Book Description

"Montana retains much of its wild character, including big, unspoiled landscapes and grizzly bears, wolves, and mountain lions. Montanans themselves can also be wild characters, prone to less than civilized adventures. Perhaps no corner of the Big Sky exemplifies this double quality more than the Middle Fork of the Flathead River drainage. From its headwaters in the Bob Marshall Wilderness to the long run along Glacier National Park’s southern boundary, the Middle Fork defines “wild and scenic.” And its human stories are equally wild and epic. In Wild River Pioneers, you’ll find true stories of outlaw shootouts, grizzly bear attacks, a murder (and a hanging), secret caves, fortunes won and lost, the Cattle Queen of Montana, a wily Josephine Doody bootlegging liquor in Glacier National Park, and an ice cream-eating pet bear. This new second edition features additional photographs and updates on many of the characters and their final resting places. Come along to the top of the Great Bear Wilderness with the ashes of Betty the Trapper. The Bootleg Lady, Josephine Doody, is now a celebrity in Glacier’s folklore; learn the fate of her homestead in Glacier. And after nearly a century, Flathead County’s first sheriff, Big Joe Gangner, finally gets the monument and headstone he deserves. Come learn about Glacier National Park and the Great Bear Wilderness and a lot more." – publisher description.