St. Ignatius Mission

In the 1840s the Jesuits arrived in Montana with fathers DeSmet and Ravalli, establishing missions among the various mountain indigenous groups.  At our stop at St. Ignatius in (of course) St. Ignatius, Montana, we discussed syncretism and religion.  We used the mission to discuss similar influences as seen in Hellenism as carried east by Alexander the Great on Buddhism, and the case of Catholicism in Aztec and Maya society.

The tipi in the picture holds the Eucharist - the most sacred place in the mission, where the body and blood of Christ resides.  Putting him in the tipi in this reservation parish is a sign of respect.

Jesus Christ is portrayed in the mission as an Indian Chief - notice the Sacred Heart image in the picture.

 This was the background for our discussion - once more, this beats the pants of a chalk board.

Hostel in Missoula

For those of you not familiar with a hostel, this is the Hutchins Hostel we stayed at in Missoula.  Clean, comfortable, and great location.

Missoula

We've made a two night stop in Missoula, MT. Missoula sits in a nice little valley in the mountains where the Blackfoot and Bitteroot rivers enter the Clark Fork of the Columbia River. Not only did the students get a chance to warm up (after Butte and Yellowstone...brrrrr) and stretch their legs along the river and mountain trails, but we had a great visit to the new Traveler's Rest site. Traveler's Rest is the location of Lewis and Clark's stop in the Bitteroot Valley recently discovered by modern archaeology. We discussed exploration, Native American migration, women as translators in world history, liminality and borderland theory, and then discussed books about prostitution and saloons. In short, we got recharged to get back on the road but still hit some great topics in world and US West history.

Butte / Big Hole Battlefield

We stopped in Butte, Montana to talk about the idea of core / periphery in world resource extraction and global capitalism.  Butte used to be the largest city between Minneapolis and San Francisco, but is now a ravaged environmental disaster.  The wealth of the city was built on copper, lead, manganese, silver, gold, and lead mining, but with the minerals played out, so is the wealth of the city and all that is left is a beautiful old town and a few people that hang on in a place that presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to Richard Nixon considered a must-stop part of their campaign trails.  For images of the pit mine in Butte, see here.

After Butte we headed to the Big Hole National Battlefield where the Nez Perce were ambushed by US Troops as the Native Americans camped along the banks of the Big Hole river.  This was just one in a series of battles between US forces and the Nez Perce as they attempted to flee the United States for Canada in the longest fighting retreat in US Military history.  The Nez Perce were able to put US troops under seige at Big Hole, buying time for their families to escape the rifles and howitzer of the US 7th Infantry.

Our walking guide for our tour of the "red light district" of Butte.  Here he discusses the corruption of the Butte police and arsons in the city.

Student David surveys the inside of one of Butte's many former brothels.

The Blue Range Brothel.  The windows and doors were for miners to select from the menu of prostitutes.

Butte had a thriving Chinese population.  This parade dragon is part of the museum of the Chinese community.

Cases with some of the thousands of artifacts found in digs in the Chinese district of Butte.

Providing food for miners was a key role for Chinese businesses.  Mining camps gave birth to the dish "chop suey" - essentially scraps thrown together for miners that was cheap and filling - as well as tasty.

While at the big hole, our Texans struggled with their being "too many bugs" in Montana.

Grand Tetons / Yellowstone / Virginia City, MT

Two nights in the snow in Yellowstone for our Texans had them chilled and thrilled.  We covered the history of the Park Service, resource and natural uses in the world and the U.S., and different adaptations of technology and practices from the Sheepeater band of Shoshone to the Gunpowder Empires of the Islamic World.

Dr. Bremer discusses mountain men with student Jordan who read and then presented material on her book about the lives of various trappers.

Our group with the grand Tetons of Wyoming/Idaho in the background.

Isn`t this a better back-drop for a class than a chalk board?

Student Allie had great fun in the snow...

... making a Dr. Bremer snowman.  Yes, that is a hat, not hair on top.

The Porcelain Basin of geothermal pools and springs with the mountains of Yellowston in the back.

Dr. Dormady's tent dug in on the side of the tent pad.  

Views like this helped convince Congress to set Yellowstone aside as a national park.

Virginia City, 2 hours north of Yellowstone, is the former territorial capital of Montana.  Stores, vigilante history, African American history, women in the west... and good ice cream - Virginia City was a hit with both professors and students.

Street scene in Virginia City.

On the Road in Wyoming

WiFi is slow and spotty.  Beauttiful drive through the Uinta's to Rock Springs, WY.  We visited the Mountain Man Museum in Pinedale then had an evening off in Jackson Hole, WY. We are off to Yellowstone Park this morning... if we can get everbody out of the grocery store.  About 40 degrees... these Texans are convinced this is December.

Canyonlands National Park

Great visit to Canyonlands National Park.  While the students thought Chaco was a bit too dry and hot, they were all crushed we could only have two nights at Canyonlands.  We started the visit by watching the sun set at Split Top at the same time the moon came up.  The next day we hiked ten miles (round trip) to the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers.  While there, Dr., Bremer talked about water issues and the west while student Kevin talked about explorer John Wesley Powell who boated to the exact place we were at.  Dr. Dormady made comparisons between Powell and world explorers Dimid Pandya and Ibn Battuta.  After we hiked back we attended a park program on cowboys use of the area before it was declared a natinal park. We all slept REALLY well that night.

Newspaper Rock petroglyphs.

The cave the students slept in.  They were like little kids when they saw they were sleeping in a cave.

Moon rise at sun set in Canyonlands.

Prickly pear were in bloom - a rare sight.

Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.  We were not and will not be near any of the flooding areas of the Green River.

Student David catches some shade after the five mile hike in.  Is he from Texas?

Students get some shade, rest, food, and water after the five miles in... knowing if you walk it in you have to walk it out.

Student Kevin talks about John Wesley Powell and the book Cadillac Desert.