Come see the 'State of Montana' • Daily Montanan

In July of 2019, I launched a radio show on Yellowstone Public Radio based on my book, “Fifty-Six Counties: A Montana Journey.” For the first few years of that program, I interviewed people from all over Montana, talking to them about what it means to them to be from Montana, and about what they’re doing to make Montana a better place. 

I loved doing that program, but there were some restrictions, especially in terms of politics, to what I could talk about because of the sponsorship of public radio. So a couple of years ago, I changed the format to talk more about the history of Montana, focusing on events that were important in shaping the way we view ourselves. For example, I did an episode on the Montana Constitution, which is considered one of the best constitutions in the country, an episode on “The Big Burn,” a huge fire that swept through most of Western Montana in 1910 and completely changed the way forestry people approached their job. It also saved the National Forest Service, which the government was considering doing away with. 

All this to say that I feel as if I have learned a lot about what is important to Montanans, and what they value most about living in this glorious state. So a few months ago, since I don’t have enough to keep me busy, I decided to start a podcast that would give me a little for freedom to talk to people about whatever I want, including politics. I called the podcast “The State of Montana,” and as the title suggests, my intent is to present various peoples’ ideas of what’s important and what’s troubling about our state. It’s a sort of inventory of what’s going on around the state.

I was fortunate to procure my first interview with Montana legend Dorothy Bradley, the first woman to run for governor, and also the founder of Earth Day in Montana. I drove to Dorothy’s house just outside Clyde Park, and we had a delightful conversation about her experiences as a legislator and a candidate for governor, among other things.

Dorothy also put me in touch with former governor Marc Racicot, the man who beat her in the election, and Marc graciously agreed to an interview as well. It was a good way to get things rolling, and I’ve been happy since then to have the opportunity to visit with several prominent figures, past and present, in the political arena in Montana.

But I also wanted to focus on people who are not directly involved in politics, but are doing things that have a huge impact on our state and the way things are done here in Montana. So I have been very pleased to have conversations with such people as Rachel Carroll Revis, who works for the Southern Poverty Research Center, and Alison Fox, the executive director of the American Prairie, formerly the American Prairie Reserve. I talked to Blackfeet siblings Ivan and Ivy MacDonald, who have had phenomenal success making documentary films, focusing in particular on the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

I’ve also interviewed such interesting folks as Tammi Fisher, the former Republican mayor of Kalispell who has become so disillusioned with her party’s tactics that she started her own podcast, “Montana Values,” where she and her producer Mickey talk very frankly about politicians around the state, from both parties, that are disappointing them in major ways. This was one of my favorite conversations. 

And now I am pleased that Darrell Ehrlick, The Daily Montanan guru, has agreed to feature “The State of Montana” on the Daily Montanan site. So you can look forward to upcoming interviews with Montana Congressional candidate Steve Held, candidate for State Auditor John Repke, along with a joint conversation with Ryan Busse and Raph Graybill, and an interview with Denise Juneau, who was our Superintendent of Public Schools before making her own run for governor, the first indigenous candidate for that office in our state. 

I hope you’ll join me in my journey around the state of Montana, and if you enjoy the podcast, remember that this is a labor of love. I do all the research, editing and engineering myself, so you can support the podcast by subscribing and spreading the word to your friends. I want to give Montanans the chance to get to know those who are making their mark in our state, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share these conversations with you.