From Montana Magazine, No 174, July/August 2002, 29-39; this article is presented in cooperation with Montana Magazine. All rights reserved, © 2002.

LOCAL ECONOMY
Redwinged blackbirds perched on cattails in the marsh and other songbirds in the willows brighten a morning walk at Arrowstone Park. It’s also relaxing to walk there in the evening as sunset reflects on the water. Ducks paddle silently, and trout leave circles on the surface as they leap for caddis flies. The park was developed by ARCO as part of their remediation of the Clark Fork River, which was damaged by historic copper mining and smelting practices upstream in Butte and Anaconda.
The scenic beauty that attracts people to the area is unspoiled by subdivisions, thanks to the tenacity of hard-working local farmers and ranchers. Their land stewardship both produces food and provides wide-open spaces and habitat for wildlife. Agriculture has always been the economic base for the area. Primary products are cattle, hay, grains, and potatoes, as well as some sheep, pigs, bison, and field crops. The moderate climate in the valley is ideal and many local residents raise productive vegetable and flower gardens.
The Louisiana Pacific sawmill, using up-to-date technology to get the most from each log, is the major private employer in the county. The sawmill and finger joint plant is one of the largest in western Montana, employing 240 people. Many private contractors work in supporting businesses and in the forests, harvesting and hauling timber to the mill.
Deer Lodge Valley has historically hosted several state institutions. The Montana State Prison, the Tuberculosis Hospital (now home of AWARE), and the state psychiatric hospital are within twenty miles. The Montana Territorial Prison, built in 1893, resembles a medieval castle and today anchors the south end of Main Street as a museum complex.
Government is the largest public employer. The Montana State Prison moved to a new facility eight miles west of Deer Lodge in 1979. The Treasure State Correctional Facility (Boot Camp) was built in 1997.
Also an important part of the economy are the Montana Motor Vehicle Registrar’s Bureau, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the National Park Service.
Deer Lodge’s friendly, hardworking, honest people are its greatest treasure. I remember being a terrified newcomer to my husband’s home town with its state prison. But his reassurances and the friendly locals soon put an end to my fearfulness. I settled into life in Deer Lodge as one would into the everyday life of any small town.
Deer Lodge suffered a profound economic impact with the closure of the Milwaukee Railroad in 1980, and the Cominco American, Inc. mining operation in 1993. However, a new day is dawning in Deer Lodge as residents develop a long-range vision to revitalize the town. “It’s an exciting time as we begin to look beyond ourselves, from where we have been to where we want to be,” said Mary Ann Fraley, chair
of the Powell County Economic Development Corporation.
Recently, efforts of the Main Street Beautification Committee, headed by Fraley, paid off. After extensive fundraising and with a grant from the Montana Department of Transportation, three blocks in the heart of town now boast new antique-style streetlamps, flower planters, and benches, new trees, and waste receptacles. According to Chere Jiusto, Montana Historical Society’s architectural historian, “Downtown Deer Lodge is one of the best preserved downtowns among small towns in Montana.”
A new historic preservation commission is working to establish a Main Street historic district. To portray the town’s western heritage, art club volunteers have painted murals of cattle drives at the corner of Main and Missouri Avenue, and along the face of the fairgrounds grandstand.
In this one-stoplight town, Deer Lodge’s business district is anchored by solid, long-time family
businesses including Ace Hardware Store (owned by the Rome family for more than forty years), Jack and Gloria Andersen’s Keystone Drug and Gifts, and others. Floral designer Cory Kellegher appreciates the friendliness he has experienced in his first year working here, saying, “The people are really good and they’ve treated me so well.” The Montana Gallery of Fine Art features works by resident artist Bob Barkel and other Montana artists, which reflect the scenic beauty and western heritage of Montana and the Deer Lodge area.
Local residents are excited as the business community sees the beginning of renewed life. Several small businesses were recently established and are growing, thanks to innovative ideas, support of the Powell County Economic Development Corporation, and modern technology. Several new businesses, such as Quilters’ Corner quilt supply, The Potting Bench greenhouse, and 1st Aid First manufacturing, are expanding their markets nationally and internationally via the internet.
The internet also is a means of making friends. Therese Hunt moved here recently from upstate New York after she became acquainted with a local lady via the internet. During a visit, she fell in love with the beauty and openness of the country, and said, “Moving here is allowing me to expand my horizons.”

LOTS TO LEARN
There’s a lot to do and see in this small town. Montana Territorial Prison is home to a fascinating museum complex. If you take a self-guided or guided tour of the prison you’ll learn about interesting characters including Turkey Pete, and what it was like to be a guard there during the 1959 riot. Be sure to stop at the Montana Law Enforcement Museum and Hall of Honor, a memorial to more than 120 Montana officers who were killed in the line of duty. This is one of only a few such museums in the nation.
Wandering through the auto museum, I can’t help but wonder what it was like for my father’s family of five to be jammed in the confined space of a Model T while traveling west on rutted dirt roads. The museum has a wonderful assortment of 20th century antique and collectible cars, trucks, and even the first motorhome campers.
Across the street, at Yesterday’s Playthings, you’ll renew fond childhood memories while looking at the eclectic collection of trains, dolls, trucks, airplanes, and other toys that children have loved through the years.
This year’s featured collection at Frontier Montana, home of cowboy and Native American artifacts, is General George Armstrong Custer memorabilia. In Desert John’s Saloon there’s an interesting assortment of whiskey memorabilia, and a handsome back bar that came by steamboat up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, then was hauled to Deer Lodge by ox teams.
On the corner of the block, Powell County Museum’s gallery exhibit is currently “Landmarks in a Sea of Grass,” photos of U.S. and Canada grain elevators, by Bruce Selyem of Bozeman.
Capitalizing on Deer Lodge’s wealth of “unburied treasure,” summer months are filled with events, including the Lumberjack Show, Prison Break Run, arts and crafts displays, sidewalk sales, Old Prison Rod Run show and shine, bull-a-rama, team roping, cutting-horse and reining-horse competitions, Montana Lineman’s Rodeo, radio-controlled jet plane fly-In, a bluegrass jam session, golf tourneys, Western heritage activities, softball games and tournaments, summer theatre, Tri-County Fair, rodeo, demolition derby, artists’ gathering, and the Big Sky Draft Horse Expo.

REST AND REFRESH
Accommodations include four motels and two campgrounds, a riverside campground at Garrison, and improved Forest Service campgrounds at Race Track Creek and Orofino. The U.S. Forest Service has a number of rustic cabins in the surrounding area that can be rented for a get-away retreat.
The 4-B’s breakfasts are unbeatable, and Scharf’s Thursday
evening buffets are a special treat. Boomerang Bakery has yummy, freshly baked goodies just right for my sweet tooth.

You can’t beat Spankys for the best hamburgers and old-fashioned milkshakes in town. I particularly like their tasty soup, and the salad and pizza bar. To get espresso or lattés, a stop at the Coffee House is a must. For lunch or dinner, the Shack’s broasted chicken and charbroiled steaks make my mouth water. I head for the Broken Arrow Supper Club when I want the best prime rib, seafood, and steaks.

DEER LODGE LINKS Lodging Attractions Campgrounds Events Food & Drink

A FINE HOME
Deer Lodge is a multi-generational town. Residents are very supportive of their education system and youth organizations. In recent months, youngsters have been having a great time participating in Lifelines after school, and summer activities, where they’ve received tutoring help and been introduced to interesting hobbies and crafts. Patti Baalman expressed the sentiments of most folks when she said, “This has been a great place to raise our kids.”
Two senior groups are active in the community, enjoying daily lunches and fellowship at the Powell County Senior Center, and a pancake breakfast served once a month. The Deer Lodge Senior Citizens have a Friday potluck lunch, then sing or dance to music played by the Senior Band, or spend the afternoon playing cards.
Family physician Dr. Francis Bertoglio served local families for forty-seven years. Today, three family physicians and a physician’s assistant provide medical care at Powell County Memorial Hospital and in the new clinic, built last year. The beloved Dr. Bertoglio reflected on his life here with his wife, Rose, and their children: “Deer Lodge is a pretty place to live. I was attracted to Deer Lodge because of its good schools and a church of my faith, but I’m especially fond of looking at Mount Powell every morning and evening.”

OUT AND ABOUT THE FISHING AROUND DEER LODGE ARGUABLY RANKS WITH that of the best waters in the state. Native cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout provide excellent fishing in the Clark Fork and Little Blackfoot rivers, as well as in many nearby mountain lakes and streams. There is enough variety in the waters to match the chosen methods of any angler. The area’s scenic beauty attracts hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, artists, photographers, birdwatchers, hunters, and anglers. One of my favorite side trips is a leisurely drive along the twenty-eight-mile self-guided Circle Tour east of town. The unpaved road is rough in places, but suitable for automobile travel. The majestic scenic vistas of the valley make the trip worthwhile, and depending on the day, you might see elk, deer, antelope, and wild turkeys and other birds. Informational signs highlight the geology, plants, animals, and history of the valley. The basic tour, with brief stops, take an hour and a half. If you plan to take short walks, detours, or have a picnic along the way, allow at least four hours. My granddaughters and I enjoy birdwatching, and often take binoculars and cameras for a visit to the waterfowl refuge, or we drive along the east side of Warm Springs Ponds to watch the action in the blue heron rookery, the osprey nest, or watch the countless species of ducks and geese. The history of the open range cattle era is preserved at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. No matter how often I visit, there is always something interesting: watch the blacksmith at work, visit with the chuckwagon cook, look at the original furnishings in the historic ranch house. Kids can play frontier-era games, and hay is harvested and stacked in July, using teams of draft horses and a beaverslide.