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Newsletter from Montana
July 2005
If you have been alarmed about the recent earthquake in Montana, I made a website with a graph
detailing the earthquake zones in Montana.
I added a link to this page from my listings page, so you can find it again.
It is not a big surprise, since the continental plate of America stops at the Western border of Montana. Washington, Oregon and California are on the Pacific Plate, which rose up to show those states above the water. The reason the western part of Montana is all crunched up into mountains is the friction between those two plates. Small earthquakes like the one we just had are actually healthy, because they relieve the tension between the two plates and help prevent major disasters. They are well worth the pictures that fell off the walls throughout the state. Even my house here in Red Lodge trembled a bit and it reminded me of my days when I lived in Southern California :-)
Do Montanans like chocolate? Guess what, they do not! Anyway, that is what Jane found out. She moved to Red Lodge from Ohio to open a small town bakery.
It took her a while to figure out what the locals like. She started her bakery in the fall of 2003 and modified the building she is leasing to suit her needs. She has created a little seating area in her bakery also, which she decorated with antiques of the area. Jane not only bakes delicious breakfast pastries, but she also serves "Mountain Pies" for breakfast and lunch. She had an oven custom built just for that. Usually it takes about 3 years for any new business to pull out of the red, but she made it in two! The little bakery starts to make a profit, but unfortunately, even though Jane loves her bakery, she has to sell because her health is not cooperating. So, if you love to bake, you now have the opportunity to jump out of bed at 5 am to do what you love to do and getting paid for it!
If that is not your lifestyle and you rather go fishing, how about an island?
Electric and phone on site, complete with a small cabin to keep the electric things and phone out of the weather. The island is lush with big old trees, wildlife and privacy. There is a footbridge, but in order to build on the island, you would either have to put a temporary culvert in for the equipment to get across, or you would need a real bridge. The county bridges had washed out 30 years ago, but there is hope: Montana has hundreds of bridges and a "Road and Bridges Historic Plan." If you are in no hurry to get a bridge for your property, you could contact
Joe Kolman of Helena, Bridge Chief for the Department of Transportation.
2701 Prospect Avenue, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001, TEL: 406.444.6260, FAX: 406.444.6155 jkolman@state.mt.us
He will send you some papers to fill out and then he will put your name in the hat. Next time a bridge near your property is being replaced, you will be notified. The department will even pay for all or some of the transportation and installation. You will have to build the foundation out of your own pocket and also the transportation. Then you can hand in those receipts and the department will reimburse you up to a certain amount, depending on what is in their budget at the time. It might take a year or two before anything jiggles, but you can put your ear on the ground by contacting Joe.
I thought this would be fitting:
A priest and a pastor from the local churches are standing by the
side of the road, pounding a sign into the ground that reads: "The End Is Near - Turn Yourself Around Now Before It's Too Late!"
As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone, you
religious nuts!" From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.
The pastor turns to the priest and asks: "Do you suppose the sign should just say 'Bridge Out'?"
If you would like a bridge without delay, take a look at
Excel Bridge
12001 SHOEMAKER AVE. SANTA FE SPRINGS CA. 90670
TEL: (562) 944-0701 FAX: (562) 944-4025 Info@excelbridge.com
They are very competitive and build beautiful bridges for half or 2/3rd what other bridge builders will charge. They deliver and install, all you have to do is construct the concrete foundation. For example, a 40' span bridge made in California, delivered to Montana will cost $ 25,000. The same bridge at another Bridge Builder would cost between $ 35,000 and $ 45,000. (Hot tip from Roger Kruckenberg, Montana Architect in Bozeman with 35 years of experience,
creekside-studio@starband.net
phone: 406/586 1000)
Other bridge builders:
www.wtp.net/bridges
www.continentalbridge.com
www.usbridge.com
www.steadfastbridge.com
www.bigrmfg.com
The following web page shows historic bridges from around Montana
www.greatnorthernempire.net
it takes a long time to load.....
Also the bridge from Montana to North Dakota is noteworthy. The Fairview Lift Bridge is located across the North Dakota border 3.5 miles east of Fairview and two miles west of Cartwright, ND. This bridge along with its sister bridge at Snowden, MT, was constructed as part of an ambitious plan by Great Northern Railroad for its never-completed Montana Eastern Railway. The railway was designed as a second mainline for the northern plains, connecting the vast open spaces between New Rockford, ND, and Lewistown, MT. About the time World War I began, an economic downturn of the Montana Eastern Railway brought construction to a halt.
The first engineered road was constructed in Montana in 1860 by John Mullan; but the majority of roads (except for the Interstates) were the result of construction activities between about 1910 and 1941. Most of the roads now administered by the MDT were on the original Federal-Aid system established after the creation of the Montana Highway Commission in 1913. Although there have been slight alterations of the alignments, the routes remain essentially what they were prior to World War I. Some of these, such as US Highways 10, 91 and 93, follow older routes established by Native Americans prior to the arrival of Euro-Americans in 1805. U. S. Highways 10 and 91 also follow historical trail systems such as the Mullan Road, Bozeman Trail, Utah - Montana Road, and Benton Road. All the Interstate highways follow travel corridors established in Montana's prehistory.
Bridges were a component of those road systems. Unlike the roads, bridges were a more obvious expression of the technological changes sweeping through the United States after the Civil War. The first bridges in Montana were crude timber or timber truss spans that were subject to frequent wash-outs. The arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 allowed easy access to Montana for Midwestern bridge construction companies. Beginning in 1888 with the completion of the Missouri River Bridge at Fort Benton, Montana experienced a boom in the construction of steel truss bridges as the counties sought to improve their infrastructures and, thus, attract new settlers to their districts.
The Montana Highway Commission was created in 1913 to administer the first of the Federal-aid highway bills. It resulted in the creation of the Federal Aid Primary (FAP) road system, the introduction of federal standards for road construction and, two years later in 1915, the standardization of bridge designs. Although truss bridges dominated the landscape until 1915, thereafter, the Commission experimented and standardized designs for steel girder and stringer, timber and reinforced concrete bridges. The counties,
however, were still responsible for the construction of their roads and bridges--the Commission provided only technical expertise up until 1926. That year, the Commission took full financial responsibility for the construction of roads and bridges in Montana. This marked a turning point in the state's relationship with the federal government. The increased responsibilities placed on the Commission required a substantial change in the federal match program that had hitherto proved unable to directly fund major construction projects.
All the through truss bridges in Montana were constructed before 1947. Those constructed before 1926 were designed for a functional lifespan of forty to fifty years. Therefore, they have long outlasted their intended usefulness. They are also narrow with restricted clearances and were not designed to carry the weight loads that many experience today. Many are significantly rusted with loose or damaged structural components. Historic reinforced concrete bridges were constructed primarily in the early 1920s and early 1930s. Problems with these structures include cracking, spalling and exposed rebar. When reinforced concrete was first used early in the 20th century, promoters of the material claimed it would last indefinitely. They did not take into account site conditions, poor construction, the weather's effects on concrete or anticipate future traffic conditions on the structures. Although many are in good shape, many others are significantly deteriorated and require rehabilitation or replacement.
Most of the existing timber bridges were constructed in the 1930s and late 1940s. There is some debate as to whether they were designed as permanent structures or merely as an expedient method of crossing obstacles (in much the same way as the railroads initially built timber trestles that were designed to be replaced by steel structures after the line had been completed). Today, there are only 27 timber bridges that have not been significantly modified out of 1218 timber structures currently on- and off-system in Montana. Modifications typically include new guardrails, clamped or replaced stringers and new back walls.
The steel stringer and girder bridges have, for the most part, fared the best of the bridges constructed before 1956. They are not hampered by limited clearances and are much easier to negotiate by agricultural-related traffic. Problems have been limited to rusted or shifted rockers and rust on the steel components.
I have an update on the Beartooth Highway. I flew over it on July 20th, and the road looked spic and span from the top! It still will not open this season, because bracing needs to be done, but I posted my photos along with aerial photos flying over the Beartooth toward Cooke City on my webpage.
I think the budget for repairing this road is in the neighborhood of $ 20,000,000
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
- Ronald Reagan
If YOU are in need of over a million dollars, there is a specialty branch from Bank of America. They will lend you money based on your assets (and not necessarily on an appraisal). Also they can provide you with management or Lessees for ranches or farms, etc. Contact Tom Gates, senior Vice President, 314/466 0232. tom.gates@bankofamerica.com
Their rates are very competitive and they will work with you regarding interest only loans, etc. Their office is in Missouri, but they work nationwide and paid me a visit last week, since my listings seem to drift into recreational and working farms and ranches.
Because of that, I am in the process of having Sky Lodge Properties licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota. Martie, my secretary, will be a real estate agent in fall for Montana, and then we can spread out a little bit. Easy to do with airplanes on hand :-) Also I know a rancher/farmer who would like to get on board with me in Wyoming, and he has quite a bit of experience in the field - in the truest sense of the word. If you have any input regarding properties in ND or MN - please let me know! If you feel frisky and do not mind working 24/7 - this office is expanding.... Darrell, my husband, found a business (FBO) in Northwest Minnesota he would like to buy to accommodate jet planes and float planes. Hence, we are putting our hangars here next to Red Lodge on the market. If you would like to live with your plane next to our little mountain town - our big hangar with all whistles and bells is for sale for $ 475,000 and the warehouse/hangar next door is for sale on 8 city lots (over an acre) and zoned commercial/industrial - 7,800 sqft for $ 225,000
Now the best parcels at the south end of Sheep Mountain Ranch are for sale. You can buy 100 acres in one chunk for $ 775,000 with Aspen, Spruce trees, rolling hills, mountain views and only 20 minutes from Red Lodge. There is National Forest Access via a spectacular trail with views of 4 mountain ranges.
At the beginning of the year, I had told you about a new documentary series for the Discovery Channel, which follows American families leaving the city and moving to a new life in the wilderness in a remote part of the States. Well, the series went into development and is now commissioned. They need to find three families making that move within the next three months! They would like to start filming this fall, and then have the shows on air next summer. Discovery would like to film with a family moving to the wilderness in Montana. Essentially, they are looking for people who are aiming for full self-sufficiency in the backwoods - real Grizzly Adams stuff, ideally building their own cabins on rough scrubland, growing their own crops, rearing their own animals, fighting off bears etc! Well, I don not know if we can make it that wild here in Montana, but if you are up to it, contact James Christiemiller his email address is
james.christiemiller@ricochet.co.uk
I also put a link to the flyer on my
Listings page. Their big show in the US is "Super Nanny" and their website is
www.ricochet.co.uk
ICE stands for "In Case of Emergency." If you add an entry in the contact list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone number of the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you can save them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly. Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately. For more than one contact, name it ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc
To stay on top of things and to keep your energy, there is a food supplement out, which I think is worth a try. Take a look at their website.
www.reliv.com
Have a wonderful summer until my next newsletter at the end of August!
:-)
Best Regards,
Dorothea Lowe, Broker
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