15.95), an offbeat Montana travel guide featuring over 200 entries, is hitting bookstores just in time for road trip season. Therriault is best known to New West readers as his alter ego Bob Wire, the author of the popular humor column “Bob Wire Has a Point (It’s Under His Cowboy Hat).” But that is only one of the many hats Therriault wears: he also owns a graphic design business in Missoula, looks after his two middle schoolers with his wife Shannon, and has fronted two country rock bands, Bob Wire and the Fencemenders, and his current group, The Magnificent Bastards. Therriault’s great-grandparents homesteaded in Western Montana in the late 1800’s.  He traveled over 8,000 miles researching the book, which is filled with quirky Montana trivia.  Missoula’s Shakespeare & Co. will host the release for Montana Curiosities, including a slide show and refreshments, on Tuesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.  Two excerpts from the book follow.

This Is What Happens When Your Spouse Can’t Throw Anything Away

So you think New York City’s MOMA is impressive? The Louvre has a few interesting pieces? Well, those places will look like a trailer park yard sale once you’ve spent a day at the Miracle of America Museum in Polson.

This sprawling, wildly eclectic testament to American culture and history lies alongside Highway 93 North, at the south end of Flathead Lake. As you park outside the Museum’s entrance, you’ll be welcomed by a colorful metal sculpture of “Flessie,” the Flathead Lake Monster. Don’t let the building’s unassuming exterior fool you; the Museum’s appearance doesn’t begin to hint at the sheer volume and variety of items contained within its walls.

The Museum houses a seemingly endless series of displays depicting life in America during different eras. There are looms and spinning wheels from the early 1800’s, kitchen items and appliances from every decade of the 20th century, and fascinating collections everyday Americana, from egg beaters to children’s tricycles. One case holds a shocking array of racially-charged items from the mid-20th century, from an embroidered KKK hood to an autographed copy of Eldridge Cleaver’s book “Soul on Fire.” Just around the corner from that, society’s more enlightened side is represented with a fully restored 1914 Mill’s Violano, sitting next to several antique Victrolas.

You want to see an antique motorcycle? There are more than a dozen. A sheep-powered treadmill? You bet. Women’s dresses and hats from the 1890’s to the 1950’s? There’s a department store’s worth. A flying monkey from “The Wizard of Oz?” Here’s a life-size replica. There are classic children’s windup toys, a full display of Boy Scouts paraphernalia, and an entire drug store soda fountain, complete with a classic jukebox and a stuck-up waitress (mannequin).

If you’re a military buff, welcome to Valhalla. The Museum is heavy on the military and war-era items, and you can examine hundreds of rifles and pistols, along with uniforms and regalia from all branches of the armed service. Their collection of wartime posters is unique and thought-provoking.
Outside, among the Museum’s 35 separate buildings, you’ll find dozens of tractors, jeeps, tanks, boats, cars, amphibious vehicles, troop carriers, ambulances, sleighs, and even a few helicopters. And don’t forget the Vietnam-era Corsair jet you can see from the highway.

If you go, make sure you have the better part of a day to take it all in. You might not see the Mona Lisa, but how many art lovers have the opportunity to gaze upon an authentic two-headed calf?

Getting there: The Miracle of America is at 36094 Memory Lane, just south of Polson along Highway 93. (406) 883-6804. www.miracleofamericamuseum.org

The Best Place For Hard Rock Music

If you round a corner on a winding gravel road south of Butte and come upon some people tapping on large rocks with hammers, do not be alarmed. These are not crack-brained prospectors, they’re just enjoying the bell-like tones of the Ringing Rocks.

This large pile of reddish-gray boulders, some as big as a riding lawnmower, is an ultra-rare geological formation that can be found in only two other places on Earth. The rocks chime when tapped lightly with a hammer. Each rock has a different tone, sometimes a “ting,” sometimes a “tong,” and there’s an occasional “tang.” One theory is that the ringing is a combination of the composition of the rock and the way the joining patterns have developed as the rocks have eroded away.

Visitors will find worn areas on many of the rocks where they have been hammered on over the years. If a boulder is removed from the pile, however, it doesn’t ring. (This may or may not be some sort of natural defense mechanism, I’m not sure.)

In 1965 a geologist removed a few rocks from one of the other sites, in Pennsylvania (the third is in Australia), and took them to his lab to find out what makes them ring. Although the rocks don’t ring when removed from the pile, he did discover that tones were still produced, only in frequencies too low to be heard by the human ear. He concluded that the tones interacting with each other produced overtones that were audible.

A couple of helpful notes: the gravel road, although nicely maintained, gets increasingly treacherous as you near the site. The last 200 yards are peppered with large, jagged rocks that seem to be waiting to gouge a hole in your oil pan. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended, but there is a spot for parking if you want to walk the last bit.

Also, don’t forget to bring a hammer. I had forgotten mine during my first visit, and the only object in the car I could find to strike the rocks with was an aluminum baseball bat. It’s the absolute worst implement I could have used, because everything I hit with it, of course, made a “ting.” Rocks, trees, my car’s windshield, everything.

Getting there: Take exit 241 off I-90 near Pipestone. Go under the overpasses and head east on the gravel road for about .8 miles, then turn north on the gravel road (there should be a sign). Cross the railroad tracks, and go for another 3.5 miles. There is an informational sign at the Ringing Rocks.

Missoula’s Shakespeare & Co. will host the book release for Ednor Therriault’s Montana Curiosities, including a slide show and refreshments, on Tuesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

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