The cowboy pilot ...

Here's the fascinating story of a Montanan you've probably never heard of ... Urban F. Diteman, the "cowboy pilot."

Born in Oregon, Diteman moved to Billings in the 1920s with his wife and two young sons, and took up cattle ranching. He soon developed a fascination with flying, and earned a pilot's license in August 1929. Armed with only 70 hours of flying experience, he traveled to Kansas City, purchased a used, open-cockpit monoplane, and flew east on his great adventure.

Diteman claimed to be a descendent of Sir Frances Drake, and he named his new airplane the Golden Hind, after Drake's famous ship. By October, Diteman had flown the Golden Hind to Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, ostensibly to research his family's historical connection to Drake. He spent three days there before taking off again. It was assumed he was returning to Montana, but then a friend in Harbour Grace found a sealed note that Diteman had left for him:

"I am bound for London. You will find a package and two letters in my hotel room. Forward same as addressed. Be sure to wrap the bundle in heavy paper. Hold the tools a few days for cable instructions otherwise send to same address. I have 165 United States standard gallons of gasoline, at a conservative estimate enough for 25 hours.

"Many thanks, you Newfoundlanders, for your kindness, and apologies for my impromptu lies about Drake. He did not bring me here, nor to London, albeit I am his descendant. You will hear from me."

"DITEMAN"

That morning, observers along the Newfoundland coast watched Diteman's little plane flying eastward into the mist. Had he succeeded, he would have been the second person to fly across the Atlantic alone ... but he was never seen again.

Butter ...

Today's image is presented as proof that you can find interesting Montana-related stuff in the most unlikely of places. This is a sticker, probably from the 1930s or 1940s, that was probably applied to butter packages to indicate payment of a tax of some sort. I discovered it while browsing something called the "Carter Litchfield Collection on the History of Fatty Materials." Who would have guessed?

Twelve nervous people ...

Speaking of Montana's state parks, this might be a good time to pause and remember what was undoubtedly the most beloved attraction in the entire state park system -- the tramway at Lewis & Clark Caverns.

From the late 1940s till the early 70s, people traveled from the park's visitor center to the cave by riding a little railway train that snaked along the mountainside. The train ride was followed by an ascent up the mountain in a primitive aerial tram -- the thrill of a lifetime for any park visitor. This photo of the tram is from a 1950s postcard, and the description on the back of the card reads:

A small load of tourists headed heavenward en route to the cavern entrance. The cabled chariot lifts 16 calm people or 12 nervous people 435 feet up a 71 degree grade. It deposits the thankful cargo just below the cave entryway.

I was lucky enough to ride the tram as a kid, and I still remember the experience. Tragically, though, it was shut down by a heartless state government in 1973, and the railway disappeared three years later. Visits to the cave just haven't been the same since.

Medicine Rocks ...

Montana has a fascinating -- though slightly uneven -- assortment of state parks. Many of them are recreational sites attached to reservoirs and such, but there are also a number of intriguing historical parks, and a smaller number of really engaging natural wonders. Heading the latter category, of course, is Lewis & Clark Caverns, which was Montana's first state park ... but my favorite is a remote and little-known site way on the opposite end of the state.

This is a shot of Medicine Rocks State Park, just off state highway 7 between Baker and Ekalaka. It's a lovely little oasis in a sea of prairie -- a maze of weirdly-carved rock formations that's fascinating to explore. I spent a September night in the campground there a few years ago, the only person for miles, and it was beautiful and serene and utterly glorious.

Pipe of peace ...

Browsing old photos about Montana, you're sure to find lots of images that are poignant and lovely ... along with a few that will just make you smile. Here's one that definitely falls into the latter category.

I discovered this one in a 1933 tourist booklet called "Western Montana: A Land that Enchants the Traveler, Enriches the Settler and Inspires Everyone." The thing was apparently issued by the Chamber of Commerce in Butte, though it includes information about the entire western half of the state.

I honestly doubt there were very many recorded instances of tourists smoking authentic peace pipes in Butte ... but I guess that sort of smoke sounded more appealing than the toxic industrial soot that characterized the city in its early years.

The sporting houses ...

One of my favorite Montana books is a big paperback volume called Not in Precious Metals Alone: A Manuscript History of Montana. Long out of print, the book is a collection of primary source materials about the state's past, transcribed and collected by the staff of the Montana Historical Society. There aren't too many monumental things in there ... but there's lots of fascinating reading, mostly on an insightful, personal scale.

Many of the book's entries are old letters, and here's part of one of them. This was written in April 1917 by a young woman who'd worked in the enormous Red Light District of Butte. But then Montana's Attorney General shut the Butte brothels down, and the girls scattered ... including this woman, who was exiled to Deer Lodge where business just wasn't as good. So she wrote to the attorney general to complain:

Dear Sir:

I want to drop you a line to informd you that the [Deer Lodge] sporting house is running Wide open, Music, & selling drinks.

May Carroll charge us girls $15.00 per week, & want us to stay with greeks for $2.00 & A White man for $3.00. She treats us girls like dogs. She is in Butte today gathering more girls . . .

Its a shame to closed the rest of the sporting Houses & leave Deer Lodge run. Its put me out $1000, for I was working [in Butte.] Deer Lodge house [has] 4 to 7 girls working all the time.

All we girls want is justice . . . I am writing to you hoping you will closed Deer Lodge or open the rest of the good towns.

Winter hay ...

Today's photo is another wintry shot from late 2007 ... this one is a little outside of Three Forks. I shot this from Interstate 90, probably without even getting out of the car so I could stay warm.

Gallatin winter ...

It seems like it's been a little while since I've posted some recent photographs, so here are a couple of wintertime shots from the Gallatin Valley. I took this shot in November 2007, a little bit east of the town of Manhattan.