Garrison, MT - Oct. 13 - 19, 2008
On October 13th we left Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, crossed the Bitterroot Mountains heading for Riverfront RV Park on the Little Blackfoot River in Garrison, MT. Montana was experiencing an early winter storm so Bill was studiously monitoring the weather conditions. He determined that although Garrison had received some snow, further south had experienced something approaching a blizzard. Our next destination was about 70 miles further south in Melrose, but since Riverfront RV was one of the few parks still open in Montana we decided to stay and wait for the weather to clear.
The hamlet of Garrison had nothing to offer this time of year, but the area had enough to keep us a bit distracted from the cold. (When one awakes in the morning to find ice crystals on the inside of the windows one needs a lot of distraction.) Our first excursion was to Deer Lodge to visit the Old Montana Prison that opened for business 1871. This cold, damp fortress with its guard turrets, shackles, 'black box' solitary confinement cells and barbed wire should have discouraged most from a life of crime. Clearly this was not the case since the prison operated at capacity until the late 1970s.
One of its long-term tenants, occupying Prison Cell No. 1, was Paul "Turkey Pete" Eitner. Convicted of murder and sentenced to life in 1918, Turkey Pete was placed in charge of the prison turkey flock. Losing touch with reality, he "Sold" the entire flock for the sum of 25 cents each. This began his new career as the prison entrepreneur. Humoring his mental condition, inmates were allowed to print 'Eitner checks' in the prison print shop. Turkey Pete used the 'Eitner checks' to purchase the prison. Operating the prison from his sell he paid all prison expenses and salaries with 'Eitner checks'. Turkey Pete died in 1967 after 49 years behind bars. At his death, Cell No. 1 was retired from use. His was the only funeral ever held within the walls of the prison.
After our chilling tour of the prison, we warmed up next door at the Montana Auto Museum that houses a surprisingly impressive collection of over 150 cars and trucks. Most of the beautifully restored vehicles were donated or on loan from Montana residents.
Once the skies cleared we drove the Pintler Scenic Loop to Phillipsburg, billed as 'the liveliest ghost town in the west'. Once a bustling mining center, this town of about 1,000 residents is now a tourist destination at the foot of Discovery Ski Basin. After lunch in a 1920s style soda fountain we wandered around town checking out the architecture and views. We were astounded to see a real prisoner in traditional striped prison garb being escorted in handcuffs to the courthouse. We first thought it was a re-enactment, and then we just stopped and stared - the poor guy looked like a cartoon character.
We continued our scenic drive stopping to admire beautiful Georgetown Lake and to pop into the Visitor's Center in Anaconda. The city was once an Anaconda Copper Company town; with its natural hot springs it is now a spa, retirement and outdoors recreation community.
Our last excursion in the area was a Sunday trip to Helena, Montana's capital city. Helena got its start in July 1864 when four desperate miners from Georgia found gold in 'Last Chance Gulch'. Last Chance Gulch is now a pedestrian mall in the downtown area offering several restaurants, pubs and galleries. Sadly, they aren't open on Sunday. However, we found a compassionate Greek restaurateur who graciously stayed open past her 3:00 PM Sunday closing time to accommodate two hungry tourists.
While in Helena we visited the Capitol Building, the first Governor's Mansion and the imposing St. Helena Cathedral. Surprisingly, the cathedral was also closed on this particular Sunday. This was the first time we had encountered a closed cathedral anywhere, on any day. This was Sunday. It was odd.
On the way to the Capitol in the heart of the city we passed two rather surprising sites, 1) the Lewis and Clark County building, a middle eastern looking structure with a very tall minaret on one corner and an onion dome on the other, and 2) a deer wandering down the middle of a city street. Once again - odd.
On Monday we headed south to Melrose and to meet our friends for a fishing frenzy.
