Montana

Montana Viewpoint: A rube arrives in Trout Creek

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

Jim Elliott

I had been eyeballing a piece of property in Trout Creek for about a year. It was cheap enough, I had the money, why not? So, I bought it.

It was what around here people generously call a stump farm—stripped of timber, and in this particular case, filled with two-foot-deep ruts from logging equipment. A strip of land that could only generously be called a road led a half-mile to the property from the county road. When the seller’s son heard his mother was putting it up for sale, he and a friend hustled over to take the timber.

They logged in the Spring, they were in that much of a hurry, hence the ruts. The access road was more of a canal because they had used a D-8 Cat to pull the loaded log trucks to the gravel road that led to the mill, and whatever ground had been in the original road was up where the borrow pit would usually be.

There were two buildings on the place, a chicken coop which I did not hesitate to burn down, and the roofless Fox cabin on the back part of the place. There had been a well-built squared cedar log house, but I was twenty years too late for that because it had burned down.

Barney, the logger-son met me on the place and handed me a beer. Not a bad beginning, I thought, as I looked out on acres and acres of stumps, ruts, and scraggly trees.

“The thing this place is best suited for is timber,” Barney said. It was good advice, I now know, but I didn’t take it. I wanted to farm so I hired a woman with D-8 Cat and she stumped twenty -five acres for me. Acres with which I soon had an intimate and arduous relationship, picking sticks and moving burn piles around.

I had farm equipment left to me by my father, so I went back to the farm in Pennsylvania which I had left in 1960 and made arrangements to load it on a railcar and ship it to Montana. It took a month to load it. My most vivid memory of that time is the Farmall H (that I learned to drive on) dying in the middle of the busiest intersection in the town I was shipping it from. It was something I learned to take in stride.

So, the equipment loaded, I set out to beat it to Trout Creek, which shouldn’t have been very hard, but a blown tranny in my 1962 Chevy half-ton allowed me to experience a week in Dekalb, Illinois. But I did beat the railroad to Trout Creek.

A friend of mine and I were sitting in the old Trout Creek Café waiting for the local to arrive. I had had to find a place to off-load the equipment and the L-P mill had allowed me the use of their spur track and loading dock. “There’s your stuff!” my friend Roy shouted when the local came into sight, so we beat it over to the mill to watch them spot the railcar.

Honestly, I should have been embarrassed to ship it, there was so much junk in it, but there was good stuff, too: four tractors, a baler, a swather, a combine, two wagons with high sides crammed full of stuff, plows, discs—all the paraphernalia beginning farmer could want.

As we were looking at the railcar and the work ahead of unloading it, two men approached, one of moderate size and build named Dude and the other a more or less mountain-sized man named (of course) Shorty, although he often went by the name of Copenhagen. They were brothers.

“How you gonna get that off?” asked Shorty. It had taken four weeks to load it, so I figured on at least a week to unload it with the help of a couple of friends, but my basic answer was, I didn’t know. Shorty did. If we waited to the weekend, Shorty said, the mill would gladly loan them the equipment to unload it. I don’t know if the mill ever knew about it, but they must have, because on Saturday morning, bright and early, Dude and Shorty used the mill’s 966 log loader to pick my equipment off the flatcar and place it on the ground. It took two hours.

I also learned that what might have been junk back east was welcomed in Montana. Looking at the wagons, Shorty said, admiringly, “High speed wheels!” meaning that the axles were fitted with roller bearings, not babbit.

I was beginning to feel at home.

Montana Viewpoint has appeared in weekly and online newspapers across Montana for over 25 years. Jim Elliott served sixteen years in the Montana Legislature as a state representative and state senator. He lives on his ranch in Trout Creek.

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Montana

Indiana lands commitment from Montana State transfer cornerback Carson Williams

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Indiana lands commitment from Montana State transfer cornerback Carson Williams

Indiana football continued its reload in the secondary on Sunday with the commitment of Montana State transfer cornerback Carson Williams.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, Williams made his commitment to head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers after a weekend visit to Indiana. Williams has three years of eligibility remaining.

MORE: Transfer Portal Thread | Indiana football transfer portal tracker | Indiana football’s transfer portal wish list: A position-by-position breakdown of 2026 needs

Williams, who hails from Houston, Texas, amassed 46 total tackles, eight pass breakups and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2025 with the Bobcats. He also forced and recovered a fumble this past season.

The 2025 season was Williams’ second at the college level after he redshirted in 2024 as a true freshman.

Entering this portal cycle, cornerback was a large question mark for the Hoosiers. D’Angelo Ponds could potentially leave early for the NFL Draft and depth corner Amariyun Knighten has already entered the portal, but outside of those two, Indiana returns everyone else at cornerback.

Williams now joins a 2026 cornerback room that features returners Jamari Sharpe, Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell, while Ponds’ decision on his future is expected to come following Indiana’s run in the College Football Playoff.

Williams is rated as the No. 795 overall transfer and the No. 91-ranked cornerback in the portal.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Jan. 10, 2026

Published

17 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

05-19-21-28-64, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

17-24-36-38-43, Lucky Ball: 17

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

06-15-20-22-25, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

03-07-20-23, Bonus: 13

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

10-19-39-47-67, Powerball: 18

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

06-12-17-18-25

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Montana

Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says

The French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during new year celebrations has told investigators a service door had been locked from the inside.

Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was taken into custody on Friday, as prosecutors investigated the tragedy.

Most of the 40 people who died were teenagers, and another 116 people were injured.

Moretti told the Valais public prosecutor’s office that he had found out about the locked door just after the deadly fire.

When he arrived at the scene, he forced open the door, according to excerpts from police reports published by several French and Swiss media outlets confirmed to AFP by a source close to the case.

Moretti said he had found several people lying behind the door after opening it.

Initial findings suggest the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the establishment’s basement.

Questions are also being raised regarding the presence and accessibility of fire extinguishers, and whether the bar’s exits were in compliance with regulations.

No safety inspections at site of Swiss bar fire for past five years, mayor says

“We always add a sparkler candle when we serve a bottle of wine in the dining room,” said his wife and co-owner, Jessica, who was released after Friday’s hearing.

Moretti told investigators he had carried out tests and the candles were not powerful enough to ignite the acoustic foam.

He said he bought the foam in a DIY store and installed it himself during renovations carried out after buying the establishment in 2015.

Regarding the presence of numerous underage kids in the bar at the time of the tragedy, Moretti said the establishment prohibited anyone under the age of 16 and that customers aged 16 to 18 had to be accompanied by an adult.

He said he had given these “instructions” to the security staff, but acknowledged that “it is possible that there was a lapse in protocol”.

The couple is suspected of “negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson”.

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