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Newsletter from Montana
August 2004
I just listed another
lot in the Cathedral Mountain.
This is a link showing the lot - it is the yellow circle above the lake. This one was purchased when the subdivision was first created and is a "First Choice" with view of the lake in front of the lodge, the valley AND the beautiful Stillwater Canyon - for only $ 25,000! It is lot 49 - "Nothing could be finer, but a Fourty-Niner" as the old gold mining song goes, which referred to the gold rush in 1849 - actually very fitting for Nye, since it was an old gold mining town. I was born in 1949, so I always took that song as a personal compliment :-)
If you are interested in Gold Rush Songs:
http://www.slimeworld.org/warehouse/cd/cdm059.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowhome.html
The year 1849 is known as the year gold was discovered in the state of California, or so they say, actually, it was discovered on January 24, 1848 - James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, touching off the California gold rush.
Did you ever wonder how they came up with gold dust? Besides collecting gold dust in the pan, they crushed the gold containing rocks in a tumbler with large hard balls to dust finer than flour; mercury was poured into powder, which bound the gold. Now they had a peanut butter colored mass. They boiled the mercury off, and then they had gold dust.
While we are talking about treasures, there was a schoolteacher in Limestone, now a ghost town near Nye, who grew up in Egypt. Her father was an influential lawyer involved in the Egyptian grave controversies. This lady wore an odd golden ring with hieroglyphics, which could not be photographed - the negatives always turned up to be blank! To find out more about Egypt, here is a site you might like
http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/0egyptintro/2aegypt/
At any rate, this schoolteacher lived in an 1881 log cabin snuggled up against the picturesque rocks of the Westfork of the Stillwater Canyon. Near the cabin is an artesian well, with enough water to keep the whole yard irrigated. She made some additions to the cabin and the present owners hired an architect to make the home into an architectural masterpiece with a European touch.
I have it now listed for $ 325,000
The home is far enough from the river as not to be plagued by mosquitoes, yet if you want to go fishing or feel the urge to sit by the water, just take a stroll a couple hundred feet down your own tree-lined lane to the river. The rocks behind the home are on the ten acres property and young folks love to climb up there and enjoy the commanding view from high above. Even if you just climb up half way, there is a resting place and a great spot to watch shooting stars at night. The hill across the water is like a movie screen, where you can watch elk, moose, bear and deer as they come down to the river for a drink.
Actually, this part of Montana has hardly any mosquitoes, which prompted me to take all fly screens off my windows. The rivers here have a 1000'+ drop and are too fast, leaving hardly any spots where bugs can breed. In northern Montana, on the other hand mosquitoes are prominent. One person told me he had bought a small ranch in Boulder, Montana to teach handicapped children how to ride and to do farm work. He had to cover everybody with Deet, a mosquito repellent. He told me, even if just a tiny spot was not covered, the mosquitoes found it and bit there. Sometimes they could not ride because of the numerous large mosquito wells on the horses! He sold the ranch and moved here near Red Lodge. To learn more about mosquitoes, I found an interesting website:
http://northwestmosquitovector.org/
The site states that over the course of history, mosquito vectored disease has been responsible for more human sickness than any other disease. Since all mosquitoes require stagnant water for development, eliminating this source is the simplest and most effective action, here are some tips:
For pools, operate filter or skimmer everyday to remove egg rafts and larvae. Remove rainwater from pool cover. Stock unused pools with mosquito fish.
Change water in animal troughs weekly.
Dispose of unused containers that will collect rain or sprinkler water such as barrels, cans, jars, old tires, buckets, etc. Store containers outside upside down.
Stock ornamental ponds with mosquito fish.
Another nice property where you do not have to worry about mosquitoes is 4 miles East of Nye, on Benbow Road, with 500 miles (!) of snowmobile, cross-country and ATV trails. The tiny town of Dean also has now a VERY good restaurant, again. Whoever bought the restaurant also had to be the mayor of Dean, it came as a stipulation for the sale. Anyway, if you like a treed lot with electric, phone and the possibility of a 20gpm well adjacent to the forest,
here is the property you have been looking for.
If you are interested in moving to Montana, but don't know how to eek out a living,
take another look at the
butcher shop in Geraldine,
the owner will train!
AND
there are a couple of homes for sale for next to nothing:
Brick home on 5 spacious lots near school, public pool, tennis & basketball court, AND great views of Square Butte. 4-bd, 1-bath, open floor plan, large deck, garage & out-buildings for $49,900!
The price for the
21 acres on the Jefferson River
has been reduced to $ 199,900 Owner financing available with 1/3 down and 8.75% for a few years. Make an offer! New photos are posted!
The duplex in Red Lodge
has now both units rented for $ 800.- which amounts to $ 19,200 a year. Taxes are $ 1,500 and insurance is $ 800.- almost a 6% return on your money, better than having the cash laying around in the bank.
You could also
rent out the Studio, which is for sale for $ 29,900 Here you would have just about a 10% return on your money. I showed it to the property manager from Red Lodge Reservations and he said, if you would put a stove in it, it would rent for $ 300 or $ 325.- a month. The homeowner's association fee is $ 100.- a month, and includes taxes, insurance, water and all outside maintenance!
Also the story on the Studio has changed. The ski roost association was started in the 1960's by Bill Barnett, who was the manager of the ski hill in Red Lodge during that time. Rocky Mountain College in Billings was selling off their married student housing quarters, which had been built in the 1940's during the war. The units were moved, one at a time, to the current location in Red Lodge. A foundation had been built to support these units, and they were connected into the U-shape that exists today. Mr. Barnett's mother lived in a corner unit (opposite the one I have listed) and some of the ski patrol members were the first owners in the Association. Several ski patrol members still reside in the units today.
I showed the 9 acres with the pond and creek, which we own, and who
jumped out of the trees?
Ghee whiz! The biggest bull moose I have ever seen! I am hoping a young couple who is raising swans will buy the property, but until that happens, it is
still available for $ 150,000 - such a bargain with all that water when a property with 13 acres and ponds just a few miles
down the road is for sale for $ 2,000,000
I found another ranch broker and added his site to my collection of ranch related websites
http://www.montanahereicome.com/R/RM.htm
ID: dorothea
Password: smarty
He has an interesting assortment of working and decorative ranches in these parts for very reasonable prices, be sure to take a look and let me know if you would like me to be your buyer's agent, I will be happy to do the footwork for you. The land around here is being gobbled up by a big ranch trying to corner the market on mountain land at $ 10,000 an acre! So, any price below that is a good price. Ghee....
If you are interested in soil analysis and would like to have a geologist take a look at the land where you might want to build at a later date, here is the contact information for a Consulting Geotechnical Engineer: Radford B. Langston, MS, Dlangstons@aol.com
406/446 1683 cell 406/861 2874 He can do Soil and Rock Stability - Building Site Analysis - Environmental Assessment - Sun - Wind - Water - Earth Consulting, HC 50, Box 4782 - Red Lodge, MT 59068. Right now, he is gainfully employed at the local Platinum Mine, but he also does private consulting at reasonable rates.
Just north of town
we have a round barn, which has been a dinner theater for the last 10 years. The owners split up and would like to sell it for $ 300,000. I found one gentleman, who is looking for some other interested individuals who would chip in some money and/or would get otherwise engaged to keep this going. This old barn started out almost 100 years ago as a regular square two story structure in Bearcreek, a mining town east of Red Lodge. (Do you know they have pig races at the saloon in Bearcreek? That saloon is also for sale for $ 395,000). When the building was still in Bearcreek, it was a theatre and rooming house. Vaudeville acts, silent pictures, and later talkies brought joy and laughter to the coal miners and their families. After the coal mines closed, the theater was sold to the Kent family who dismantled it brick by brick. They brought the materials to the barn's present location, approximately 2 miles north of Red Lodge, to construct a dairy barn.
While they were contemplating the construction, an architect from the Midwest came traveling through. It was Emery McNamee, who had built the first true circular barns in Indiana; he suggested building a round barn instead of the traditional rectangular shape. This shape of building was 38% less costly than a rectangular barn. The original investment in the Round Barn was approximately $13,000. Using a stake and a rope, the Kents created a 64 foot diameter circle to outline the foundation of the new barn. Pressed tin ceiling material and old railings were taken from the original Bearcreek building. The old railings were used to hang the cow-milking stanchions that are still in the restaurant today. The log beams that are visible to the patrons, were hand-hewn from local Cottonwood trees, with the original plane on display inside the restaurant. The original roof was completely self-supporting and proved advantageous for insulating animals, adding structural strength with greater wind resistance. The roof was recently replaced though.
The barn held and milked 35 cows at a time with the records of the cow names still intact. They were fed using a square opening (next to the present salad bar) in the center of the hay loft, which is now used as a 125+ seat theater. The lady's rest room was originally a calf pen and the men's room was used as storage. Milk was received and bottled in what is now the kitchen. Before 100 tons of hay were put up for the winter months, foot stompin' barn dances were held in the hayloft. Many remnants of the bygone days are on display in the theater. The Round Barn served as a milking parlor and dairy operation for 30 years. When the Kent's retired, they sold it to Carm Hampton who created an antique shop upstairs and a restaurant on the main floor milking parlor area. A gift shop was added to the barn, which lately had to be removed to make room for all the visitors, since the house is often packed to the rim. In 1973, the Round Barn was developed into a family-style restaurant and theater as it currently exists today. Over 85 years of history has passed in this Historic Landmark, but the sounds, laughter and music have remained. An occasional moose wanders by to further add live entertainment, and most of the artists book themselves, because of the terrific acoustic under the round ceiling in the hayloft and the usual engaged and small audience. The most the old hayloft can hold, are 175 people.
In 1995, the Kent Round Barn Dairy was selected for the National Registry of Historic Places and the estimated replacement cost of the building is $ 500,000! The Round Barn's motto is "Food and Fun Til the Cows Come Home!" Stop by for a delicious home cooked buffet dinner in the truly unique atmosphere. After dinner, relax and enjoy a wide variety of quality entertainment. The Round Barn is the perfect place to bring out of town visitors or host your special event or holiday party. If you want to buy the property outright or as a partner, it is on roughly two acres and comes with a 4-bedroom house, which has a sink in every room. It could be used to house the artists, or as living quarters. The Round Barn has a website, too:
http://www.roundbarnrestaurantandtheater.com/
If you are at all interested in this business, either the restaurant part, the theater or both, send Will Bernard an email: wbernard@brownandbunch.com
Maybe you can work something out!
Our Bluegrass Festival this weekend was a big success. We had a fly-in and 15 airplanes came to our airport. We had about $ 3.5 million worth of flying machines sitting in front of my office. Since we use our walls
to display aviation art (I used to be an art agent)
Earl Anderson sold quite a few of his paintings, putting a big smile on his face. Now my husband is thinking about having a fly-in just for aviation art, since Earl knows some other aviation artists who would exhibit their paintings here. Do you know of any aviation artist who could use some exposure?
Lastly, I would like to ask a favor of you. Please send the following letter to our mayor. His email address is cityclerk@180com.net
_______________________
Attn: Mayor Gessling
Dear Mayor Gessling and the Red Lodge City Council:
As a person interested in relocating to the vicinity of Red Lodge, I urge you to include funding for a full-time City Administrator in the budget to be finalized by you on August 31. The city needs to have a highly accountable and efficient system of governance in place. Bankruptcy happened just this week to Miles City. With the severe revenue restrictions placed on local governments by Montana's legislature and voters, it can happen here, too, unless we take affirmative steps such as getting an administrator on board with no further delay.
-----------your name---------------------
Thanks! :-)
If you are opposed to change, here are the U S. statistics for 1903....
The average life expectancy in the US was 47.
Only 14% of the homes in the US had a BATHTUB.
Only 8% of the homes had a TELEPHONE.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.
There were only 8,000 CARS in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily
populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California
was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the US was $0.22/hour.
The average US worker made between $200-$400/year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000/year, a dentist
$2,500/year, a veterinarian between $1,500-$4,000/year, and a mechanical
engineer about $5,000/year.
More than 95% of all births in the US took place at home.
90% of all US physicians had NO college education. Instead, they
attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press
and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost $0.04/pound. Eggs were $0.14/dozen.
Coffee cost $0.15/pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country
for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the US were:
1. Pneumonia & influenza 2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Hawaii and Alaska had not been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.
There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
One in ten US adults could not read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from High School.
18% of households in the US had at least one full-time servant.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
Coca Cola contained cocaine.
Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter
at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears
the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach
and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Actually, I found an interesting article about health. But laughing is still the best medicine :-)
Have a wonderful month of September and here is our calendar of events:
Sept. 3-6 (Fri.-Mon.)
o Red Lodge merchants Last Blast Weekend, special sales.
Sept. 3 (Fri.)
o Rocky Mountain Regional Juried Exhibition, Carbon County Arts Guild Depot Gallery, 4-6 p.m.
Sept. 4 (Sat.)
o Red Lodge Fun Run for Charities, 5K, 10K runs (competitive and for fun) and a 2 Mile Fun Walk. Costume contest, special prizes. Funds go to Red Lodge nonprofits that serve community needs. Public encouraged to participate, all ages. Meet at Red Lodge Lions Park, 9 a.m
o Free Street Concert, 8 p.m., Red Lodge
Sept. 6 (Mon.)
o 25th Annual "Labor Day Arts Fair," Lions Park, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., a Carbon County Arts Guild presentation.
Sept. 11 (Sat.)
o "Harvest Hoe Down," silent and live auction, dinner and dancing at the Carbon County Fairgrounds. 5:30 p.m. Annual Carbon County Historical Society fundraiser
Sept. 13 (Mon.) "All About Archeology," a slide presentation by Bill Vincent, a BLM archeologist. Red Lodge Carnegie Library, 7-9 p.m. No admission charge, open to the public.
Sept. 18 (Sat.)
o Oktoberfest in Lions Club Park, German food, beer, bratwurst, Oompah band, Oktoberfest Olympics. Sponsored in part by Red Lodge Ales. Families welcome.
Every Thurs. through Sun.
o Pig Races, Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse, 7 p.m., seven miles east of Red Lodge in Bearcreek. Pool betting benefits scholarship program. No admission fee. Bar and dining available beginning at 5 p.m.
Thurs. through Sun.
:-)
Best Regards,
Dorothea Lowe, Broker
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