From Montana Magazine, No 183, January/February 2004, 31-37; this article is presented in cooperation with Montana Magazine. All rights reserved, © 2004.

SNOW LIES LIGHTLY ON THE THIN COTTONWOOD BRANCHES THAT arch over the trail. A few of the impish boughs dump their white burden onto my son and me as we glide down the path.
    No, we’re not skiing a secluded mountain riverbottom in western Montana. Steam from the Conoco refinery rises to the north and, if one listens carefully, the interstate traffic whizzing around Billings is never absent. We’re in Riverfront Park, gliding along a backwoods trail to an overlook of the Yellowstone River where we like to watch floes of ice bumping idly down the frigid channel.
   Of the state’s major cities, Billings isn’t quickly associated with wildlife and outdoor recreation. However, both abound in the Magic City. A sprawling web of trails along the river hosts skiers, birders, hikers, and dog lovers who generally allow their mutts to roam at will, heedless of the whitetails and pheasants that could do without their breakfast being interrupted by a brainless beagle.
   But if unthinking dog owners are the worst civic problem one must face, life in the city isn’t so bad. And besides, there are other local spots for wildlife observation without unleashed dogs. Looking to see a big jackrabbit in pale winter pelage? Motor over to Sunset Memorial Gardens (read “cemetery”) and have a look around. A bevy of bunnies resides there, oblivious to the fact that their “native” habitat is five miles away.
   Out in the Billings Heights, pronghorn antelope wander the Lake Hills golf course and the tracts of vacant land that have yet to succumb to the relentless reproduction of human dwellings. Early morning hikers spy cottontails, magpies, deer, and owls atop the rimrocks at Zimmerman Park—in short, there’s enough outdoors out the back door to remain contentedly citified.

A CITY OVERNIGHT
   Wildlife and outdoor recreation certainly were not part of the founders’ vision for Billings. In the 1880s folks were happy to swap the wilds for the security of a frontier town.
   In February 1882, H. W. Rowley, one of the Northern Pacific Railroad’s civil engineers, journeyed by stage to look over land in the Yellowstone River bottom. In March, papers were filed in Minnesota for the newly platted community named for Frederick Billings, a railroad man who had realized the need for a town on the coming rail line.
   The boom began. Billings’ moniker, “The Magic City,” originated not from a local illusionist or the enchanting character of the community but because it seemed to spring up overnight. One local history asserts that within weeks of being offered for sale in the summer of 1882, over 5,000 lots were sold in the fledgling city—which soon consisted of an odd assortment of tents and tacked-together dwellings of uncertain design.
   Despite its proximity to the Yellowstone River, the lack of fresh water plagued residents. In early 1883 a company drilled a deep well that yielded nothing for all the hard work and expense. Months later, in an act of foresight rare among frontier communities, a thirty-eight-mile ditch was engineered to divert water from the Yellowstone River at Young’s Point. Completed in midsummer, the “Big Ditch” proved a boon for the city, providing water for agriculture, fire protection, and the niceties of trees and flowers.
   In true Western fashion, the early history of Billings is replete with shootings, real estate chicanery, strong drink, and establishments of ill-repute. In the latter category the city excelled. A military officer sent to inform the city fathers that they needed to crack down on the pervasive prostitution is reported to have stated “our health tests have proven that if a potential recruit spends 12 hours in Billings he’s unfit for military service.”

ECONOMIC DIVERSITY
   By the dawn of the twentieth century the Magic City had greatly improved its image and economy. Extensive irrigation systems brought water and wealth to valley farmers, who discovered that sugar beets thrived in area soils. Wool and other agricultural products funneled through the city and onto the trains. Oil and natural gas were discovered south of town and by the 1920s petroleum factored significantly into local prosperity.
   Looking back on the city’s history, it is fascinating to note how many early enterprises have retained their ancestral weight in the current business climate. There’s still a sugar beet factory in town (to the chagrin of locals who prefer untainted air to sweetened tea) which employs a considerable seasonal workforce. The Conoco and Exxon refineries are mainstay employers, and Billings remains the retail center for a wide geographic area that extends into Wyoming.
   A handful of enterprises begun in the 1920s without economic motive now exert a weighty influence in the Billings economy. In 1923 St. Vincent Hospital opened its doors at 12th Avenue and North 30th (considered at the time to be the hinterlands, now near the center of town). Billings Deaconess Hospital began caring for patients in 1927. The two hospitals and the specialized medical centers that have recently sprung up on their periphery still perform their humanitarian functions, but annually bring millions of dollars into the pockets of health-care workers and service businesses.
   Another endeavor of the 1920s that remains a boon to Billings is the Eastern Montana Normal School, subsequently called Eastern Montana College, now Montana State University–Billings. From its original 200 students in 1928, more than 4,000 now access the institution in a given year, taking advantage of the economic and cultural benefits that MSU–B lends to the community, benefits further expanded by the revitalized Rocky Mountain College just down Rimrock Road.
   Enviable education for students kindergarten through college was routinely taken for granted in the Magic City until an acrimonious strike by the local teacher’s union focused attention on public education in the fall of 2002. The strike’s been long settled, but the contention between the school board and the union created a rift between parents and teachers that’s still being mended.
   However, with nationally recognized teachers like Richelle Selleck (yes, she is married to Tom) guiding Billings’ pupils, it’s tough to fault the system. A kindergarten teacher at Poly Drive Elementary, Richelle has the uncanny ability to whisk her students through their first year of formal education without an inkling that school can be irksome or tedious. After my son’s first week in Richelle’s classroom he awoke Saturday morning to Cheerios, cartoons, and a conundrum. “Why, Dad,” he asked, “can’t we have school on Saturday?”

LIVELY VISITS
   What is there to do on a Billings weekend that rivals kindergarten? One of my family’s favorite activities is a walk through ZooMontana. Small in exhibit numbers, the zoo is expansive in its concept of captivity. I once remarked to an acquaintance about how much we enjoy ZooMontana. “Oh,” came the sniffed reply. “I went out there once and there weren’t enough animals.”
   There are no apathetic elephants and pacing apes incarcerated in rows of cages where one can check sixteen species off the zoo list in as many minutes. And that’s what I like about the place. From spring to fall a grand garden scents the air with its endless array of blossoms. River otters frolic in their pond/pool and a bighorn ram lounges regal on a rock ledge.
   Ready to eye something more exotic? Then stroll on back and ogle the Siberian tigers or giggle at the antics of red pandas. Larry Cunningham, a Billings native and avid gardener who lives nearby, claims he’s most fond of the zoo when an evening roar from the tiger startles him during zucchini cultivation.
   Developing an appreciation for the city’s history and artistic resources in the downtown district is another wonderful way to pass a Saturday. Not so many years ago, Montana Avenue was an unsavory amalgam of pawn shops, bars, vacant storefronts, and a dilapidated depot. The city has invested considerable resources sprucing up the historic district, now home to an eclectic ensemble of restaurants, shops, and offices. It’s always interesting to swing in the door of the Depot Gallery and have a look at the artwork that includes a notable selection of prints from some of Montana’s

outstanding photographers.     If art captures your fancy, there’s plenty more to see. Residing in an extensively remodeled and expanded building that once housed the county jail, the Yellowstone Art Museum boasts a collection of contemporary and historic Western art that pleases the most sophisticated visitor. The museum boasts the nation’s largest public gathering of Will James memorabilia.

BILLINGS LINKS Lodging Attractions Campgrounds Events Food & Drink

   Up on the rims near the airport perches another museum of repute. The Peter Yegen Jr. Yellowstone County Museum appears to be just a cute little log cabin, but look out below! Under the pioneer-era structure that serves as the museum’s entrance resides over 5,000 square feet of exhibit space full of artifacts from area history. The old wagons from frontier sheepherding and ranching operations hit it big with children and spark many a tale from old-timers who remember the relics in use.
   Back on Montana Avenue at the Western Heritage Center, history buffs can ponder what life was like underground as Montanans developed coal resources at the close of the 19th century. Replete with period photos, the coal-mining exhibit brings to life a mining industry crucial to the region’s economy, yet often unappreciated by natives who equate mining with the gold and copper extractions in the western portion of the state.
Ready for dinner? Stroll eastward from the Western Heritage Center to the Rex, my favored dinner establishment. According to owner Gene Burgad, the Rex was built in 1910 by Alfred Heimer, the chef for Buffalo Bill Cody’s traveling Wild West Show. After purchasing the building in 1982, Burgad was cleaning the sidewalk when he was approached by an elderly man who had worked for Heimer as a youth. The old-timer recounted the days “when Cody and his buddies showed up here at all hours, sometimes kicking in the back door to make a meal” if the proprietor was absent.
   Heimer would likely approve today’s menu. Prime rib and succulent steaks top the billing, along with buffalo tenderloins and rack of elk ribs. Fresh seafood entrees complement the Western fare and there’s always an array of tempting desserts.
   On most weekends there’s after-dinner entertainment at the Alberta Bair Theatre. Dancing, theatrics, and music are core to the theatre’s “menu” with performers coming from around the globe to entertain the Magic City. The Billings Symphony lights up audiences at the Alberta Bair, and locals take this music seriously.
   We’re serious about food, and many residents find the historic district a fine place to lunch. You can’t go wrong on Montana Avenue at the McCormick Cafe or the Beanery Bar & Grill. Both offer enough variety to make it a challenge to remember what you favored last time and in what establishment.
   Billings’ best breakfast for the last decade is served at Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery. Baked fresh breads and cinnamon rolls are as popular as the pancakes made from scratch. Just last week, my wife took a visiting friend to Stella’s who vowed to return just to eat breakfast.
   I like to think there’s better reasons to visit Billings than breakfast. How about a bed & breakfast? The Josephine, a favorite with business and leisure travelers, boasts a gourmet breakfast and intriguing history. The home was bought at auction in the Depression era for one dollar and once housed a secretarial school. Now restored to its original character, the Josephine exhibits an appealing blend of the old and new.
   Just like Billings.